ISSA – Page 2

March 19, 2023

End-of-term Updates

As we sail past the midway point of the winter term, we wanted to highlight a few initiatives happening and SIM, and what students can look forward to for the rest of the semester!

Past:

Waffle Fundraiser. On March 1^st, SIM’s monthly Waffle Wednesday was expanded into a Faculty of Management-wide fundraiser for earthquake relief for Turkey and Syria. SIMSA would like to sincerely thank everyone who bought a waffle, popped in to say hello, and donated to this initiative. It was wonderful to see so many faces in the SIM common room, familiar and new. Together we raised $222 for earthquake relief for Turkey and Syria, which was donated to Humanitarian Coalition. Millions of people across both countries are in need of humanitarian assistance, and we encourage you to make a donation if you are able.
Book Club: The SIMSA book club met again in February to discuss their book of the month! Look forward to the book pick for March and the meeting date and time.
Headshots and the annual SIM class photo. On March 10^th students were welcome to have their headshot taken by a professional photographer. We also gathered as a group to photograph our class in 2023!
Thanks to all who signed our collective letter to the Halifax Clerk’s Office and Councillor Sam Austin protesting the proposed budget cuts to Dartmouth Heritage Museum. We are relieved to hear the good news that these cuts will not be occurring and affecting the posterity of this valuable organization.
SIM Career Day Part 2 occurred on March 17^th! This day featured in-person resume review by our Professional-in-Residence, Cabot Yu and virtual review by a larger group of Information professionals. We will be following up this event with a virtual group networking event on the platform Wander. Stay tuned for more details!
Alumni Fundraiser. We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to all alumni who have donated to SIMSA in the past month. We have raised $155 dollars so far and will be using these funds for student programs and initiatives. Thank you.

Upcoming:

SIMSArchive Workshop 3: Description will be taking place on March 24^th from 9:30- 11:30am in the SIM meeting room (4025). All are welcome to join us to learn about archival description and continue with next steps in processing SIMSA’s records to prepare them for their move to the Dalhousie Archives.
Lunch and Learn: Melissa Rothfus. Join us for pizza and a talk from Melissa Rothfus, Dalhousie’s Scholarly Communications librarian! This Lunch and Learn will be held on March 27^th from 12-1pm in the SIM Meeting Room (4025) and over Teams.
Point Pleasant Walk: Join SIMSA for a walk in Point Pleasant on April 1^st at 2pm! Get in touch with a Non-Academic Chair for more details about meeting points.
Triva Night: Our wildly popular trivia nights are returning: join us on Tuesday, March 21^st at The Brewery by Quinn’s for trivia! Starts at 7pm.
SIMatinee. To wind down the semester we will be hosting a movie screening in the SIM common room on Friday, April 14^th from 2:30-5pm! Please join us for the 1957 film ‘Desk Set’ starring Katherine Hepburn. Alongside this film we will be discussing an article written by Dr. Allison-Cassin entitled “Bodies, brains, and machines: An exploration of the relationship between the material and affective states of librarians and information systems”. Popcorn and movie snacks provided!
April’s Waffle Wednesday will be occurring on April 5^th from 10am-12pm in the common room. This is our last WW of the semester, so come on out for socializing, homemade waffles, and coffee and orange juice!
The next book club meeting will be held on April 10^th at 5:30pm in the SIM Common Room. The pick of the month is The Bear by Claire Cameron. If you’d like to join, feel free to sign out a book in the common room!
SIMSA is hard at work planning the annual SIMphony, our end-of-year celebration where SIM students, faculty, and staff gather in community to celebrate all we’ve accomplished in the past year. This year’s SIMphony will be taking place at East of Grafton! Stay tuned for more details and get excited!

That’s all for now! We hope the term wraps up smoothly for students. As always, never hesitate to reach out to SIMSA with questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns. We are hear to listen and support you. Get in touch with a SIMSA exec or at simsa@dal.ca

March 10, 2023

Celebrating our students: Spotlight on Charlie Hook (MI ‘23)

Charlie Hook is a second-year Master of Information student at SIM. Charlie was recently accepted to a doctoral program at the University of Leicester. In this spotlight we learn about Charlie’s doctoral project and what she is most looking forward to as she continues her studies at a new university. Congratulations on this incredible accomplishment, Charlie. This is important and valuable work, and we wish you all the best as you embark on your degree.

