Tag: events

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Conference Recap: Nova Scotia Library Association

Conferences are an excellent way to share your work, network with professionals in your field, and see new places! A cohort of SIM students recently attended the NSLA Conference in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Janine McGregor writes about her experiences in this conference recap- thanks for sharing, Janine!

NSLA Conference Recap by Janine McGregor

The weekend of October 14-16 myself and three other SIM students travelled the four and a half hours up to Sydney, Cape Breton to attend the Nova Scotia Library Association conference. The four of us are all interested in working in public libraries and wanted to have the chance to meet with and learn from current professionals in the field. Upon arrival we quickly realized we were the only students attending the conference, but I don’t think that was a bad thing. People were intrigued to know our reasoning for attending.

The weekend was a great opportunity for professional development. There were many workshops and presentations with the opportunity to join in on five throughout the weekend. I learned about creating guidelines for successful libraries, creative training techniques through webinars, creating connections and building community with African Nova Scotians, crocheting packers for transgender youth, and running paint nights with watercolors and credit cards. It was exciting to take what I already know from my time working in libraries this summer and build on it.

Saturday night included a banquet with a sit-down meal, awards and door prizes (which I won!). There were many opportunities to network and connect with professionals. I met library professionals from throughout the province as well as my home county back in Ontario! I’ve always said that library people are good people and this weekend definitely backed that up.

I’m looking forward to more opportunities in the future to connect with the people I met at the conference and continue to learn and grow as an information professional.

Joining professional organizations and associations is an excellent way to get more involved in a field, make connections, and keep up to date with current issues and trends. Many organizations have student membership pricing and reduced conference rates. If you would like to get involved with NSLA, find their website here: https://www.nsla.ns.ca/join-nsla

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Spooky SIMSA

I see you shiver with antici-

SIMSA is excited for the spooktacular month ahead! We kicked off October with a frightful version of Waffle Wednesday. Our Halloween party will be held Friday, October 28th 11am – 1pm at the School of Information Management. Come out for a gourd time, if you dare. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to join us for pizza, pumpkin-painting, and satisfying their candy cravings! Costumes are encouraged!

The latest edition of Waffle Wednesday featured pumpkin waffles!

For students new to the east coast, or just looking for some spooky activities this month, check out the following list:

We hope this helps you plan some ghoulish fun this month- see you all on the 28th.

-pation!

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The Glorious Return of Waffle Wednesday

Pictured above is SIMSA’s wonderful Co-Chair, Courtney! Courtney is a second year MI student and a Reference Intern at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library at Dalhousie. When Courtney isn’t helping students and faculty with scoping reviews and working on her own projects, she is devoting her time to putting on SIMSA events, like Waffle Wednesday! 

Students and faculty gathered on September 14th for the first Waffle Wednesday of the school year. This month’s flavour was apple cinnamon! New connections were made and old friendships reunited over homemade waffles and hot coffee. SIMSA is hoping to choose a new time to hold this event so that first years have more time to join us around their Wednesday class- stay tuned for updates! 

Waffle Wednesday is the brainchild of Maddie Hare, SIMSA’s EDIA & Special Projects Chair. It first began in the 2022 winter term and Maddie is hoping to cook up waffles on a consistent basis this school year. Waffle Wednesdays usually features “Food for Thought”, an engagement activity that encourages critical reflection on issues of EDIA in our institutions and in Information Management. A reworked version of “Food for Thought” will be launched in October which hopes to provoke greater participation and consideration from all attendees.

Look forward to October for spooky-themed waffles and “Food for Thought”! 

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Back to School: Orientation Week

Welcome back students! And for many of you, welcome to SIM!

The fall semester kicked off with SIM Orientation; a week filled with welcome events and activities designed to introduce new students to Dalhousie and the SIM community. The students were welcomed to a breakfast mixer, went on a campus tour, attended the annual Dalhousie Libraries Summer Shine, and networked at the Professional Organizations and Associations Fair. The week concluded with a SIM social at the Oxford Taproom which saw a great turnout, and many slices of pizza eaten!

SIMSA has exciting programming planned for the upcoming year. We are currently ordering SIM apparel, which is also available to faculty, staff, and alumni. We have an updated constitution with reformed chair positions and roles. We are working in conjunction with other societies in the Faculty of Management to put on exciting joint events like an international fair and a book club. SIMSA is also working closely with SIM to plan a fall event for both students and faculty. With October around the corner, there are sure to be many spooky events lined up. Stay tuned…

Below is a picture from the Halifax City Walk, an orientation event led by SIMSA’s Non-Academic Chair, Janine. Is there a lovelier way to end a walk in Halifax than in the Public Gardens? Perhaps a stop at Dairy Bar!

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SIMSA Highlight: 2022 SIMphony

This SIMSA highlight is on the first annual SIMphony, a semi-formal event celebrating all members of the SIM community! On April 23, 2022, the SIM community gathered at the St. Mary’s Boat Club to celebrate the achievements of students, alumni, faculty and staff. The Covid-19 pandemic inhibited larger celebrations over the past few years, and it was wonderful to gather as a collective to celebrate.

There was good food, beverages supplied by our friends at Good Robot Brewing Company, and even better dance moves on display. Although it was a bit chilly, a beautiful sunset over the Northwest Arm was a spectacular highlight of the evening. SIM’s Director, Dr. Sandra Toze, offered warm words of welcome to our almost 90 attendees. There were conversations with old friends, introductions between new ones, memories shared, and many laughs had. 

We appreciated the efforts of all of our student volunteers who helped this event to run so seamlessly. SIMSA would like to extend our thanks to the Dalhousie Student Union and the School of Information Management for the funds that contributed to ensuring that this event was a huge success! SIMSA dedicated $3 from every ticket sold to a newly formed EDIA fund, raising over $250 dollars. This will be the first of many steps taken towards advancing our EDIA initiatives and programming over the coming years.

Please enjoy some photos of the evening- we look forward to celebrating next year with alumni, faculty, staff, students, and our incoming class!

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Upcoming Event: Lunch and Learn + ASL!

As our Information Session with NSLA approaches tomorrow at noon, we also have another Lunch and Learn event to look forward to next week! Join Ellie Bernard-Wesson, MLIS Candidate 2019, as she takes us through another fun and informative session on American Sign Language (ASL)!

Pizza will be available, $5 for 2 slices. Please contact Dan Phillips to order (dphillips@dal.ca)!