Education
MLIS, Dalhousie University
MSc, Universiteit van Amsterdam
BSc, University of Lethbridge

Francine May is Associate Dean, Research at Mount Royal University Library. She provides strategic leadership and coordination research support services and programming. Francine also contributes to the Library's collection development and Information Literacy program and previously taught in the Department of General Education.

Her research explores how library spaces shape the experiences of users. She is currently leading or collaborating on several projects related to responsible research assessment (including DORA-aligned practices), open scholarship, and the development of institutional repository infrastructure. Francine also chairs the COPPUL Collections Community and serves on the COPPUL License Working Group, contributing to regional strategies around academic publishing and collective licensing.

Professional and Scholarly Interests
• Libraries as public and academic spaces
• Evolving approaches to responsible research assessment
• Open scholarship (open access, open data, open education)
• Researcher support services in academic libraries

Selected Publications and Presentations

Hayman, R., & May, F., & . (2025, Jan). Advancing research assessment: DORA and open access. MRU Library News. Mount Royal University. https://library.mtroyal.ca/c.php?g=728279&p=5223433&t=20510

May, F. (2024, April 26). Comfort & learning: Understanding library users’ needs [Conference presentation]. Learning and Teaching Conference, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, April 24–26, 2024.

May, F., & A. Swabey. (2015). Using and experiencing the academic library: A multi-site observational study of space and place. College & Research Libraries 76 (6), 771-795 38 2015

May, F. (2011). Methods for studying the use of public spaces in Libraries/Les méthodes d'étude de l'utilisation des espaces publics dan les bibliothèques. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science 35 (4), 354-366

May, F. (2003). Interdisciplinary collaboration in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. Unpublished thesis, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands