Interviews – ISSA

April 7, 2023March 30, 2023

Alumni Spotlight Series: Jordan Audas

Next up in our alumni spotlight series, we catch up with Jordan Audas! Jordan has been working at Digital Nova Scotia since he graduated from the MI program. Jordan offers great insights into how he translated the skills he learned in the MI program to the workplace. Thanks for taking the time, Jordan!

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?

I graduated from SIM in April 2022. I really enjoyed both archive classes, taught by Patti Bannister, and Information in Society, taught by Dr. Mongeon. Both of these, I suppose, boil down to how people interact and engage with information. This is still something I’m passionate about, especially when it comes to accessibility and usability.

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

I am a project manager at Digital Nova Scotia, a role I was just promoted to just about a week ago. Prior to that promotion, I had been working as a project analyst here since August.

How have you translated the skills and competencies you learned in the MI program into the workplace?

Ignoring the more obvious technical skills, such as navigating databases, visualizing data, and performing research, I think the more overlooked non-technical, or “soft” skills, are truly important in a workplace. Being able to communicate and collaborate effectively, for example, may seem like a given, but this is crucial to an organization’s culture and success, not to mention when interacting with stakeholders. These skills are much harder to learn than we often give them credit for, but I think SIM prepares students well for actually taking these non-technical skills into the real world.

In what ways is working as an IM professional different from the classroom?

It’s no one’s job to teach you anymore. Sure, you may be lucky enough to have learning opportunities and professional growth is extremely important, but everyone else in an organization has their own duties and responsibilities to focus on. So, that being said, if you need guidance in your work, ask! Most people are happy to help, but they won’t know what you can and can’t do until you make it clear.

If you could go back and give your first year self one piece of advice, what would you tell them?

I’d probably slip them the answers to a few tests; is it cheating if it’s coming from yourself?

March 31, 2023March 30, 2023

First Year Student Spotlight: Hailey Wills

Our last First Year Student Spotlight for the winter term features Hailey Wills! Hailey has been a wonderful presence at SIM over the past year and is SIMSA’s incoming Non-Academic Chair! We are happy to have Hailey continue to foster a warm and welcoming environment here at the School of Information Management. Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself, Hailey!

Tell us a bit about yourself!

My name is Hailey, and I am a first-year student at SIM. I’m originally from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and have been living in Halifax for the past 4 years. I completed my undergrad degree at Mount Allison University in International Relations. I decided to complete this program as I was looking to stay close to family and friends in the Atlantic provinces.

What is your favourite thing about SIM so far?

So far, I’ve been really enjoying meeting so many new people. The staff and faculty have fostered a supportive environment and the program is a great size to be able to connect with your peers.

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

I’m really looking forward to taking a variety of courses throughout my degree. I’ve found so many different aspects of Information Management that we are learning about interesting and don’t have any specialized interests yet, so it is great that the courses offered are so varied so I can explore lots of different topics.

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.

August 26, 2022August 31, 2022

Summer Student Spotlight: Tessa Biesterfeld

The final spotlight in our Summer Spotlight series is on Tessa Biesterfield! Tessa is entering her second year in the MI program and offers great insight into student life. Thanks to Alysha, Ramina, Kellie, and Tessa for contributing blog posts for this series. We hope you enjoyed getting to know a few of our SIM students and look forward to welcoming our new cohort of students at our fall Orientation Week! Keep visiting us at our website for more information on the exciting programming and events we have lined up for the 2022/23 year!

Hi folks! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer – I know I have! I am excited to soon be starting my second year at SIM, but I can’t believe how fast this summer is flying by.

Are you working/volunteering anywhere this summer?

I have been working on a few different research projects this summer. One for a family member writing a book, one for a friend doing her PhD in Biology at Dalhousie, and one with a group of SIM students helping faculty at the School of Public Administration with some research. However, I do have a full-time job this summer doing database management for Dalhousie’s Human Rights and Equity Services department. It has been great to put so many of the things I learned in first year to practical use – controlled vocabulary, creating database views, Boolean operators, as well as some privacy practices. While the subject matter of the work I do can be heavy at times, it feels great to be contributing something meaningful to my new community at Dalhousie. Everywhere there is information to be managed, and it feels good to help my community, friends, and family with the skills that I am learning at SIM.

What is your favorite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?

I only moved to Halifax just last autumn, and I am still getting to know the city! There has been a lot going on this summer – free concerts, local festivals, and the waterfront is always busy. There are beer gardens, ice cream stands – one of my favourite places to get a snack is Chunchung Rice Dogs by Citadel Hill. They come on a stick and you can pick whatever toppings you want. Picking up a rice dog or an ice cream cone and walking around downtown is a nice treat for me at the end of a workday or as a break. I also live close to the public gardens, and love to take a few minutes to have a snack on a park bench or to wander around and smell the roses.

As much as I enjoy living downtown, I love to get out of the city when I can. There are so many lovely trails close to Halifax – Long Lake Provincial Park, Chain of Lakes Trail, and Hemlock Ravine Park are all close by. After spending so much time reading or doing work online, sometimes nothing is more satisfying to me than getting a breath of fresh air for a couple of hours. Sometimes I go by myself, or with friends, or I’ll take my dogs with me.