Three long-serving and highly valued members of the Dalhousie Libraries staff are about to retire. Sharon Longard, Tim Ruggles and Tina Usmiani will be taking early retirement effective July 1, 2012 and moving on to new chapters in their lives. All have been with the libraries for many years and have made invaluable contributions in their fields. Here are brief descriptions of their careers at Dal.
Sharon Longard, Head of Reference Services, Killam Library
As a new graduate of the Dalhousie School of Library Service, Sharon was hired in June 1978 as a Science Librarian in the Macdonald Science Library. She was appointed the subject librarian for Psychology and worked as a science reference and instruction librarian. In the early years Sharon worked closely with Psychology Department faculty members to develop an information literacy component for the Psychology 2000 class. She has been teaching psychology students about library resources, both in person and online, for over 30 years. Sharon has worked on countless Library and Faculty of Science committees through the years. She served as Head of Science Services from 1998-2004 and is currently Head of Reference and Research Services in the Killam Library.
Tim Ruggles, Health Sciences Librarian
Tim began his career at the Dalhousie University Libraries at the newly built Killam Library in 1973 as a cataloguer, eventually becoming Assistant Head in that department. For much of his time at the Killam he served as the library’s Political Science subject specialist. In 1986, after graduating with an MLS degree from Dal’s School of Library and Information Studies (now called School of Information Management), he was appointed to a librarian position at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library. This position was originally half-time in Technical Services and half-time in Public Services. In the late 1990’s Tim became the Library’s point person in evidence-based medicine. He worked closely with the Departments of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine for many years in their ebm training programs for residents. In 2009 Dal’s Emergency Medicine Department showed their appreciation for Tim’s work by naming an award after him: the “Tim Ruggles Critically Appraised Topic Award” is now presented annually to the resident who writes the best CAT. Tim has also shared joint responsibility as liaison for undergraduate medicine for many years.
Tina Usmiani, Dalhousie Libraries Communications Officer
Tina has been working off and on at the Libraries since 1979, when she was hired as a cataloguer at the Killam and became the library’s Russian subject specialist. In 1982 she went to University of Toronto to do a PhD in Russian Studies and returned to Killam cataloguing in 1990 after working briefly in the Law Library. Tina continued her work as a library assistant in Special Collections from 1996 until 2009, when she acquired her current position as the Dalhousie Libraries Communications Officer.
Dal Libraries Congratulate Marc Comeau!
One of the last pieces of the Dal Libraries’ amalgamation with the ITS Help Desk service is now in place.
Marc Comeau has been Systems Manager of Libraries Information Technology Systems (LITS) since 2007 and played a vital role in bringing the Help Desk into the Killam Learning Commons. To reflect the expansion of LITS’ duties, Marc’s position has been reclassified and his official title has been changed to Director, Library IT.
The reclassification reflects not only the level of system-wide responsibility that Marc has for IT services in the Dal Libraries, but also the level of his enterprise-wide responsibilities for systems used by the entire University community.
“All of this is a reflection of the greater role that LITS has been playing within the Libraries for some time now. Today, we are working on the core tasks and infrastructure that the Libraries depend upon. We have more institution-wide responsibilities than ever before. It’s very challenging but equally exciting.” says Marc. “Bringing the Help Desk on board has further solidified our role as a key service point that reaches all of Dalhousie.”
“The reclassification process is quite involved,” says University Librarian Donna Bourne-Tyson, “and I am pleased that the outcome reflects the responsibility, strategic vision and expertise involved in the position. Congratulations Marc on the well-deserved recognition of your contributions to the Dal Libraries!”
Killam Staff Member Directs Play Opening Tonight
Johnelle Sciocchetti, who works in the Killam Library Circulation Dept., is having a play she wrote open tonight at The Living Room Theatre on Agricola St.
“Secrets,” which Johnelle is also directing, is produced by the Dal Theatre Society and involves a group fo friends who, after a night of studying and drinking together, discover they have secrets they’ve been hiding from each other for years.