Tell us about the program you applied to and why you were attracted to the University of Leicester?

I found out about this doctoral opportunity through Twitter! The University of Leicester’s School of Museum Studies was looking to award two fee waivers to students looking to pursue doctoral studies in their program in specific fields, one of which was human remains in the museum! I only had about six weeks left to apply when I found out!

I first became attracted to the subject of human remains in the museum while putting together an exhibit on women’s health in Victorian Leeds during my MA in Curating Science at the University of Leeds. During archival research, I became aware of a tumour that was removed from a female patient and then donated to the Leeds Medical School. When I inquired about it with my supervisor, he informed me that although there was a possibility that the school still had the tumour in their possession, it would be impossible to get access to it because of the laws that governed the care of human remains in the UK. I started designing my PhD project a few months later, but never finalised my application due to the start of Covid.

This specific opportunity is particularly special, partly because the fee waiver means that I do not have to worry about paying exorbitant international fees, but also because my supervisor is one of the few experts on human remains in the museum that is still teaching in the UK. Leicester also boasts the only dedicated museum studies school in England, so it is a natural fit for my studies.

What is your proposed doctoral project?

My proposed doctoral studies are on the provenance of colonial human remains in the museum. Currently, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s Guidance on the Care of Human Remains states that the provenance of human remains should not play an important role in determining the outcome of requests for the return of human remains to their community of origin; instead, the outcome should be decided based on a prove-able association between the remains and the community making the request, and the spiritual or cultural importance of the remains to the community. However, remains that were acquired by individuals and institutions during the period of British colonial expansion from overseas territories were usually acquired through theft, or trade where an imbalance of power was present between the giver and the recipient. My research will study the provenance of certain colonial human remains in British institutions through archival research, and hopefully, interviews with the community of origin in order to ascertain the means of acquisition of the remains. My hypothesis is that my findings will confirm that these remains were acquired through unethical or illegal means, which would diminish the institution’s claim over the remain, and therefore mandate or encourage the return of said remains to their community of origin.

What are you most excited for?

The first year of my degree is the literature review year, so I’ll be doing a lot of secondary research at first, before passing an examination that would confirm the feasibility of my research and officially make me a PhD candidate. The real fun will start in my second year, when I’ll be able to start archival research and interviews with communities. It will be very important for me to balance archival research, which represents a Western point of view, with the research I’ll be conducting with the communities of origin, which will likely include other Ways of Knowing. Creating relationships of trust with those communities will be difficult, but I’m looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity to help bring their voices to light, and hopefully bring their ancestors home.

How do you feel the MI prepared you to move into a research-intensive degree?

I benefited tremendously from some of the courses that I took with Dr. Jamila Ghaddar in the first year of my degree, where I was able to further explore my interests in human remains and the policies and legislations that relate to them. Dr. Ghaddar uses an intersectional approach to her teaching that really helped widen my horizons and teach me about all the parties with stakes in human remains present in the museum. The opportunity to pursue a reading course over the summer and fall turn also allowed me to dive into the subject, and perform much of the research that went into my proposal. Research Methods also proved invaluable in teaching me to write a research proposal in the first place, which was obviously key in putting one together in such a short period of time.

March 3, 2023February 24, 2023

March First-Year Student Spotlight: Keith Macknight

Our First-Year Student Spotlight for the month of March highlights Keith Macknight! Keith talks about his experience in the Master of Information program so far and his evolving interests. Your insights are compelling indeed, Keith! Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself.

Tell us a bit about yourself! (Name, where you are from, and what brought you to this program)

My name is Keith Macknight, and I am from St. Andrews in New Brunswick, just on the other side of the Bay of Fundy from Nova Scotia. I came into this program after working at my local archives, the Charlotte County Archives, during the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic and deciding that I wanted to move further in that field. I enjoy living a quiet life, and I try to find time to play old video games when I’m not too busy with course work.

What is your favourite thing about SIM so far?

Our course lectures and assignments have afforded us many opportunities to discuss and examine topics which feel socially relevant, such as privacy on social media or social justice topics. My academic background is in archaeology and history, and I often felt during my undergrad that I was in a sort of “bubble” that was separate from everything else going on in the world. I don’t feel that way at all in the SIM program, and I find myself to be a lot more compelled with our work because of it.

What about Information Management interests you the most? What are you looking forward to learning more about?

