Author: ISSA

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African Heritage Month Resources

Reading Resources

Report on Lord Dalhousie’s History of Slavery and Race

A must-read for any Dalhousie Student. Anti-Black Racism is embedded into Dalhousie as an institution on a fundamental level. Written by Dr. Afua Cooper, former Halifax poet Laureate and current faculty member at the department of history and Anthropology and Sociology. 

Black Matters by Afua Cooper and Willfried Raussert

A book of photography and poetry written in collaboration by Afua Cooper and photography by Willfried Raussert. Cooper translates Rausserts photos into lyrical and rhythmic verse, discussing the Black diaspora across North America and Europe, putting the past and present into conversation with one another. We have purchased a copy that will be available in the common room to borrow!

Events this Month

African Heritage Month at Dalhousie University

The Office for Equity and Inclusion invites you to join in on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 for the launch of African Heritage Month and flag-raising at Dalhousie University. The event will begin at 11:00 am in the LeMarchant Place atrium with a brief program which will then move to the Studley Quad for the raising of the flag at approximately 11:30 am. We will alternate the flying of the Pan-African flag and African Nova Scotian flag on the Halifax and Truro campuses throughout February. For an overview of Dalhousie and community events happening during African Heritage Month 2023, visit the Human Rights & Equity Services website and/or the Black Cultural Centre website

Downtown Light Show

Throughout February, the Downtown Halifax Business Commission will project light displays on the former Halifax Memorial Library Building at Grafton Park in celebration of African Heritage Month.

Pan-African Flag on Viola Desmond Ferry

Throughout February, the Pan-African flag will be displayed on the Viola Desmond Ferry in honour of African Heritage Month. 

Virtual Museum Tours

Take an immersive tour of popular heritage and cultural sites, including the Africville Museum and the Black Cultural Centre

African Heritage Month – Calypso Celebration | DHBC

Come celebrate and learn about the heritage of Caribbean immigrants to Canada. This event offers a deep dive into the connections between jazz and afro-Caribbean music and its history here in Nova Scotia. It also offers some great tunes! 

Date: Thursday, February 2, 2023

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: In-Person and On-Line

Language: Presented in English

Cost: FREE

Lift Every Voice

A showcase of exceptional talent from our African Nova Scotian music community, produced by the African Nova Scotian Music Association. A favourite in Halifax, and a lot of fun. Uplifting, celebratory and engaging. 

Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023 

Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00PM

Location: Halifax North Memorial Public Library 

The NFB in Libraries- African Heritage Month 

A selection of films and documentaries from the National Film Board of Canada. Every Friday morning throughout the month of February; the public library will be screening eye-opening and provoking films to celebrate African Heritage Month. You can chat about the movie afterwards while enjoying some snacks!

Date: Every Friday in February starting February 3rd

Time: 10:00 am- 12:00pm

Location: Captain William Spry Public Library

February 3rd: Sol 

Many Black, racialized, and immigrant women work with elderly patients as healthcare providers. Their jobs, already arduous and underpaid as it is, have become even more exhausting during the COVID-19 pandemic. While some public commentators have described them as over-represented in this sector because of their culture, and hailed them as “guardian angels,” what do they themselves have to say? This cross-sectional portrait of some of these women takes the form of a meditative essay.

February 10th Zab Maboungou 

This portrait of choreographer Zab Maboungou provides insight into the meticulous training and physical strength behind one of her pivotal works: Mozongi.

February 17th Black Soul

Martine Chartrand’s animated short dives into the heart of Black culture with an exhilarating trip through history. Watch as a young boy traces his roots through the stories his grandmother shares with him about the events that shaped their cultural heritage.

February 24th: Ice Breakers

Josh Crooks is a promising teen hockey star in a sport where Black players like him are chronically underrepresented. Ice Breakers reveals the buried history of a pioneering Black hockey league in Atlantic Canada, as Crooks discovers that his unshakable passion is tied to a rich and remarkable heritage

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Career Day Recap

On January 20th, SIM held its very first Career Day. This event was planned in collaboration with SIM’s Professional-in-Residence, Cabot Yu. 

This was a fantastic opportunity for students to preparing their applications for jobs ranging from summer positions, to contract work, to permanent positions post-grad! Morning sessions featured Cabot instructing on tips and tricks for resume and CV writing, interview skills, and networking on LinkedIn. 

An afternoon career panel featured Information Management professionals from several fields. Donna Bourne-Tyson, past head of the Dalhousie Libraries, spoke about academic libraries and aspects of working as a university librarian, such as research and committee work. Lara Killian, Communications and Engagement Manager at CIHR, discussed the skills that Information Management professionals are uniquely equipped with and how to transfer them amongst fields. Kathleen Morris and Hannah Ching spoke to the dynamism and rapid evolution of working in public libraries and offered students insight into the day-to-day work of public library staff. Laurena Fredette from Libraries and Archives Canada discussed archival work and her work with teams across Canada. Cabot Yu rounded off a fantastic panel by illuminating government work and how important it is for information professionals to engage in continuous learning. The panel concluded with a Q&A period in which students could ask how to tailor applications to specific fields and other questions regarding working in specific fields.

Career Day was an all-day affair, with breakfast and lunch served in the Rowe building. 

A follow up event will be held in March in which students can submit their resumes/CVs to be matched with IM professionals in their field of choice for relevant feedback. Mock interviews will also be held, which are both great practice and a fantastic networking opportunity.

We thank all students that attended and engaged so thoughtfully in each session. We also appreciate the participation of our panelists who offered valuable wisdom and experience for students to draw from. We are appreciative of Cabot flying in to Halifax to be with us in person, and to SIM for making this event possible. We hope everyone found it useful and informative for their professional development.

