Tag: upcoming events

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April end-of-term updates 

Congratulations to the SIM community for making it to the end of the semester! As the flowers bloom and the days get longer, we are looking forward to having a break for the summer but are also sad to say goodbye.  

Our last Waffle Wednesday of the year was hosted on April 5th. Thanks to all who attended and participated in SIM’s Easter egg hunt!  

Our final book club was also held this week- meetings may continue through the summer months so stay tuned for more details! 

The School of Information Management’s creative journal, SIMagination, is available for purchase while supplies last! This journal was produced to showcase the original work of the SIM community and acts a fundraiser for SIMSA. All funds raised will be used by our student association for student events, programming, and initiatives. We kindly request $10 or PWYC; pay cash to any SIMSA representative or etransfer simsa@dal.ca 

We thank all of our alumni who have kindly contributed to our alumni fundraiser; we have raised almost $200 to put towards SIMSA events and initiatives. 

SIM’s end-of-year event will be held on Saturday, April 22nd at East of Grafton! Please RSVP using the circulated Microsoft Form. We look forward to celebrating with everyone! 

Finally, SIMSA wishes to thank everyone for a wonderful year. Our programming and events are meant to develop community, and it has been a privilege to watch it grow over the past two years. We are lucky to be surrounded by kind and thoughtful individuals at SIM, and appreciate everyone who makes our community the vibrant and lively group it is. We encourage all graduating students to keep in touch, and wish first-years all the best as they embark on their final year in the MI program.  

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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 1st, 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 10th 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 17th! 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 24th 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 27th 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 1st 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 21st 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 14th 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 5th 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 10th 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

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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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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!

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A Little Bit of November and a Look Ahead to December!

With almost an entire semester under our belts, SIMSA is looking ahead to what we have planned for December!

  • Coming up we have a hybrid lunch and learn featuring SIM alumna Annalise Benoit! We are excited to have Annalise speak with current SIM students about her work with the law firm Pink Larkin. This Lunch and Learn will be held on November 25thfrom 12-1pm in the SIM Meeting Room (4025) and over Teams
  • SIMSA will also be attending the annual Halifax Christmas Tree Lighting in Grand Parade on November 26th at 6pm. Join us to start getting in the Holiday spirit!
  • To round out the last few weeks of November, SIMSA is excited for the very first meeting of our new book club put together by Janine McGregor! The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman will be discussed on November 29that 5:30pm in the SIM Common Room. The second meeting will occur in the winter term, book choice TBD, keep an eye out for more details!
  • To kick off December, we have another hybrid Lunch and Learn on the 2nd  from 12-1pm in the SIM Meeting Room (4025)! This session will be on working in Archives and feature Emily Plemel!
  • Waffle Wednesday will be held on Wednesday, December 7th from 12-2pm in the common room. All are welcome to join for a festive version of this breakfast tradition.
  • SIM’s annual Holiday party will be held on December 8th at The Brewery by Quinn’s on Quinpool Road. Food will be provided, drinks will be available for purchase, good times will be had, and memories waiting to be made! Please RSVP by December 4th using the Microsoft Form circulated by email. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Each year SIMSA includes a fundraising initiative at its holiday event. We will be collecting book donations for Books Beyond Bars. Please bring your donations to The Brewery by Quinn’s on December 8th. You can find more information about book requests and preferred categories here: https://booksbeyondbars.wordpress.com/most-requested-donations/ We thank you in advance for supporting this effort.

That’s all for now! As always, keep an eye on our social media and Teams space for more details on events, and don’t hesitate to reach out to any SIMSA exec with questions!

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November 2022 Updates

Updates! Updates! Updates!

October was a busy month at the School of Information Management. This blog post covers just a few of the fun initiatives and events happening around SIM:

  • SIMSA held its fall General Meeting on October 21st. We had a great attendance from our student body and unanimously passed our recently updated constitution! 
  • Voting for the fall elections closed on October 26th and SIMSA is delighted to welcome five new members to its executive team! Congratulations to Robyn Smith (Incoming Academic Chair), Isabel Brechin (Incoming EDIA & Special Projects Chair), Toni Beaton (Incoming Digital Publications Chair), Hailey Wills (Incoming Non-Academic Chair), and Catherine Gracey (Financial Chair). We are looking forward to working with you and the great year ahead.
  • Other fun updates at SIM include the arrival of a new, full-sized fridge. Students are welcome to take advantage of this addition to the common room, and we are grateful for this resource and the support it will lend future events. 
  • Our Non-Academic chair, Janine, has launched a new SIM book club! Keep an eye on our social media and Teams spaces for book lists and meeting times! 
  • November Waffle Wednesday (to be held on Thursday, November 3rd) has been cancelled. Waffles will resume in December with a festive theme!
  • SIMSA is excited to announce a Save the Date for our Holiday party! Mark your calendars for Thursday, December 8th– more details about this event will be announced soon!
  • Finally, the CUPE 3912 strike continues. We recognize that this has generated stress for our students; if you require support in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out to SIMSA at simsa@dal.ca, or a member of our exec team. We are here to support you.

That’s all for now, folks! Keep an eye on the blog and our social media channels for more updates as the semester rolls on- November Reading Week is just around the corner!

Here are a few pictures from SIMSA’s Halloween party, held on October 28th. We had a great time painting pumpkins, eating pizza, and dressing up in costume! Thanks to all who came out!