After completing my BA, I was looking for ways to complement my education with more practical and transferrable skills. In my search, the information field was attractive to me due to personal interests and concerns surrounding literacy and misinformation. I appreciate Dalhousie’s MI’s focus on a multitude of career options in reflection of the changing information landscape, especially considering rapid digital transformation. I have an interest in several different professional fields and value the flexible, diverse, and up-to-date skillset that the program affords me. Additionally, I had never been to Canada’s Maritimes and a whole new opportunity for adventure was exciting.  

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

Coming into the MI program, I had an interest in academic librarianship that was enhanced by my love of the class INFO5530: Information Sources, Services, and Retrieval. This internship was a great chance to gain experience in academic librarianship and build my skill as well as refine ideas for my future career path. The idea of working on multidisciplinary projects and helping patrons with a wide range of questions in this role is something that really appealed to me. 

What’s your educational background?

I have a BA from the University of Guelph, majoring in Political Science with a Philosophy minor.  

What projects have you worked on so far during your internship?

A large part of my internship so far has been learning and practicing how to provide reference services across different disciplines, patron types, and settings. In collaboration with the other Killam intern, Taylor, I have also been in the midst of designing two LibGuides. These guides have been for International Baccalaureate (IB) high school students using the Killam Library to work on major research projects and for navigating the use of generative AI at Dal in the contexts of teaching, learning, and research.  

When I decided I wanted to return to school for a Masters in Library Sciences, Dalhousie was my first choice. I have always wanted to visit the east coast, and I was in the right place in my life to make the move. I explored options closer to home in Ontario, but Dalhousie’s MI program offered the right blend of traditional library training and knowledge as well as a focus on information management.   

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

Hearing from the (then) current interns during my orientation week it was clear that the internship provided an invaluable opportunity to acquire valuable skills and connections. Additionally, taking the archives course I discovered a passion for archiving. I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to practice and use the skills that I will undoubtedly use in my future career.  

What’s your educational background?

My undergraduate degree is in Women and Gender Studies. After graduating in 2017, I was working as an Intensive Case Manager supporting clients with complex mental health and substance use issues. I still value the vital roles that social workers play in society, but my first love will always be libraries. Pivoting careers has been scary and challenging, but being at Dalhousie has made me certain that I made the right choice.  

What projects have you worked on so far during your internship? 

I have been working on a variety of projects that work with both digital materials and physical, as well as research and reference questions that come through the archives. The most rewarding for me have been those that allow me to explore subjects that are new to me. Every day is something different. It is truly fulfilling to work on projects that I know will be housed in the archives in perpetuity.   

During my previous education, I fell in love with the research process! I especially loved searching for information during the literature review portion of my thesis. When I learned that there was a career path that largely focused on these skills, it felt like the perfect fit! I was drawn to the MI program at Dal for the practicum opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field. I was also very excited to live on the east coast and explore the Maritimes!  

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

Hearing the previous interns share their experiences during the Summer Shine event in orientation! Coming into this program, I knew that I was drawn towards academic libraries and really enjoyed getting to hear the previous interns discuss the practical skills they gained through their internship experiences. As I have been very interested in health librarianship, the Kellogg internship felt like a great opportunity to learn more and gain invaluable skills in complex searching and knowledge synthesis.  

What’s your educational background? 

Before coming to Dalhousie for my MI, I completed a BAH and MA in Religious Studies at Queen’s University. My research focused on repatriation requests surrounding Indigenous cultural heritage held by the Catholic Church.  

What projects have you worked on so far during your internship? 

In addition to offering reference and research assistance, I have had the chance to work on a few different projects so far. This has included assisting in the development of materials for Research Camp, completing a literature search request and reviewing search translations for knowledge synthesis projects. Laura and I are also in the process of developing an information literacy session, with my focus on GenAI and research. 

I can get excited about almost any subject, which has made it hard to commit to a single career trajectory. I’ve dabbled in mathematical modelling, watershed protection, museum programming, urban farming, and instructional design. Through each experience I’ve always come to the same conclusion: I love helping people find the resources they need to work on the projects they love. As it turns out, this is a library skill! I’m excited that the MI program at Dal allows me to hold onto my past experience while I simultaneously learn from my incredible and multidisciplinary peers.   

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

I love the idea that I can help researchers and health practitioners make a real, tangible impact. I’m particularly drawn to the rigour that comes with health librarianship: we can help researchers find the best possible evidence to answer health questions through systematic searching (building a solid search strategy scratches a particular mathematical itch in my brain). Historically, health content has given me the heebie-jeebies, but I’m excited to face my fears and learn as much as I can about health science research throughout this internship.   

What’s your educational background?  

I have a Bachelor of Applied Mathematics (with an Earth Science option) and a Master’s in Applied Mathematics (through the Collaborative Water Program), both from the University of Waterloo, where I researched how giant wind storms move through the Great Lakes region.  

What projects have you worked on so far during your internship?  

We’ve been diving into the always-exciting world of health science reference, helping students conduct all sorts of interesting research. We have had the opportunity to lead a workshop for high school students, help researchers develop rigorous literature search strategies, and investigate library use statistics so that the library can make evidence-based decisions about its collections.   

I’ve lived in Halifax since 2022 and after working a couple museum jobs and within publishing, I decided to seriously pursue my lifelong passion for libraries. The MI program at Dal was the perfect way to connect with students and researchers with same passions. I love the sense of community that this program fosters and feel that’s what makes it so special.  

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

I was inspired by last year’s interns! Hearing their testimonies of working on interesting projects and gaining practical experience in a library setting inspired me. I wanted the opportunity to continue my learning over the summer and apply what I had learned.  

What’s your educational background? 

I graduated from the University of Guelph with a BA in English and Creative Writing.  

What projects have you worked on so far during your internship? 

So far, I’ve co-authored a LibGuide for the International Baccalaureate (IB) students that use the Killam library’s resources. It was fulfilling to introduce high school students to higher level research strategies and delivering that information in an approachable format.  

I’m currently deep in research about GenAI in order to co-create a LibGuide that will provide guidance on AI within academic contexts. This project has been equal parts interesting and challenging. Between those two LibGuides, I’ve also been learning how to provide reference services, assisting with collections management projects and recently, working on a scholarly communications project which encourages faculty to update their Scopus research profiles.