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Category: Faculty

Research News: May 2022

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Dr. Philippe Mongeon was awarded a connection grant from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The project is a partnership with Dr. Jean-Sébastien Sauvé (Co-PI) from the University of Montreal, the Canadian Association for Research Libraries (CARL) and the Maritime Institute for Science, Technology, and Society (MISTS). It aims to foster greater collaboration between practitioners and academic researchers in Canada by creating an exhaustive database of these groups’ scholarship, by developing a visual interface to explore that literature and identify new research and collaboration opportunities, and hosting an online conference on collaboration between practitioners and academics in Library and Information Science.

SIM Professor and Student Awarded OER Grant

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Dr. Mike Smit (SIM Professor) and Lachlan MacLeod (Dalhousie Libraries, MI student) were awarded an Open Educational Resource Grant for their project “Research Data Management in the Canadian Context: A Guide for Practitioners and Learners“.

They are part of a national collaborative project to leverage the expertise of Canadian librarians, data managers, and other experts to provide a comprehensive, bilingual, peer-reviewed textbook introducing readers to managing research data. This book will, among other things, serve as a replacement textbook for the MI course INFO 6290: Managing Research Data.

This grant is offered in partnership between the Dalhousie Centre for Learning and Teaching, and Dalhousie Libraries through the support of Dalhousie’s Strategic Initiatives Funding.

Congrats Mike and Lachlan!

Invite: Virtual lecture featuring Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress (Feb 1st)

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Please join us for the Dalhousie–Horrocks National Leadership Lecture: Library Engagement in a Pandemic & Post Pandemic Virtual World  – Dr. Carla Hayden

February 1st at 12:00 PM AST.

Bio: Dr. Carla Hayden was sworn in as the 14th Librarian of Congress on September 14, 2016. Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to lead the national library, was nominated to the position by President Barack Obama on February 24, 2015, and her nominations was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 13.

Prior to her latest post she served, since 1993, as CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland. Hayden was nominated by President Obama to be a member of the National Museum and Library Services Board in January 2010 and was confirmed to that post by the Senate in June 2010. Prior to joining the Pratt Library, Hayden was deputy commissioner and chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library from 1991 to 1993. She was an assistant professor for the Library and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh from 1987 to 1991. Hayden was library services coordinator for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago from 1982 to 1987. She began her career with the Chicago Public Library as the young adult services coordinator from 1979 to 1982 and as library associate and children’s librarian from 1973 to 1979.

Hayden was president of the American Library Association from 2003 to 2004. In 1995, she was the first African American to receive Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year Award in recognition of her outreach services at the Pratt Library, which included an after-school center for Baltimore teens offering homework assistance and college and career counseling. Hayden received a B.A. from Roosevelt University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago.

The 2021 Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Awards will also be presented at this event. This Fund was established in 2007 to honour Dr. Norman Horrocks, OC, PhD, FCLIP (1927-2010) for his outstanding leadership in the field of librarianship in North America, Australia, and Europe. Over several decades Dr. Horrocks, former Director of the School of Information Management and Dean of the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University, pursued a distinguished career of very active involvement in professional associations in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Australia, the United States, and Canada. His many contributions, for which he received local, national and international recognition, have advanced the field and the careers of countless individuals. The fund supports a scholarship and an associated lecture series through an endowment donated by the many former students, colleagues, friends and admirers of Norman Horrocks.

This event is free and open to all.

REGISTER NOW

Patti Bannister Receives Part Time Teaching Award

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Patti Bannister (SIM lecturer) has received the Faculty of Management Part Time Teaching Award. Patti teaches INFO 6800 (Archives) and INFO 6860 (Archives II) in the Master of Information (MI) program. Patti was nominated by MI students, and Acting SIM Director, Dr. Vivian Howard.

From the nomination letter:

SIM is extremely fortunate to have Patti as one of our instructors.  As the Provincial Archivist, she brings a wealth of professional experience into her classes and provides students authentic experiential learning opportunities using actual archival fonds when completing assignments.  She is always able to draw on practical examples and scenarios to illustrate theoretical concepts, an aspect of her teaching that students particularly appreciate.  Typical comments from her MI students include:

  • She brings a really contagious enthusiasm for archiving that impacts students positively
  • The assignments were very well–designed and gave experience of the actual work that archivists do.
  • Patti is a clear communicator and a very organized facilitator.  Course expectations were clear from the beginning, and she offered help when needed. Patti answered all student questions effectively, and she really encouraged discussion and sharing – she isn’t afraid to stray from the Powerpoint slides and improvise as well as speak candidly about the realities of archiving practices. A very engaging, approachable, and knowledgeable instructor.

