Welcome, Alanah White

January 13, 2021 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

We are pleased to announce Alanah White is our new Library Services Assistant, based at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library.

Alanah first came to the Dal Libraries in February 2020 in a temporary position at the Kellogg. Alanah is a graduate of NSCC’s Library & Information Technology Program (2013). She has also worked at Halifax Public Libraries in a number of roles and departments, including children’s services, teen services, adult services, and home delivery. In 2013, she did a work placement Galway Public Libraries in Galway, Ireland.

Please join us in congratulating Alanah!

Congratulations, David Ryan!

December 17, 2020 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

We’re pleased to announce that David Ryan is the new Library Services Supervisor, based at the Sexton Library. David will be a familiar face to many as he’s been working in term positions with the Dalhousie Libraries since 2018, having worked at both the Sexton and Kellogg libraries.

David graduated from Dalhousie with his MLIS in 2008. Since then, in addition to the Dalhousie Libraries, he’s worked at Mount Saint Vincent University and the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in roles such as reference and instructional librarian, cataloguer, and lecturer. David also has a background in communications. Over the past year, in addition to providing front line service at the Sexton Library and Resources support on the streaming video initiative, he’s written graduate and online teaching faculty profiles for Dal News on behalf of the Dal Libraries and the Academic Quality Team.

Join us in welcoming David as the newest permanent member of the Dalhousie Libraries team.

Welcome Samantha Adema, Indigenous Services Librarian

November 2, 2020 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

We are pleased to welcome Samantha Adema to the Dalhousie Libraries. Sam started with us in this role on September 1.

Sam (L’nu/Mi’kmaw) is a member of Sipekne’katik First Nation. She has a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from Dalhousie (2019) and a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Mary’s, where she majored in history and classics and spent time at the Basentello Valley Archaeological Field School in Italy.

Sam is a familiar face to many of us in the Dalhousie Libraries because she worked as an intern in the Sexton Library while she did her master’s degree. She has also worked at Halifax Public Libraries as both a community assistant and a library assistant. At HPL, Sam’s primary responsibilities included building relationships with community members; building an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere; and providing services to library users such as one-on-one technology instruction and assistance with reference and research questions.

Sam has done research projects about unemployment among Nova Scotia’s Indigenous youth and the potential for the public library to forge additional community partnerships to better serve the urban Indigenous population in North-End Halifax. She worked with community members and staff at the Mi’kmaq Native Friendship Centre and staff at the Museum of Natural History to show how community-led principles had a positive effect in boosting Indigenous attendance and involvement with the museum.

As Dalhousie’s Indigenous Services Librarian, Sam is currently working remotely due to current on-campus restrictions related to COVID-19, but she is available to answer research questions via email and is available for remote consultations via Microsoft Teams for more in-depth research questions. When we return to campus, Sam will be based out of the Killam Memorial Library, but she is available to work with people from all campuses.

Sam works closely with faculty, researchers, staff, and students to support learning and research on Indigenous topics in all disciplines. She will also coordinate reference support, programming, and other services to users of Dalhousie’s National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation Hub in the MacRae Library.

“Indigenous Services is a priority within the Dalhousie Libraries and we are thrilled to have Samantha join our team. These services are for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff, and faculty but also for the local Indigenous communities,” said Elaine MacInnis, Associate University Librarian Services and Head, MacRae Library.

Welcome, Sam!

Intern Profile: Annalise Benoit

August 25, 2020 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Annalise Benoit
Reference Assistant at the Sir James Dunn Law Library

What brought you to the MI program at Dal?
The opportunity to do a combined degree with the law school.
What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?
I’ve been working with at the law library in circulation during the school year. The summer internship is a chance to get involved in more complex projects and develop reference skills.
What’s your educational background?
I have a degree in History and Cultural Studies from Mount Saint Vincent University. I also have a college diploma in audio engineering and music industry arts.
What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship?
I’ve been assisting with the administration of the law school’s institutional repository, assisting the law school’s professors in developing their faculty profiles, and helping to run our curbside pick-up. Most of this work can be done very easily from home, so in that sense, the pandemic hasn’t really made much of a difference. However, I miss seeing my incredible co-workers every day!
What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?
I love going for walks around Lake Banook in Dartmouth, hanging out at the beach, and meeting friends for a drink at the Stillwell Beergarden.

Intern Profile: Kayliegh Penner

August 24, 2020 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Kayliegh Penner
Archives Student Intern for the Dalhousie University Archives

1. What brought you to the MI program at Dal?

I knew that I wanted to work in a library setting when I was working on my undergraduate degree. I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to work in the university archives while finishing my undergraduate, and I discovered that archival work was my real passion. I applied to Dal because I was attracted to the diversity of the program and career opportunities, and particularly because of the archives concentration offered in the program.

2. What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?

Coming straight from my undergrad, where I worked for four years as a student assistant in the university library and, later, archives, I was eager to look for employment opportunities on campus when I moved to Halifax to start my graduate degree. I remember listening to last year’s Summer Shine presentations, particularly the archives’ summer internship presentation, and thinking “Next year, that could be me.” I was prepared to apply to all and any jobs until someone wanted me, and I jumped on the archives student intern job posting. I was shocked to be given an interview opportunity, thought that I’d take it for the practice experience, and was even more shocked (but thrilled) to be offered the job.