I want to learn more about online databases, in particular how best to structure them to make sure they are easy to use and accessible for the general public. Online databases have a lot of potential for making the information kept in archives and libraries more widely available, but if they aren’t structured well that would seriously diminish their usefulness. I’ve also become interested in topics related to data privacy and the potential of social media as a source of information, data, and many headaches.

March First-Year Student Spotlight: Keith Macknight

Tell us a bit about yourself! (Name, where you are from, and what brought you to this program)

What is your favourite thing about SIM so far?

What about Information Management interests you the most? What are you looking forward to learning more about?

February 24, 2023February 24, 2023

Alumni Spotlight Series: Kydra Mayhew

Our new Alumni Spotlight Series will highlight recent SIM grads. First up we have Kydra Mayhew, 2022 graduate! Kydra shares what her experience at SIM was like as she started her degree during the Covid-19 pandemic, her new position at Mount Saint Vincent University as Engagement Librarian and instructor at SIM, and offers some advice for current students. It is wonderful to see you shine in professional settings, Kydra, and we are lucky to have you teaching out of SIM!

When did you graduate from SIM? What was your favourite class/subject of study when you were in the program and how have your interests expanded since then/how have you translated these to the workplace?

I graduated from SIM in the Spring of 2022. During my time at SIM I focused on Bibliometrics and scholarly research. I really loved taking reading courses in my areas of interest that allowed me to curate my own learning experiences and study topics that I was passionate about. During my reading courses I was able to hone my research skills at both the quantitative and qualitative levels. These courses gave me the opportunity to work on projects that I would eventually submit to conferences all over the world.

What is your current role, how long have you been in it?

I am currently working at Mount Saint Vincent University as their Engagement Librarian – a position that I started at the beginning of 2023. In this position I am responsible for engaging with the MSVU and greater Halifax community, as well as being a liaison librarian for several different departments. In addition to this I am also a part-time instructor for SIM, I teach an undergraduate course on information networking systems.

In what ways is working as an IM professional different from the classroom? If you could go back and give your first year self one piece of advice, what would you tell them?

During my first year in the MI program we were completely online. It was isolating and difficult, and it left me worrying that I wouldn’t have the practical skills required for a job in my field. If I could go back and give myself some advice, I would tell myself that this may have seemed like a challenge at the time, but it was a fantastic learning opportunity that allowed me to gain a new set of skills that are now crucially important to have in modern workplaces; such as remote work capabilities, problem solving, online communication skills, flexibility and adaptability. My time as an online student provided me with a unique knowledge of the online learning landscape which has opened more doors for me than I ever thought it would.

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023

Submit to SIMagination

The SIMagination Creative Journal, last published in 2014, is back and now accepting submissions for the spring 2023 issue! If inspiration strikes or you have creative works you’ve always wanted to share with others, consider submitting to SIMagination, a space to showcase your creative artwork or writing!

The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 10th. Please see the attached Call for Submissions for more details, or get in touch at simaginationcreativejournal@gmail.com

February 10, 2023February 1, 2023

First-Year Student Spotlight: Courtney Pearce

Our February First-Year Student Spotlight features Courtney Pearce! Courtney joins SIM from Newfoundland and Labrador! She has enjoyed staying close to Atlantic Canada while expanding her horizons in Information Management. Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself, Courtney, you will make a great academic librarian!

Tell us a bit about yourself!

My name is Courtney! I’m originally from Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and Labrador but I did my undergraduate degree in St. John’s, majoring in linguistics and minoring in psychology. I knew that I wanted to go into librarianship for a while, especially after having worked at the library at my undergrad university but I chose SIM for a few reasons. Most importantly, I like that there is a focus on many areas of information management outside of librarianship through a variety of electives. The location is also a plus because I love Atlantic Canada!

What is your favourite thing about SIM so far?

While I already mentioned the variety of areas of information management that SIM allows students to explore, I also love the community SIM has to offer! Since the program is small, it is easier to not only get to know other students but also the faculty which has been a good experience so far!

What about Information Management interests you the most? What are you looking forward to learning more about?

I am most interested in how information plays a role in all facets of society, not just in libraries and archives. In particular, I find information literacy fascinating and I want to learn more about how that can be promoted in a society that is becoming more and more dependent on information. This is something I hope to promote through a career in academic librarianship. I’m looking forward to learning more about this and other aspects of librarianship and information management during the rest of my degree!