Maggie Neilson, 2nd year MLIS student, co-authored an article with Kathleen Kevany (Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University) which was published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. The article, titled: “Water and women project: notes from the field,” discusses technical approaches to solving global water-access struggles, and the organizations dedicated to cultivating these innovations .You can read Maggie’s article online. Visit SIM’s blog to leave a comment about the article.
MLIS Student, Gayle Graham, Wins Manitoba Library Association Scholarship
Gayle Graham, a student in the Master of Library and Information Studies program, has won the 2013 Jean Thorunn Law Scholarship, valued at $3,000, awarded by the Manitoba Library Association (MLA). A graduate of Brandon University with a BA in Psychology, Gayle will begin the second year of the MLIS program at Dalhousie University’s School of Information Management in September. Gayle’s strong academic record in both her undergraduate and graduate studies resulted in the MLA decision. In addition to her academic successes, Gayle has obtained considerable work experience in libraries at Brandon University and more recently with the Public Library Services in the city of Brandon. Gayle rounds out her academic and professional achievements as an athlete and accomplished dance instructor.
Congratulations Gayle.
Inform: January-July now available
The latest issue of Inform is now available; it covers the period from January to July 2013 and can be found on the SIM website. We look forward to receiving your updates and hearing your feedback.
25 years of accomplishment
Congratulations to Bertrum MacDonald who was recently recognized at a celebration honouring employees who have worked at Dalhousie for 25 years. Read more online.
ISHIMR 201 3 Conference
International Symposium for Health Information Management Research is taking place next Thursday and Friday, June 27-28, Dalhousie Faculty of Computer Science. View the conference program for more information.
So You Have Blue Hair
Elinor Crosby, SIM Associated Alumni Chair, is the Head Editor of INALJ Nova Scotia. INALJ (I Need a Library Job) is described on their website as, “A community of information professionals working together to help you find a job”.
Elinor regularly contributes to the INALJ blog and her June 10 article, “So You Have Blue Hair”, resonated with many; it received more views in two days than might be expected in a month. The article has generated a lot of discussion in multiple forums, notably the ALA Think Tank group on Facebook. Elinor’s article was also featured in AL Direct.
In Memoriam: Dr. Boris Raymond
SIM extends condolences to the family and friends of Boris Raymond who passed away on May 6, 2013. Dr. Raymond came to Dalhousie in 1974 and taught at SIM during his employ at Dal.
Raymond, Robert Boris, passed away comfortably and peacefully on Monday, May 6, 2013, in the Palliative Care Unit of the VG site, QEII, Halifax. Born in Harbin, China, December 18, 1925, he was the son of the late Dmitry and Olga (Ostroumoff) Romanoff.
After serving two years in the United States Army in Europe during World War II, he earned his Bachelor’s degree and two Master’s degrees from the University of California (Berkley) and received a PhD from the University of Chicago. He taught at Dalhousie University in the fields of sociology and library science from 1974 to his retirement in 1990 and was an honorary adjunct professor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science at Dalhousie University until June 2012.
He valued his Russian heritage and for many years immersed himself in the study of Russian history, particularly the period of the revolution and the civil war, 1917-1920 and the Russian Diaspora, 1917-1941, and published extensively on these topics.View the complete obituary online.
FoM Convocation Reception – May 27
On behalf of all the faculty and staff in the Faculty of Management, I would like to convey our warmest wishes to you as a prospective graduate of the Class of 2013. Your time at Dalhousie has undoubtedly been a period of significant personal growth. Forming life-long friendships, acquiring new knowledge and honing your ability to learn new information in a fast-paced environment are all valuable experiences you have gained at Dalhousie University. We thank you for choosing to share such an important part of your life with us.
The Faculty of Management
is pleased to invite you, your partner and your parents
to a Special Reception to honour our
Class of 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
5:30 – 7:00 pm
The Atrium
Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building
6100 University Avenue
I hope you and your family will be able to join us. Please let us know by May 21st if you will be attending and how many guests will be joining you.
Shortly, you will become part of an illustrious group – Dalhousie’s Alumni – a worldwide family over 100,000 in number. We hope you will continue your association with Dalhousie and the Faculty of Management. We are always delighted to hear from you with information on where you are and what you are doing.
I wish you every success and happiness in your future career and personal life.
Sincerely,
Dr. Peggy Cunningham, Dean
Faculty of Management
Learning to Design Mobile Apps
Duncan MacPherson, Dianna Ramdial-Harriram and Lisa Rambadhan showcasing their “Dal Path Finder” app design to Dr. Gruzd
Mobile Internet is quickly becoming the Internet! And in this new world of mobile, the mobile app is king.
On April 2, 2013 students at the School of Information Management gathered to showcase their mobile app concepts at SIM’s Mobile App Concept Design Competition. The competition was organized by Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd and was part of the INFO 5590: Information Management Systems course.
As part of this course, students were asked to work in teams of three-to-four to develop a novel mobile application that can help organizations to better deliver information and services to their end users. Students had to research the information needs of their respective organizations and come up with an app to address those needs.