3. What’s your educational background?

I have a certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies from Providence University College, and a B.A. Combined Honours from Brandon University, where I majored in English and History, and minored in Creative Writing.

4. What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship?

I am working on organizing the records of a fonds and preparing an archival appraisal report along with it. I’m also doing preliminary research for authority records and helping to standardize information for a collection in the archives’ database, AtoM (Access to Memory). I would like to think that the pandemic hasn’t changed much in terms of my work because it’s relatively independent work regardless and my bosses are readily available when I have questions. I do find it harder to convince myself to get up in the morning, however, especially when I’m only moving four feet from bed to desk to start my workday.

5. What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?

I love swimming, long hikes, and I’ve been really lucky to get out kayaking this summer! When the weather’s not permitting, I’m more than happy to read all day. I’m looking forward to exploring more around Halifax this summer, but I’ve really enjoyed exploring the many urban parks and green spaces around the city.

Intern Profile: Molly Coyle

August 19, 2020 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Molly Coyle
Reference Intern at the Sexton Design and Technology Library

1. What brought you to the MI program at Dal?

I was initially drawn to Dalhousie because of the university’s reputation for academic excellence, but I committed to coming here when I read testimonials from alumni and current students. I was impressed by the variety of experiences available to MI students at Dalhousie and loved the overall tone of satisfaction from program participants.

2. What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?

I was first drawn to the internship program at Dalhousie by the Summer Shine presentations delivered by previous interns. The projects were all unique and I could feel the passion of each intern as they discussed their work; I wanted to feel that level of connection and pride in my work as well. I also knew that I wanted to stay with a library for a longer amount of time to experience a range of tasks and responsibilities and the Dalhousie internship program was a great way to do that.

3. What’s your educational background?

I attended Hope College—a little liberal arts school in Holland, Michigan—and graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in 2014. I majored in creative writing and minored in theatre.

4. What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship?

During my internship, I have mostly helped patrons with reference questions. I have also had opportunities to contribute to a bibliography of donated materials, learn about collections development, and help update LibGuides. The good news, I suppose, is that a good deal of the work that I did during my internship already occurred online, so the transition to working at home did not disrupt too many of my regularly assigned tasks. That being said, I desperately miss face-to-face interactions with patrons. I am a bit of an extrovert and I love being around people. Losing the ability to communicate in-person is a bummer, but I have found that email communication has been pretty fun, too.

5. What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?

This might sound a little creepy, but I love people-watching and summer is always a great time to observe people as everyone is outside enjoying the beautiful weather. I love to write and draw comics; people-watching provides great fodder for both character design and plot development!

Intern Profile: Ally Patton

August 18, 2020 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Ally Patton
Library intern at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library

1. What brought you to the MI program at Dal?

I was interested in the opportunity to gather and collect information/data for the purposes of social or other types of research.

2. What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?

I was very excited to get an internship with the health sciences library. I was looking for an area that allowed me experience with finding information for research purposes. I have found that a large part of my position with the health science library is about finding information and data in the growing field of health information.

3. What’s your educational background?

I have a Bachelor of Arts with majors in psychology and sociology. I have some graduate level background in sociology as well.

4. What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship?

For my internship I have been conducting various searches for different librarians and translating those searches in different databases. I have been removing broken assets from LibGuides or updating ones that need to be updated.

The pandemic has shaped my internship in that it highlights the importance of medical research in my mind. The pandemic has forced the workforce to work from home as much as possible. I am getting more accustomed to this way of work, and it helps me to become more self-disciplined.

5. What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?

My favourite summer activities are hiking or camping. I enjoy touring the city and the green space in the city.

Intern Profile: Cora-Lynn Munro-Lynds

August 17, 2020 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Cora-Lynn Munro-Lynds
Library intern at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library

1. What brought you to the MI program at Dal?

I was not entirely sure what this program was about until I got here because frankly, it is a hard discipline to describe. I applied because it was recommended by my thesis supervisor. It was a chance decision, but I can tell you for sure, that I do not regret it! It was the best “accidental” career decision I have ever made.

2. What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?

Dal Libraries have many opportunities for library interns to specialize in specific academic fields (i.e. health sciences, law, engineering, etc.). Their internships share the intricate world of academic libraries with newbies. I chose Dal libraries because I wanted experience in an academic setting. The library is the heart of the school and can bring people from many disciplines together. It is a great environment to work in!

3. What’s your educational background?

I have a Bachelor of Arts with a combined major in history and French. I did my honours thesis on the Fisheries Household Resettlement Program in Newfoundland and Labrador.

4. What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship?

Many others will agree, the pandemic has caused me to quickly adapt the way I work. This is not an easy thing to do. However, it showed me that I am capable of change. I can work from home and it won’t be the end of the world! And last, the best gift of all, I save money from not buying a latté at Starbucks every morning. 😊

5. What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?

In the summer, I enjoy all things beach related! This include swimming, surfing, bodyboarding, snorkeling, and even mermaid swimming! I also enjoy painting and gardening.

Category: General Library News