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News from the Department of Information Science (formerly SIM)

Category: Alumni

Alumna/Instructor Wins Teaching Excellence Award

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Alison Brown (left) and Rowan Moore, MI student (right). Credit: Sandra Toze

Congrats to Alison Brown – instructor and alumna (MLIS ’17) on winning a Faculty of Management Teaching Excellence Award!

These awards encourage and celebrate superior teaching and learning, recognizing those who provide rich and productive learning environments for graduate and undergraduate management students, inspiring them to excel in their personal, academic and professional lives.

The awards are presented annually to faculty members in the Faculty of Management who, in the opinion of their students and peers, display the qualities of superior teaching, excellent understanding of the subject area, and interest in the needs of the students.

 

MLIS Alum Wins Canadian Law Blog Award

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From the Dalhousie Schulich School of Law:

Congratulations to Schulich Law’s Public Services Librarian David H. Michels (MLIS ’01, PhD ’14), who was part of a nationwide team recently recognized with a Canadian Law Blog Award for Best Legal Papers, Reports, or eBooks of 2024, for their work on the Canadian Open Access Legal (COAL) Citation Guide.

Michels is one of more than 60 volunteer editors and reviewers who worked on the two-year-long project, part of a national, bilingual, and bijural group. The COAL Citation Guide is freely available and was launched as an alternative to other, more cost-prohibitive options available in Canada.

“We created the COAL Citation Guide to better meet the needs of the Canadian legal community and to have a guide that is accessible to everyone, and I think we have done that successfully,” explains Michels. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with this team so far and I’m excited for it to continue. No one does this type of work for the accolades, so the award is an unexpected affirmation that the effort is both valued and appreciated.”

To read more, please visit our website: https://bit.ly/4jpadD1

In Memoriam: Tanja Harrison (MLIS ’96)

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We are sad to report that MLIS alumna, Tanja Harrison, has passed away.

Tanja most recently served as University Librarian at Mount Saint Vincent University. Staff and faculty remember her fondly as having incredible energy and optimism, infectious enthusiasm for life, and a passion for the profession. She was also a strong advocate for improved breast cancer screening in Nova Scotia.

The full obituary can be read here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/halifax-ns/tanja-harrison-12114332

In Memoriam: Julia Stewart (MLIS ’06)

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We are sad to report that MLIS alumna, Julia Stewart, has passed away.

From Dr. Sandra Toze (Program Director): Like all who had the pleasure of knowing Julia, her friends at the Department of Information Science want to extend our profound sorrow, and to join others in celebrating her life. Julia was an excellent student, who showed such strength and perseverance, as she completed her degree while managing her health issues. She was full of energy, ideas, and always so passionate. Since her graduation I had the pleasure of meeting her at conferences, and keeping up with her life virtually through Facebook. She was a significant force for public librarianship, and brought joy to all she worked with. I always appreciated our conversations, and the insights she would bring from her experiences. She will be greatly missed.

The full obituary can be read here: https://mcadamsfh.com/tribute/details/1927/Julia-Stewart/obituary.html

 

Gwen Schmidt (MLIS ’95) receives 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award

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From the Dalhousie Library & Information Alumni Association:
DLIAA is delighted to announce that Gwen Schmidt (MLIS ’95) has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award. This prestigious award recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions to the field of librarianship, and Gwen’s remarkable career exemplifies the qualities of leadership, innovation, and service that this award celebrates.

A graduate of the School of Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie University in 1995, Gwen has dedicated 28 years to the Saskatoon Public Library (SPL), where her influence has been profound. Over the course of her career, she held numerous roles, including Senior Manager of Neighbourhood Services, Outreach and Access Services Coordinator, and Branch Supervisor. Gwen’s commitment to public service, team development, and innovative programming has left an enduring legacy.

Some of Gwen’s most notable achievements include:

– Collaborating on the development of impactful community programs such as the “We Dare You Teen Summer Challenge” and the reintroduction of baby programming and French language programming at SPL.
– Leading the Outreach and Access Services team to win the 2013 Senior Volunteer Award for “Senior Friendly Business.”
– Securing grants to create programs that empower seniors with digital literacy, such as building a simple mobile computer lab and hiring a senior to travel and teach other seniors in buildings where they live.
– Serving on the executive of both the CUPE Local 2669 union and the – Saskatchewan Library Association (SLA), where she held leadership positions, including Treasurer and President.
– Her passion for librarianship, tireless advocacy for library services, and mentorship of colleagues has been a source of inspiration to many. Gwen’s colleagues have consistently praised her for her forward-thinking leadership, dedication to public service, and her empathy and compassion in serving the community.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Gwen was also recently awarded the 2024 Frances Morrison Award by the Saskatchewan Library Association, a testament to her profound impact on the library landscape in Saskatchewan and beyond.