Our multi-talented Johnelle was profiled here when she began working for the Libraries in June 2011. “Secrets” is actually her fourth play to be produced by Dal Theatre Society, so she is someone to watch!
“Secrets” runs from March 22-25 with shows at 7:30pm, and a Saturday matinee at 1pm. Tickets are a very affordable $3. Break a leg Johnelle!
Meet Margaret Vail, Libraries Systems Developer
The Dalhousie Libraries are delighted to welcome Margaret Vail, our new Systems Developer. Margaret began working at the Libraries on March 19.
The job of Systems Developer is something of a mystery to most of us, and Margaret admits that–at this early stage anyway–it’s hard to pin down exactly what her work will entail. She does know that she’s responsible for maintaining and updating the Libraries’ website, and that she’ll be programming new modules for Open Journal Systems (OJS). She will also be doing backend work with DalSpace, our institutional repository. Beyond that, she’ll be trouble-shooting and programming for various components of the Dal Libraries systems as required.
Margaret is a Dalhousie alumna, graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor in Computer Science. She has worked as a computer or web programmer for various companies including XWave (one of Canada’s largest IT companies) and LixarIT. She did two-year stint in Edinburgh for The Sugar Refinery, programming customer relationship management software—-and while there met the man she’ll be marrying in June.
Margaret is particularly happy to be working at Dalhousie. “I absolutely loved going to school here,” she says. “I really like Dal, and I’m very excited to be back here.” What she’s most looking forward to is meeting and working with Libraries staff on solving problems. “I love going to meetings and hearing what people’s issues are, and then problem solving along with them.”
Margaret’s passions are working as a Girl Guide Leader, which she has been doing for 10 years; travelling, camping, and reading fantasy fiction. And how does she feel about working in the same library as her mother (Shirley Vail is in our Document Delivery department)? She’s delighted. “My mum and I get along really well—she’s one of my best friends!”
Meet Alexander Nwankwo, Aspiring Singer
Soft-spoken Alex Nwankwo, who came to Canada in 2009 from Nigeria via Malaysia and Kalamazoo, has been working as the Weekend Supervisor for Killam Circulation since September 2011. This means he’s in the library from 5 pm til midnight on Saturdays and Sundays, overseeing student assistants and making sure everything goes smoothly in the building.
Alex has to deal with a wide variety of things on his night shifts, including technical issues with library computers, responding to people at the Circulation Desk, and handling security problems. “There are a lot of rough cases on weekends,” he says. “People come in and do things they shouldn’t, especially on the upper floors.” He does a couple of walkabouts through the library each night, supplementing the hourly checks made by Dal Security, and has seen some things—including a group of students who’d shifted the furniture around so they could play soccer!
Currently a 2nd year Computer Science student at Dalhousie, Alex’s real passion is music. He composes gospel music (no recordings—yet!), and sings tenor in Dal’s Coro Collegium, having studied music theory in the Music Department. He’s continuing to take voice lessons at The Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and working on a 10-year plan to make singing his life. “I’m building my musical career slowly,” he says. “It’ll all come together in ten years.”
We’re sure it will Alex, and in the meantime it’s a pleasure working with you!
Canadian Library Support Staff Day
The Canadian Library Association has declared October 21 2011 to be Canadian Library Support Staff Day. We’d like to recognize and celebrate the hard work and achievements of our own Dalhousie Libraries support staff, many of whom you never get to see as they work “behind the scenes,” but without whom most of our library operations would grind to a complete halt. CLA President Karen Adams says it best:
Support staff are essential to the success of Canada’s libraries. They perform invaluable service that is worthy of national recognition […] The purpose of Canadian Library Support Staff Day is to celebrate and show our appreciation for the work of library technicians, library assistants, library clerks, pages, shelvers, and all other support staff members who perform daily miracles in our public, private, school, government, academic, and corporate libraries.
~ CLA Digest, October 21, 2011
If you’d like to express your own appreciation for our hard-working library staff, please feel free to post a comment here!