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Archives for Interns 2021

Intern Profile: McKenzie Young 

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Name: McKenzie Young
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Vancouver, BC  

What is your favorite summer activity? Or your favorite Halifax activity?
Anything outdoors! I love patios, hiking and camping during the summer and Nova Scotia has plenty of opportunities to do all of those. This summer I have been enjoying the farmers markets as well. 

What is your internship title? Which library (and archives!) location are you affiliated with?
Sexton Design & Technology Library Reference Intern 

What brought you to the MI program at Dal?
This is a unique program because it is not exclusively GLAM(Gallery, Library, Archive, Museum) focused, as many are in Canada, which I think opens more potential career paths for graduates.  I also love Halifax so it was an easy choice! 

What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?
I knew I wanted a library job and wanted to feel connected to Dal, especially because I was learning online. I was attracted to Sexton because I have no experience with Engineering/Architecture/Planning, but I really think that’s why librarianship is interesting, because librarians have to be very adaptable, and become experts in fields that they may not be accustom to.  

What’s your educational background?
BA with a Double Major in History and Anthropology 

What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship? 
I have been able to do Sexton Library specific projects, including collections, reference services and basic circulation tasks, as well as University wide projects, working with Dalhousie Archives and other Dal subject specialists.  

The pandemic has shaped my internship in so many ways! The biggest learning for me due to the pandemic is how to have strong interpersonal interaction online. This was important to learn for interactions with my coworkers, the wider Dal Libraries community and especially with the people seeking library services. Meaningful interactions are so important to me and, in my opinion, this was the most powerful way for Dal to serve its community this past year and a half.  

Intern Profile: Sam Elliot Schwanak 

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Name: Sam Elliot Schwanak
Pronouns: they/them
Hometown: Sherwood Park, AB 

What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?
These days I play a lot of boardgames and table-top roleplaying games and write novel length fanfics, but in the before times I could be found at the theater, the symphony, haunting the comic shop or staring at the ocean.   

What is your internship title? Which library (and archives!) location are you affiliated with? 
I am a Dalhousie Libraries Intern based out of the Killam Library.  

What brought you to the MI program at Dal?
I worked at the SMU Patrick Power library as a student assistant for three years and that cemented in my mind that I wanted to continue working in a library in some capacity. It also felt like I would be able to take my skills from my English degree and push them even further through library science, as well as working towards a career that would allow for constant learning and growth, provide new challenges every year, would leave me fulfilled and happy, and aligns closely with my morals and convictions.  

What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?
The opportunity to learn and experience working at an academic library was a big draw, as well as the fact that I would be given the opportunity to work on projects in a fairly self-directed manner, and do work that would create a tangible benefit for students that used the Killam.  

What’s your educational background?
I took a bachelor’s degree at Saint Mary’s majoring in honours English, with a double minor in German language and creative writing.  

What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship?
So far I’ve been working on an involved project to create an audit that will allow the library to easily collect data about the accessibility of ebook databases and readers, so that the library can make more informed decisions about which ones to invest in when it comes to supporting students with (dis)abilities. I’m also helping with some tutorials for business software and a project on copyright processes, among other projects that will come down the pipeline later this summer.  

The pandemic has shaped my internship by allowing me to have extremely self-guided productivity, which has grown my confidence in running projects on my own. It is also useful because while my workspace isn’t always the best because it was never meant for working, working from home when you’re disabled can be much easier, especially if you’ve already built-in whatever accommodations you need.  

Intern Profile: Vinson Li 

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Name: Vinson Li
Pronouns: He/They
Hometown: Toronto

What is your favorite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?
Walking around town with friends or checking out a trail with friends.

What is your internship title? Which library (and archives!) location are you affiliated with?
Reference Intern; W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library

What brought you to the MI program at Dal?
I wanted to become a librarian and I liked the idea of a mandatory practicum (work experience is important) and I wanted to go somewhere new and interesting.