We are proud to honour Gwen Schmidt as our 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient.

Please join us in celebrating her exceptional achievements and contributions to the library profession. Save the date for Friday, November 22nd– more event details will be soon to follow.

MLIS Class of 1999 Reunion

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Congratulations on your 25th graduation anniversary for your MLIS! Click here for full details and to RSVP.

Your fellow classmates, Jeff Mercer and Lesley are planning a Reunion and we hope you are able to attend.

October 4 – 5, 2024
Halifax, Nova Scotia

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: (full agenda to be sent closer to event)
October 4, 2024

  • Casual Drinks Downtown Halifax (location and time TBD)

October 5, 2024

  • 4:00 – 5:30 PM MLIS Class of 99 Dean’s Reception: Kenneth C Rowe Management Building
  • Tour of the Faculty of Management Building: Kenneth C Rowe Management Building
  • 6:00 PM Dinner: Location TBD

Please note: There are additional events taking place on or around campus that you can also take part in:

And you can search for more here: Discover Halifax

HOTEL:
We were able to confirm a “Discounted University Rate” for you at:

The Lord Nelson: 1515 South Park Street, Halifax, NS B3J 2L2
Please call 1-800-565-2020 for reservations.

Please contact Shelley LaMorre, Manager of Alumni and Donor Relations, with questions regarding this event at shelley.lamorre@dal.ca or 782-641-6309.

Recent Alumni Award Winners (spring/summer 2024)

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We would like to congratulate these recent alumni award winners!

Are you an alumnus of our program that recently won an award or made an exciting career change? Let us know so we can celebrate you (inform@dal.ca).

Conor Falvey (MLIS ’22)

DPMG Award for “transformative change in the Law School’s research community and being a driving force behind the school’s research aspirations and relationships.”

Since joining the Schulich School of Law in 2019 as research facilitator, Conor Falvey has worked tirelessly to forge and sustain research relationships within the school and across the university. In this newly created role, Conor has shown high and consistent performance in grant capture, leading to a 40 per cent increase in grant funding over four years. Conor has strengthened the School’s research capacity and profile through numerous new initiatives and has met research challenges with strategic thought and energy, enabling more faculty to engage in ambitious long-term projects.

Sarah Harding, dean of the law school, highlights Conor‘s significant contributions beyond grant acquisition, emphasizing her role in building the research profile of the law school. Conor supports faculty in disseminating their work and creating research connections, advocating for smaller, focused meetings between research deans to enhance cross-faculty sharing and idea exchange.

Full article here: https://www.dal.ca/news/2024/07/10/dpmg-awards-2024.html

Hannah Rosborough (MLIS ’16)

2024 AtlanticOER Development Grant from the Council of Atlantic Academic Libraries.

These grants are intended to encourage and support educators in the Atlantic region in the adaptation, adoption, creation, and curation of open educational resources (OER), and to increase access to course materials for students. Rosborough’s project involves creating a legal citation and style guide tailored to law students. It will explain specific components of legal citation, provide guidance for citing common primary and secondary sources within legal documents and major papers, elaborate on how to approach legal essay writing, and will include a glossary of legal terms and sources.

“In its current form, students lose access to the course materials once the semester has ended,” says Rosborough. “They have often reached out to request ongoing access to the research and citation materials to assist in their summer jobs and upper-year courses.”

“This project will improve the availability of those materials in an accessible format and includes contributions from alumni, current faculty, and adapted materials from existing legal research OERs.”

Link to full announcement.

‘Passionate, tenacious, and generous’ Dr. Vivian Howard retires

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Read the full story here: https://www.dal.ca/faculty/management/news-events/news/2024/05/17/dr__vivian_howard_retirement.html

After 30 years in the classroom, Dr. Vivian Howard thinks she’s taught her final course — and it was extra special. Anna Jacquart, her daughter, was a student in that final class. Anna was born in 1994 when her mother was completing the Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS). It seems fitting that Dr. Howard, who recently retired, share her passion with her daughter as she works toward the same degree.