Stay tuned for more details regarding our March career event, and for our rescheduled headshot session!

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A Wondrous Winter Semester

Now that the winter term is in full swing, we’ve already had some great events and look forward to an exciting rest of semester!

  • We kicked off the term with a beloved tradition, Waffle Wednesday! Hot cocoa, coffee, and homemade waffles were enjoyed by all. Thanks to everyone for such a great turnout, it was wonderful to reunite after the holiday break. 
  • Our holiday fundraising initiative for Books Beyond Bars was a great success! Together we collected 31 children’s books, 19 novels, 4 blank notebooks, giftcards, and donations made directly to the organization. We received contributions from students, faculty, alumni, and the Dalhousie English Department. Thank you to all who supported this effort. If you would still like to make a donation to the organization, the Loaded Ladle located in the Dalhousie Student Union building is a drop off point for donations, or you find more information about donating directly to Books Beyond Bars here: https://booksbeyondbars.wordpress.com/most-requested-donations/
  • SIMSA’s first social event of the term was held on January 16th. Fun was had by all at Bingo at the Forum!
  • SIMSA’s very first Career Day is taking place today, January 20th! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn tips and tricks for resume and CV building, networking, and professional development. This event is a collaborative day put on by SIMSA and SIM’s Professional-in-Residence, Cabot Yu. A second part to Career Day will be hosted in March; we’ll come back together for a resume review session where students will be paired with practitioners in the field who will offer feedback on CVs/resumes. There will also be an opportunity to network with a variety of information professionals.
  • SIMSA’s next book club meeting will be held on January 30th. Our book club pick this month is “Elatsoe”. A sign-out sheet for this month’s book pick will be available in the SIM common room.
  • In exciting news, the highly anticipated Information Without Borders Conference is right around the corner! SIM is very much looking forward to the return of IWB and learning from an incredible line up of speakers and panelists. Registration is free for MI students and is open here: https://iwbconference.informationmanagement.dal.ca/registration/
  • Finally, DJIM has also returned this year! The Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management is currently accepting submissions. The deadline is January 31st and more information can be requested at djim@dal.ca

That’s all for now- stay tuned for more SIMSA updates and stay cozy!

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SIMSA EDIA Policy & Digital Land Acknowledgement 

SIMSA would like to direct students’ attention to two new additions to our website. First, on the homepage of the SIMSA website in the “About SIMSA” section, readers will find a Digital Land Acknowledgement, inspired by Data & Society. Additionally, on the “About SIMSA” drop-down tab, SIMSA’s official EDIA Policy can be found between “Positions” and “Social Media Policy”. 

These additions are part of ongoing efforts to embed EDIA policies, language, and considerations in all of SIMSA’s programming, events, and official records to work towards prioritizing equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, anti-racism, and decolonization in our organization.

Please get in touch if you have any suggestions, questions, or wish to discuss these additions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with SIMSA at simsa@dal.ca. 

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First-Year Student Spotlight: Naomi Richards

Happy 2023, all! We are kicking off the new year with a First-Year Student Spotlight on Naomi Richards! Naomi describes her journey into the MI program and how her interests have diversified as she entered the world of Information Science. We appreciate your enthusiasm for exploring all the possibilities and opportunities this program has to offer, Naomi – we can’t wait to see where your path leads!

Tell us a bit about yourself!

Hi, my name is Naomi and I’m a first-year student in Dal’s MI program! I’m originally from London Ontario but I did my undergrad at UBC in Vancouver.  I majored in Biology and minored in Classical Studies. I really enjoyed studying such a wide variety of subjects and I honestly love learning! During the pandemic I had lots of time to think about what I wanted to do as a career and decided to pursue information science after watching a lot of Youtube vlogs by an Archivist about her career and daily work life!

What is your favourite thing about SIM so far?

I’ve loved getting to know everyone in the program! I really like that we all take the same four core classes the first semester of the program because it allows us to really get to know one another. I’ve really liked getting to know the profs too! They’re all so knowledgeable, and approachable – same with my fellow students! It’s so fascinating to hear advice from people who’ve been in the industry for some time about their work, their job hunting advice etc. 

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

There are so many things that interest me about Information Management that I can’t describe them all! I’m still interested in archives (I’ll be taking Archives I next semester) but now I’m also intrigued by law librarianship and data librarianship! I want to try and explore those areas through courses where possible. Mostly I’m just taking this time to try as many new things as I can! I want to explore all the possibilities that the program offers through courses, the practicum, and internship opportunities!

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Happy Holidays from SIMSA!

SIMSA wishes all students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members a very happy and restful holiday. The fall saw many challenges which impacted the normal flow of the semester, including the CUPE strike and Hurricane Fiona. From these events we witnessed peers encouraging one another, faculty and staff working to support students, and the remarkable resilience found in community. SIM welcomed a new cohort of students, and second years continued forging their individual paths into the world of Information Management.

As we look forward to the winter term, many exciting programs and initiatives are being launched and continued at the School of Information Management, including:

  • SIMSA book club (ongoing)
  • SIMSArchive Workshop series (January-March, Workshop 2 Rescheduled to January 18, 10am-12pm!)
  • Information Without Borders Conference (February)
  • SIM Career Day (January 20th and March 10th)
  • Lunch and Learns (ongoing)
  • Social events (ongoing)
  • DJIM & SIMagination (spring launch)
  • SIMphony (April)

As always, check back here and on our social media for details on upcoming programs and events and see you in the new year!

Below are a few photos from December’s Waffle Wednesday (which featured a Hot Chocolate theme) and our Holiday party! Thanks to all who joined us for a festive evening to round out the fall term!