What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?
I’ve never been involved with academic libraries and I thought my experience with healthcare settings would provide a unique perspective.

What’s your educational background?
PharmD and 3 years in a Bachelor of Science, both done at the University of Toronto 

What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship?My daily roles include answering emails from patrons that need help with accessing library resources and helping the librarians with various research projects, but there is more that I’m involved with. We serve a variety of patrons including faculty, staff, learners, regional health professionals and researchers across the faculties of health, medicine, and dentistry.

My big project for the summer is renovating the Systematic Review LibGuide. This LibGuide sees tons of traffic from many students and researchers informing their knowledge synthesis projects and my job is to update the guide with current resources and to make it easier to navigate.

I’m also a part of a scoping review looking into how undergraduate medical education across the world has handled the shift over to online learning during the pandemic.

I’ve also been assisting the library with creating online tutorial videos using Camtasia. I also compile recommendations for acquisition of new textbooks and eBooks by looking at what’s available, what gaps we have in our current collection, and referring to trusted reviews of potential purchases. I assist the librarians when they do consultations with researchers to help them with refining their search strategy; this may involve having a conversation over a video conferencing program to better understand their needs.

The pandemic has made the internship more convenient since I can do things from home, but it’s been hard to get in the right headspace since I can’t come into the library to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intern Profile: Kendell Fitzgerald

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Name: Kendell Fitzgerald
Pronouns: She/her
Hometown: Aspy Bay, Cape Breton 

What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?
My favourite summer activity is getting for a swim in the ocean! When I’m in Halifax, I love going out to eat with some friends and enjoying Argyle Street.

What is your internship title? Which library (and archives!) location are you affiliated with?
My internship title is Reference Intern, and I am affiliated with the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library.

What brought you to the MI program at Dal?
Someone mentioned the program to me, and the more I explored the MI program’s website, the more it seemed like the perfect fit for me and my future career goals.

What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?
I have no educational or professional experience with the health sciences, but I wanted to try something outside of my comfort zone. My Kellogg internship has introduced me to new ways to use my skills, and it has helped me build upon my practicum experience with evidence synthesis.

What’s your educational background?
I graduated from the University of King’s College with a bachelor’s degree in English literature, minoring in gender studies.

What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship?My internship has been balancing both project work and answering reference questions through e-mails and video calls. Our reference services support students, faculty, staff, researchers, and regional health professionals, assisting with both general questions and evidence synthesis work. My projects were mainly Kellogg-based, although I had the chance to collaborate with other library interns on a project for the Dalhousie Archives, where we have been working on updating PDFs outlining the Dalhousie’s architectural history. I’ve also worked on projects which involved creating Opinio surveys and presenting their results, as well as updating a Libguide for the pharmacy department. My internship gave me opportunities to work in various steps of developing evidence synthesis such as scoping or systematic reviews. This involved developing and translating search strategies, deduplicating with Covidence, and helping researchers find full-text PDFs. The topics and skills I’ve been introduced to over my internship have been so varied that I feel confident in exploring challenging new topics and programs. Sadly, working remotely has prevented me from meeting my co-workers in person, and from becoming more familiar with the Kellogg library itself, but I’m excited to return to in-person this fall to help people face-to-face!

Intern Profile: Grace Bourret 

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Name: Grace Bourret
Pronouns: She/her
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario 

What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity? 
My favourite summer activity is biking around the city and exploring different parks! I also love having picnics with friends on nice summer days. 

What is your internship title? Which library (and archives!) location are you affiliated with? 
My internship title is: Dalhousie Libraries Intern, based out of the Killam Library in Research and Reference Services. As such, I am affiliated with the Killam Memorial Library, however, I am also currently working on a project affiliated with the Dalhousie University Archives!  