Hands-on experiential courses such as the ones Patti teaches were among the most challenging to transition to online delivery, but Patti rose to the task and adapted her assignments to be as realistic as possible during the 2020-21 academic year.  Students appreciated her effort to give them as authentic an experience as possible despite the limitations imposed by the pandemic, working with archives staff and a Dalhousie videographer to create short videos that took students inside the archives and exposed them to the archival environment when in-person visits were not possible.  As an Archives I student commented about their experience during the winter 2021 term:

Patti was always happy to answer questions in class and via email outside of class. I greatly appreciated the breadth and depth of her knowledge and expertise in archival practice and being willing to offer real–life examples of how the core archival functions are put into practice. I wish I could have taken this course at another time, when we could have met in person, as I’m sure that having physical access to records for assignments and in–class exercises would have further benefitted my learning. But Patti did an excellent job trying to adapt to the online environment nonetheless! Thank you, Patti!

In addition to teaching both of SIM’s archival courses, Archives I and Archives II, Patti helped design the curriculum for both classes, particularly for Archives II, a class that was developed in response for student demand for an advanced-level course.  She has also supervised students in independent study projects and directed reading courses, and has provided mentorship that clearly extends beyond the expectations we usually have for part-time instructors.

Congrats Patti!

Dr. Bertrum MacDonald receives Faculty of Management Research Impact Award

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SIM Professor, Dr. Bertrum MacDonald, has received the Faculty of Management Research Impact Award. The Impact Award is given to a FoM researcher in recognition of their overall lifetime achievement to date. This decision is guided by traditional research metrics, such as impact factors and citations and additional considerations of the nature of the impact.

Dr. MacDonald was nominated by Acting SIM Director, Dr. Vivian Howard. From the nomination:

As a senior faculty member in the School of Information Management, Bertrum has had a distinguished career as a researcher and has been recognized with the Marie Tremaine Medal (the highest honour awarded by the Canadian Bibliographical Society) and a Dibner Resident Scholar Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institute, in addition to SSHRC and CFREF research grants totalling nearly $1 million.  Throughout his career with SIM, he has been instrumental in creating and sustaining an enriching, supportive, and productive research culture.

Bertrum has been involved in many distinguished research initiatives during his career with SIM, but his leadership of EIUI, the Environmental Information: Use and Influence research group over the past decade is one of the most significant and far-reaching.  This research group focuses on the complex interface of scientific information and policy decisions, using marine environmental and fisheries information as case studies.  The output of this research group is truly impressive: EIUI has produced 45 journal articles, 11 book chapters, one book, 76 national and international conference presentations, and 16 Masters and Doctoral theses.  Bertrum has successfully created a dynamic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment within his research group, and he and his team members are tackling some of the key environmental questions of our time, including strategies to mobilize scientific research in the public sphere, understanding information flows in coastal and marine decision making and in the recovery process for endangered marine species.  The impact of EIUI’s output continues to grow as does the importance and overall significance of their findings.

One of Bertrum’s most outstanding (and less visible) contributions is his encouragement of students as emerging scholars. He helps students see they have the potential for scholarship, then ensures they have the assistance, tools, support, and guidance to succeed. Bertrum is known for his rigor and his attention to detail, but also for his incredible curiosity and joy in the research process. He genuinely treats each student and their project as unique and important, and ensures they have the support to think critically and to exceed their own expectations in their development as independent researchers.  The positive impact of his mentorship of scores of students in a diversity of programs over the years really is incalculable.

Congrats Bertrum!

Job Posting: Lecturer or Assistant Professor (probationary tenure-track)

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SIM invites applications for the following position (for full details and to apply, visit PeopleAdmin):

Applications close January 31st, 2022.

