Joan Dawson is a fellow of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society and a member of the Lunenburg County Historical Society, the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Archaeology Society, and the Antiquarian Club of Halifax. She is the author of <i>Nova Scotia's Historic Rivers</i>, <i>Nova Scotia's Lost Highways</i>, <i>The Mapmakers' Legacy</i>, <i>A History of Nova Scotia in 50 Objects</i>, and <i>Nova Scotia's Lost Communities</i>, and many articles on maps and local history.