After moving to Halifax in the early 1990s so her husband could take a position at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), Dr. Howard wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. A friend had completed a Master of Library Science at the University of British Columbia and she liked the idea of a flexible, professional designation that built on her experience.

It was an exciting time to be studying library science, she explains. Computers were new and discussions about the internet were just beginning. “I knew these were going to be big things. Things that were going to shift how we learn and navigate in the world,” says Dr. Howard.

‘The Meryl Streep of professors’

After graduation, Dr. Howard worked as a librarian at NSCAD and the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS) and, in 1996, Dr. Bertrum MacDonald reached out. Then Director of the School of Information Management (SIM), Dr. MacDonald invited her to teach a course in Information Sources in the Humanities and Social Sciences. As she explains, “I was learning at the same time [the students] were learning. It was a real pleasure.”

“Vivian stood out in her very first class, and quickly demonstrated both academic prowess and a suite of management capabilities,” says Dr. MacDonald, now a professor emeritus in the faculty. “Her thoughtful, caring, outgoing personality is an important factor in her numerous successes as a teacher and colleague.”

Her students agree. “The teaching and research of Dr. Howard is what first drew me as a student to the MLIS and she is among the top reasons I remain here,” says Alison Brown, an instructor in the Department of Information Science, and an Interdisciplinary PhD candidate. “Our cohort referred to Vivian as ‘the Meryl Streep of professors’ — fiercely bright, unflappable, versatile, unwaveringly committed, graceful, and elegant. I have had the enormous privilege of learning from Vivian as her student, supervisee, mentee, colleague, and friend.”

Margie Singleton (MLIS ’80) Presented with the 2023 DLIAA Outstanding Alumni Award

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By: Toni Beaton (Second-Year MI Student)

The DLIAA (Dalhousie Library and Information Associated Alumni) was proud to present the Outstanding Alumni Award to veteran public librarian, Margie Singleton (MLIS ’80). The awards presentation and reception was held both in-person and online on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Kristy Hancock, Program Convenor of DLIAA, opened the awards presentation with a special introduction. Nathaniel Smith, Chair of DLIAA, joined the presentation virtually and introduced this year’s award recipient, Margie Singleton. The DLIAA described Singleton as a “staunch advocate, champion and ambassador for public libraries at the local, provincial and national levels,” and notes her work has had a lasting impact on library services in her city of Vaughan, ON, and the profession at large.

Margie Singleton graciously accepted, and both laughter and tears were shared amongst attendees during her acceptance speech. “Public libraries are essential to the health of a city,” Singleton says. “Everyone is treated equally, has the same right to privacy and the right to see themselves reflected in the materials. Libraries are an equalizer.” Of the 13 libraries in Vaughan under her stewardship, Singleton has overseen the design and construction of six, with a seventh under construction and an eighth in the architectural planning stage.

Congratulations Margie, on your well-deserved Outstanding Alumni Award!

MLIS alumna wins 2023 RBC/PEN Canada’s New Voices Award

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We send heartfelt congratulations to Christine Wu (MLIS ’14) on her recent award!

From CBC. Read the full article here:

Halifax writer Christine Wu has won the 2023 RBC/PEN Canada’s New Voices Award for her submission Hungry Ghosts. The $3,000 cash prize recognizes unpublished Canadian writers under the age of 30. The prize also includes a mentorship with an established Canadian author.

Writers were encouraged to submit work in any format, including poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction.

Wu is a Chinese-Canadian poet based in Halifax. She has been published in several literary magazines and was previously shortlisted for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers. She holds a BFA from the University of Victoria, a MLIS from Dalhousie University and a MA from the University of New Brunswick.

Wu’s collection of poems was chosen from almost 300 entries. The jury was comprised of Canadian writers Jónína Kirton, Chelene Knight and Alexander MacLeod.

“Hungry Ghosts is a deeply moving and masterfully crafted collection of poems that surpasses the boundaries of memory, love, family, and personal growth,” the jury said in a statement. “The writer’s exquisite precision and grace, infused with profound wisdom, skillfully navigates the delicate art of letting go, effortlessly weaving the tapestry of past and present.”