What brought you to the MI program at Dal?
Before coming to Dalhousie University, I completed a BA in History and Art History, and I found myself working in museums and art galleries as I am very passionate about sharing information with others. Throughout this experience, I realized how fundamental libraries are in helping people access this information. Academic librarianship has since become a career goal of mine and to gain both educational and professional experience in the field, I applied to Dalhousie University’s Master of Information program. 

What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?
I was particularly excited about this internship opportunity because of the hands-on experience that comes with it. As a student and future information professional, I wanted the opportunity to work in an academic library setting where I could see how the workplace functions and what different roles exist within it. 

 I was also drawn to this internship because of the community I get to work with. As a Killam Library Intern, I have connected with librarians and information professionals from across the Dalhousie University community. This has allowed me to learn diverse perspectives from various professionals.  

What’s your educational background?
My educational background is a Bachelor of Arts in History and Art History from McGill University. 

What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship? 
Within this internship, I have worked with other librarians and interns on projects related to instruction, information literacy, research data management and other projects related to academic library work. In the near future, I will also be learning to answer reference questions for students across the Dalhousie University community.  

A main way that the pandemic has shaped my intern experience is that I have been working remotely from Ontario. Although I miss being on Dal campus, it has been so nice to connect with colleagues and information professionals virtually. It has been very fulfilling to work with such a tight-knit community in a field that I am passionate about- even if I am not physically in the library!   

Intern Profile: Annalise Benoit 

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Name: Annalise Benoit
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Aylmer, QC 

What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?  
I love a BBQ, going for walks around Sullivan’s Pond, and weekend trips to the farmers’ market.  

What is your internship title? Which library (and archives!) location are you affiliated with?
Reference Assistant at the Sir James Dunn Law Library. 

What brought you to the MI program at Dal? 
Dal is one of the few universities in Canada to offer a combined degree in Law and Information Studies (JD/MI). I love that I can work towards my law degree without sacrificing my other academic interests. Most importantly, I love Nova Scotia and have no desire whatsoever to leave! I didn’t even apply to any other schools and, lucky for me, it worked out.  

What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries? 
The law library is really the perfect fit for me. I started in the summer of 2019 after my first year in the MI program and have stayed on ever since.  

What’s your educational background? 
BA in History & Cultural Studies from Mount Saint Vincent University.  

What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship? 
This summer, I have been doing a lot of work in Schulich Law Scholars, the law school’s institutional repository, such as adding content, editing metadata, and creating faculty profiles. I’ve also started developing my own project – a master index of the major reports and commissions on Indigenous people such as the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report, the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls (MMIWG) report, and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) report, to name a few. The pandemic hasn’t had much of an impact on my work, other than keeping me away from my amazing colleagues – but fortunately, that is slowly starting to change as we begin to return to working on-site!  

Intern Profile: Elise Battson 

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Name: Elise Battson
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia 

What is your favourite summer activity? Or your favourite Halifax activity?
I enjoy spending time down at the waterfront during the summer, especially on Saturdays during the farmer’s market. 

What is your internship title? Which library (and archives!) location are you affiliated with? 
I am the Records Management/Archives Intern at the Killiam. 

What brought you to the MI program at Dal?
A friend of the family had previously done the program and recommended it to me. 

What drew you to the internship opportunity at the Dal Libraries?
I had done my practicum in the Records Management Office and when the opportunity to continue working there was offered, I applied.  

What’s your educational background?
I majored in History and Creative Writing at Dalhousie. 

What have you been doing during your internship and how has the pandemic shaped your internship? 
I have been working on three projects as part of my internship, I have been working on a program evaluation for the Records Management, helping with a conversion chart from an old records management system over to DalCLASS, and working on several boxes of records. I have also been working on system-wide projects. 

The pandemic has changed things for my internship, as I am limited in the amount of time that I can spend on campus. While much of what I am doing has been set up so that it can be done from home, working with physical files would be harder to do from home. The limitations in how much time I can spend on campus have created a structure for how I do my work, as it means that my days are divided between days on campus and days off campus.  

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