By: Toni Beaton (First-year MI Student)

This week, I had the opportunity to speak with several School of Information Management students whom are both current and past employees and volunteers at The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Lisa Phinney, Maddie Hare, and Lara Morrison shared their experiences at Pier 21, as well as advice on those looking to enter the museum or heritage sector.

Please begin by introducing yourselves, including what drew you to the museum or heritage sector within the field of information management.

Lisa: When I first joined this program, my goal was to always work in museums. I have a background in anthropology, so I really wanted to combine it with this management degree. I thought, what better way to do so than to work in a museum? There happened to be an opening last fall [at Pier 21] and I got the job. I [looked forward to] getting exposure to see what the museum sector would be like, and then go from there.

Maddie: When I started at SIM, I wasn’t really considering working in museums. One of my colleagues at the Kellogg Library connected me with her husband who was Head of Digital Collections at Pier 21. I was so interested in archives and digital preservation, so we discussed opportunities to volunteer in this area. That position didn’t exist yet, and they [Pier 21] were going through a transition, so the volunteer coordinator, Annette Carter, suggested that I volunteer in “Visitor Experience” in the meantime to familiarize myself with the museum. I already loved the museum, and my grandmother actually came through Pier 21! Now it’s been a year, and I’m still in Visitor Experience; I really enjoy it.

Lara: I also have had some experience working in the heritage sector before, and that’s where I wanted to go with this degree as well. The fact that Pier 21 is a very local museum was really attractive to me when I saw the job posting. I have a background in history, and am really interested in Canadian history; you can’t discuss Canadian history without discussing immigration. A lot of people have very personal connections to immigration in Canada. That was really interesting to me in terms of working in a museum like that.

What is your (current or past) role within The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, and in which area(s) of the museum were you affiliated?

Lisa: I was hired in September of 2022 as a Heritage Interpreter. It is within Visitor Experience, and my role was to lead and facilitate tours throughout the Pier 21 exhibition, help visitors, work the front ticket counter, sit in exhibitions to answer questions, give directions, and be on the floor face-to-face for visitor help. I was there for 6 months in a contract position.

Maddie: I’m in Visitor Experience, and I work on the floor alongside the interpreters as a volunteer. I answer questions, greet guests, talk about the museum, offer directions, facilitate our activities (including our citizenship table). We have a reflections area where guests can offer reflections on what immigration means to them; I really love chatting with guests about things they’ve written there. We also have an area where people can write their name and story on a tag, and put it on a map. I help to facilitate these types of activities. I also assist with special events at the museum in the evenings, such as the “Voices of the Pandemic Latinx Community Celebration,” the “Canadian Association of Executives: Discover Halifax,” as well as the Pier 21 booth at the Dalhousie Societies Expo.

Lara: I was working as a Genealogical Researcher/Library Assistant for the Scotiabank Family History Centre within Pier 21. The service offered there is open to visitors or anyone who visits the museum, and we do genealogical research for them. It’s a really interesting opportunity to talk with people face-to-face, get a little bit of their family history, and then take a dive into the historical records that we have. Typically, we would use digitized records like the census or ship records. Essentially, we’re trying to find passenger manifests from when people came into Canada. There are some limitations on that, of course, with privacy laws; typically, we only have [records created] before 1935, although there are some exceptions. It was a really great opportunity to talk to people all day, every day, in the summer I was working there. For a lot of people, they themselves came over [to Canada]; it was really interesting to hear people’s stories and the memories that they were sharing with us. It’s a really emotional and difficult topic to discuss for some people, but it’s also really celebratory as well for others. There’s a lot of feeling behind all of those stories.

What have been your most enjoyable takeaways from your experiences at Pier 21?