Position Title Lecturer or Assistant Professor in School of Information Management
Posting Number F263P
Type of position Tenure Stream
Department/Unit Information Management
Location Halifax
About the opportunity
The School of Information Management (SIM) invites applications for a probationary tenure-track position at the rank of Lecturer or Assistant Professor commencing July 1st 2022 (negotiable).
This position combines teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities. The School seeks candidates with a strong interest in, and capacity for, interdisciplinary research. Candidates will be expected to teach in at least two programs at the graduate or undergraduate levels. Professional information management experience will be an asset.
The successful candidate will have a PhD (completed or near completion) in information management or a related discipline, with a demonstrated record of success and interest in research and/or teaching in equity, diversity, inclusion, and/or accessibility as related to the information professions.  Potential areas of research and/or teaching interest include, but are not limited to:
●        Indigeneity, traditional knowledge, and the TRC Calls to Action
●        Indigenous research collaborations
●        Antiracism
●        Accessible design
●        Bias in information systems
●        Gender, sexual orientation, and/or gender expression
●        Other relevant areas including human rights, social justice, and social inclusion
The SIM (http://sim.management.dal.ca) offers two graduate programs: the American Library Association-accredited Master of Information (MI) program, and the mid-career blended learning Master of Information Management (MIM) program. At the undergraduate level, the School provides core and elective courses in the Bachelor of Management program, delivered collaboratively with the three other schools in the Faculty of Management. The School also participates in Dalhousie’s Interdisciplinary PhD program and is developing a PhD in Information.
The SIM is part of the interdisciplinary Faculty of Management (http://www.dal.ca/faculty/management.html), which also includes the School of Public Administration, the School for Resource and Environmental Studies, and the Rowe School of Business. The Faculty of Management’s mission is to offer people a world-class set of management skills and experiences that organizations value and prepare them to work with, inspire and lead others to tackle complex challenges and achieve responsible results. A commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and decolonization is among our core values. We seek an additional colleague who will contribute to, and thrive in, this environment.
Dalhousie University (http://www.dal.ca/) is one of Canada’s leading teaching and research universities, with four professional faculties; a Faculty of Graduate Studies; and a diverse complement of graduate programs. Inter-faculty collaborative and interactive research is encouraged, as is cooperation in teaching. Dalhousie University inspires students, faculty, staff and alumni to make significant contributions regionally, nationally, and to the world.
Dalhousie University is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Halifax is a vibrant capital city and is the business, academic, and medical centre for Canada’s east coast.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Dalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, women, persons of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.

Applications should be submitted by January 31, 2022 through PeopleAdmin (https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/7823).

Research News: November 2021

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We are happy to share the following recent research accomplishments by SIM faculty/students:

From Dr. Colin Conrad:

  • I was awarded a SSHRC Insight Development Grant titled “What is the role of mind wandering in work productivity when using remote workplace platforms?”. We are currently exploring this question using mixed methods (questionnaires, EEG, field studies) with a diverse team consisting of SIM students, Psychology & Neuroscience students, and colleagues in Germany.
  • I had a cool paper titled “Measuring mind wandering during online lectures assessed with EEG” which was published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

From Dr. Louise Spiteri:

  • Presenting a keynote paper Indigenizing Knowledge Organization Sytems and the Semantic Web at the IV Seminário do Grupo de Pesquisa MHTX – 2021. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) | Escola de Ciência da Informação (ECI), Brazil, November 25. This paper focuses on Indigenous Knowledge Organization (IKO, which is an emerging field of study focused on the protocols and methods of describing, naming, co-locating, and providing access to objects and materials that are of importance to Indigenous ways of knowing.

From Dr. Philippe Mongeon:

  • Mongeon, P., Brown, A., Dhaliwal, R., Hill, J., & Matthews, A. (2021). A bibliometric analysis of race-related research in LIS. Education for Information, 37(2), 231–246.
  • Aagaard, K., Mongeon, P., Ramos-Vielba, I., & Thomas, D. A. (2021). Getting to the bottom of research funding: Acknowledging the complexity of funding dynamics. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0251488.
  • Ferreira, M. R., Mongeon, P., & Costas, R. (2021). Large-scale comparison of authorship, citations, and tweets of Web of Science authors. Journal of Altmetrics, 4(1), 1.
  • Mongeon, P., Siler, K., Archambault, A., Sugimoto, C., & Larivière, V. (2021). Collection Development in the Era of Big Deals. College & Research Libraries, 82(2), 219.Papers
  • Grant: Mongeon, P., & Sauvé, J.-S. (2021-2022). Breaking the research silos: improving interactions between LIS academics and practitioners. SSHRC Connection Grant.

From Dr. Mike Smit:

From Dr. Bertrum MacDonald:

  • New Publications
    • Moreland, H. R., De Santo, E. M., & MacDonald, B. H. (2021). Understanding the role of information in marine policy development: Establishing a coastal marine protected area in Nova Scotia, Canada. FACETS, 6, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0109
    • Black, F. A., Grek Martin, J. M., & MacDonald, B. H. (2021). Geographic information systems and book history. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia, Literature ([32] p.). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.013.1151
  • Conference Session: Dr. Patricia Manuel, School of Planning, and I organized and presented a session at the international MARE, People and the Sea conference, entitled, “Out of the Blue”: Integrating Land and Marine Planning for Coastal Community Resilience.” The speakers included Daniel Martinez Calderon, Dalhousie Interdisciplinary PhD student, and Monica DeVidi, Dalhousie Master of Planning student, both of which are co-supervised by Dr. Manuel and me. Additional speakers were based in London, Ireland, and Norway. A report about the conference session is posted at https://coastalfutures.ca
  • Conference Papers
    • Melnick, K., Moharana, T., Toupin, R., Gone, P., MacDonald, B. H., & Mongeon, P. (2021). The intersection of shark research, policy, and the public: A bibliometric and altmetric view. Canadian Association for Information Science Annual Conference, Edmonton, 7-11 May 2021. https://www.cais2021.ca/talk/27.melnick/
    • Mongeon, P., Moharana, T., Melnick, K., Toupin, R., Gone, P., & MacDonald, B. H. (2021). Advancing marine conservation through understanding the distribution of media and scholarly attention across shark research communities. Coastal Zone Canada Conference, Iqualuit, Nunavut, Canada, 13-16 June 2021. https://www.coastalzonecanada.org/czc2021/
  • Conference Posters
    • Ryder-Burbidge, S., MacDonald, B. H., & Soomai, S. S. (2021). A coastal case study: Can cultural ecosystem services frameworks accurately interpret plain language survey responses. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Annual Science Conference, Virtual. 6-10 September 2021. https://www.ices.dk/events/asc/ASC2021/Pages/default.aspx
    • MacDonald, B. H., De Santo, E. M., Mongeon, P., Soomai, S. S., Stewart, I., & Wells, P. G. (2021). The critical need to understand barriers to the flow of information in science-policy interfaces. International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) Conference, Montreal, 30 August – 2 September 2021. https://www.ingsa.org/ingsa2021/
    • Cadman, R., Martin, C., Moreland, H. R., & MacDonald, B. H. (2021). Engaging stakeholders: Exploring participation in environmental governance. Coastal Zone Canada Conference, Iqualuit, Nunavut, Canada, 13-16 June 2021. https://www.coastalzonecanada.org/czc2021/
    • MacDonald, B. H., De Santo, E. M., Soomai, S. S., & Wells, P. G. (2021). Advancing coastal and marine management and conservation through understanding enablers and barriers in the use and influence of research information. Coastal Zone Canada Conference, Iqualuit, Nunavut, Canada, 13-16 June 2021. https://www.coastalzonecanada.org/czc2021/
    • Martinez Calderon, D., Manuel, P., & MacDonald, B. H. (2021). Towards meaningful engagement of stakeholders in marine spatial planning: Five key elements of effective management. Coastal Zone Canada Conference, Iqualuit, Nunavut, Canada, 13-16 June 2021. https://www.coastalzonecanada.org/czc2021/
  • Current research projects: In collaboration with the California Ocean Science Trust, the Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI – www.eiui.ca) research team has launched a project to investigate the information seeking activities of staff of the California Legislature (who report to Assembly Members and Senators) that deal with coastal and marine subjects. Tamanna Moharana, MI 2021, is assisting with this project. The EIUI research team is also completing a synthesis analysis of numerous case studies EIUI has conducted over the past several years to draw out common themes about information pathways in science-policy interfaces. Lisa Long, MI 2021, is assisting with this project. The results of these initiatives will highlight the importance of understanding how reliable information is used for policy and management regarding marine environmental sustainability. The Ocean Frontier Institute research group on Marine Spatial Planning, co-led by Dr. Patricia Manuel, Dalhousie School of Planning, and me, is conducting research about information activities in community decision-making processes and the role of municipal governments in marine spatial planning.
From CAUL/CBUA, re. Lindsay McNiff (SIM liaison librarian & instructor):
  • Lindsay McNiff, Learning & Instruction Librarian, Killam Memorial Library Dalhousie University; and Nicole Carter, Reference & Research Librarian, Patrick Power Library, Saint Mary’s University, have been awarded $1,000 to help support their project, Investigating the experiences of academic librarians on temporary contracts in Canada before and during COVID-19. In their proposal, Lindsay and Nicole propose to investigate the demographics of those academic librarians engaged in precarious work in Canada (including age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, years since graduation), in what postsecondary environments they have been employed precariously (college, university, size of institution), the nature of these contracts (reason, duration), and some key questions about their experience in these positions, including those raised in prior literature around training, socialization, and supervision. This is the first Canada-wide survey to investigate these questions with a focus on academic librarians with temporary contracts. The study will also zero in on how COVID-19 has affected the working life of librarians holding temporary contracts in academic libraries. The CAUL-CBUA Collaborative Research Grant is intended to encourage collaborative research by librarians and staff working in academic libraries in the region through projects which involve structured, evidence-based research. We are pleased to continue offering support to researchers in the region and look forward to the results of Lindsay and Nicole’s study.
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