Quan-Haase is past-president and past social media director of the Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS).
In 2004, Quan-Haase obtained a PhD in Information Studies from the University of Toronto while working under the supervision of Lynne Howarth and an advisory committee including Barry Wellman, Chun Wei Choo, and Derrick de Kerckhove.
[1] Quan-Haase's Ph.D. work examined the flow of information in high-tech organizations and compared employees' face-to-face, email, and instant messaging networks.
In her work with Barry Wellman, Renwen Alice Zhang, and Molly-Gloria Harper, they have identified variations in how older adults (65+) use the internet to stay connected and gain information.
[6] Anabel Quan-Haase has published numerous articles and book chapters on the topics of social networking, information technology, instant messaging, older adults, and internet use.