On December 10 the Dal Libraries threw a party to celebrate the upcoming retirement–and the many achievements–of Fran Nowakowski, Information Literacy Coordinator.

Fran began working as a Social Sciences and Humanities Reference Librarian at the Killam Library in 1981, when staff filed cards in the card catalogue and there wasn’t a computer to be seen. After many years spent doing bibliographic instruction using increasingly sophisticated tools–from literally copying and pasting typed handouts to creating videos with Camtasia–Fran was appointed Information Literacy Coordinator in July 2005. Her responsibilities have included teaching RefWorks, conducting workshops for faculty on incorporating research tools into Blackboard, developing a series of Libcasts (instructional videos), providing support for the creation of Libguides, and managing Dalhousie’s Academic Integrity website, as well as supervising projects (such as Killam Quest virtual tour) carried out by IL interns and working on the Reference Desk.

And now Fran is eagerly planning the next chapter in her life. Lots of travelling—to New Zealand, Australia, BC, England, France and possibly Israel; exploring new ways of keeping fit like yoga and Zumba; weaving and crafts; and the fun of learning even more technologies. She has a brand new iPhone (“It’s fun, I love it!”) and has started a blog to keep friends and family up to date on her travels.

Those who know Fran best will not be surprised at her take on retirement: “I’m looking forward to expanding my horizons.” Congratulations Fran, and best wishes from all your Dalhousie colleagues!