Lisa: Those really personal interactions you get with visitors. Everyone has a unique story, and you do meet some really interesting people. One of my very last days there, I met a lady whose father had come through Pier 21. Her father and her uncle had fled Poland; they were taken prisoner and had to spend 17 months in Serbia. Then, they fled Serbia and ended up in an East African country. When Canada was looking for labourers, they sent over a boat; her father and uncle lied about their ages so that they could be eligible [to immigrate]. It was a really powerful and unique story I hadn’t heard before. She then spent a good hour in the Family History Centre. It’s moments like that you really appreciate what you’re doing. In those one-on-one moments with visitors, you realize what you’re doing is actually very important.

Maddie: Connecting with guests can be really personal. Hearing their stories and family histories is always really moving to me. We get a lot of cruise ship passengers coming through the museum, and I always really enjoy interacting with them and helping them learn about Canada’s immigration history. I find they, [as well as] newcomers to Canada, really connect with the museum. I love to hear their stories. There’s a wedding dress in the museum from a war bride who came over to Canada; one of the employees who works there [at Pier 21], it’s her grandmother’s best friend’s dress. I was just blown away, because that’s such a direct connection to an object in the museum. On a personal note, my grandmother came through Pier 21 from Italy. Getting to make connections through the museum is amazing; another of the volunteers is Italian, so we’ve chatted about our family history. During Italian Heritage Month, reading all the guests’ stories about their families coming down [to Canada] was really moving.

Lara: Having studied history in school, and as someone who is really interested in archives and archival materials, it is really interesting to speak to the people who are actually documented in those records. We get to interact with people on a very personal level about that. It’s really interesting when you see people coming in to [investigate their family stories]. I remember someone who had always been told their grandmother was born on a ship. And sure enough, we saw in the records, alongside their family someone had pencilled in, “+ Baby born at sea” on the ship’s passenger manifest coming into Canada. It was really cool to be able to do that research for them. It’s a very personal connection, and adds a lot to archival literacy in terms of being able to think critically about records (and how much is left out of records). They are only telling a part of the story; it makes it very real when you get to see it right in front of you.

What advice would you give to current MI students interested in the museum sector?

Lisa: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid if you don’t have the qualifications. You learn a lot as you go, and you don’t have to have all the answers at first. My biggest worry was that someone would ask me a question, and I wouldn’t know the answer. The whole point of it is, you don’t have to have the answers. Part of the experience of the museum is learning and growing with your visitors. Just apply! Apply everywhere, regardless if you think you fit the job description or not. Kristine Kovacevic is who you want to speak with and reach out to if you have any interest in working as a Heritage Interpreter at the [Pier 21] museum.

Maddie: Annette Carter is a great person to reach out to for those who want to volunteer! There are lots of volunteer opportunities, and always some things students can get involved with… especially during the summer when the cruise ship season starts. I was supposed to volunteer in a different behind-the-scenes roles, and initially thought Visitor Experience would not be for me. I actually really enjoy it, I have learned a lot, and met a lot of wonderful people in the GLAM sector. Be open to different roles, because you can always find connections and learn something new. There’s a lot of different, interesting events going on, and volunteering is a great way to get experience within museums. It is a great way to meet people and get involved in the community.

Lara: Think about what interests you in particular, and what are some of the skills that you do have. I think museums are a really interesting sector, because there are so many directions they can take you. There’s behind-the-scenes work, there’s front-facing public service, there’s a lot of creative [opportunities] as well. There’s a lot of intersections with education. Don’t be shy about using your past work experiences to coincide with current work positions at museums. Even if you don’t hit all of the qualifications, still apply – you are probably bringing something [unique] they will need!

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Lisa: Pier 21 is a very different museum from what is considered a traditional museum, but I think that’s what makes it all the more interesting. It’s very specific, but very poignant. If you’re looking for something a little different in the GLAM sector, Pier 21 is definitely that niche spot.

Maddie: For incoming SIM students who are new to Halifax, definitely make a point of getting down to the museum. There’s a lot to learn, and there are rotating exhibits.

Lara: Go when there isn’t a cruise ship, if you can!

For further information about The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, including volunteering and employment opportunities, please visit their website at https://pier21.ca/.