Kevin Hartford presenting his team’s “Readable PDF” app concept (1st Place)
On the day of the competition, the teams gathered in Dal’s interactive learning studio located in the Killam Library, also known as LINC – Learning Incubator & Networking Centre (LINC) to present their mobile app concepts. Their apps were evaluated by judges with expertise in mobile app and enterprise development, information management and user interface design, including:
- Dr. Sujit Sur, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University
- Dr. Keith Lawson, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University
- Dr. Derek Reilly, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University
- Dr. Bonnie MacKay, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University
- Lori McCay-Peet, ID PhD candidate, Dalhousie University
- Cam McDonald, Purchext
Amanda Fullerton, Amy Lorencz and Nancy McPhee discussing their app design called “Dalhousie Access to Library Available Computer Stations (DALACS)” with Dr. Bonnie MacKay (one of the judges)
Each judge played the role of an “investor” with a hypothetical $1 million to invest. They could invest the entire amount in one idea or split it among a few of their favorites. At the end of the event, the top three apps (determined by the amount of “hypothetical” funds they have attracted) received prizes.
The apps featured in the competition ranged from the imaginative to the practical including leisure apps for hikers in HRM and Nova Scotia to apps for managing the balance on a Dal student card and one that helps students to navigate through campus buildings. There were also apps for gym users, parents looking for playgrounds for their kids, night sky lovers, tourists wanting to track their checked-in luggage, and readers looking for the next best seller book to read.
The three winning teams were:
- 1st place – Group #8: Readable PDF (Alan Chorney, Lisa Gauthier, Kevin Hartford, Leah Rae)
- 2nd Place – Group #3: Go Hiking NS (Matthew Clarke, Jordan Cook, Roger Gillis, Katie Olthuis)
- 3rd Place – Group #17 : QuickScript (Carolyn Bentzen, Ryan Dyck, Michael Groenendyk, Darrell Yates)
Congratulation to the winning teams!
Below is list of all of the app ideas presented at the event.
-
Group #1: Halifax PlaygroundsMegan Clark, Jaimie Fedorak, Lee Danielle Hubbard, and Emily LeGrand
-
Group #2: Where to Go Halifax!
Melissa Rothfus, Arryn Seburn, Elyse Sparkes, and Lacey Wilson
-
Group #3: Go Hiking NSMatthew Clarke, Jordan Cook, Roger Gillis, Katie Olthuis
-
Group #4: AcademiaMappCatherine McGoveran, Laura Thorne, Jane Willwerth, Stephanie Woods
-
Group #5: Dal Path Finder
Ruth Collings, Duncan MacPherson, Dianna Ramdial-Harriram, Lisa Rambadhan
-
Group #7: HRM Trails App
Chantal de Medeiros, David Reynolds, Joanna Veale, Britanie Wentzell
-
Amanda Fullerton, Riel Gallant, Amy Lorencz, Nancy McPhee
-
Group #10: MyDalCard Mobile Application
Hilary Stamper, Stephanie Duncan, Chelsea Heighton
-
Group #12: My Goodlife Fitness
Erin MacPherson, Mengjia Zhang, Victoria Kammelu, Winifred Enyeji
-
Group #16: Next on the List…
Samantha Fritz, Breanna MacLeod, Leah Pohlman, Christine Wu
-
Group #17 : QuickScriptCarolyn Bentzen, Ryan Dyck, Michael Groenendyk, Darrell Yates
Librarians Without Borders group travels to Guatemala
MLIS student Christine Wu is participating in the Librarians Without Borders service trip to Guatemala.
CANADIAN LIBRARIANS HELP GUATEMALAN CHILDREN TAKE HOME LIBRARY BOOKS FOR THE FIRST TIME
TORONTO, Apr. 9, 2013 — Elementary school students in Guatemala will be able to borrow books from the library for the first time, thanks in large part to the work of Canadian library students.Librarians Without Borders members from across the country will be traveling to the Miguel Angel Asturias Academy in Quetzeltenango (Xela), Guatemala from April 13-28, 2013 to collaborate on the development and operation of a school library.
LWB has partnered with the Asturias Academy since 2009 to support the Academy’s vision to build a sustainable community library in the school. This year’s on-site work marks a major transition for their library: we are implementing cataloging, searching and borrowing technologies (and training the staff on these tools) to enable students to locate and check out books for the very first time.
Many Guatemalans are restricted from getting a quality education, in part due to a severe lack of access to books and literacy materials. In a country where books are taxed beyond the reach of the 75% of the population who live in poverty, it’s almost impossible to get children excited about reading because many cannot get actual books in their hands.
This year, we plan to change that.
Over the course of 2012, with the help of a full-time on-site librarian funded by Librarians Without Borders, students far surpassed the reading goal of 4 books per year, reading on average some 14 books per year. Given this enthusiasm, imagine the impact on (the less than 60%) literacy levels of Asturias’ predominantly indigenous students and their families — once they can check books out of the library and bring them into their homes. This is an unprecedented opportunity in Guatemala.
About Librarians Without Borders
Librarians Without Borders (LWB) is an action-oriented non-profit organization that strives to narrow information access inequities worldwide by supporting libraries in developing regions and domestic communities.We enact our mission by collaborating with partner communities to identify their needs and then mobilize our volunteers – the core being student librarians in a service-learning model – for in-the-field development.
We believe that access to information is vital in supporting learning and literacy, reducing poverty, empowering citizens, and building healthy, strong communities.
For more information
Carla Wintersgill
LWB Communications Specialist
carla.wintersgill@lwb-online.org
www.librarianswithoutborders.org