Antiracism & Decolonization in Archives & Records Management: Open Classroom Series (Winter 2023)

March 2, 2023 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

Join us for the Winter 2023 edition of the open classroom series on antiracism and decolonization in the information professions, with a focus on archival and records management in this academic term. The first session takes place on Wednesday, March 15 and features a lecture by Jesse Boiteau, Head of Archives, National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation.

Check out the full details here.

Registration is free and open to all!

The Winter 2023 open classrooms are co-hosted at Dalhousie’s School of Information Management (SIM) and the University of Manitoba’s Archival Studies M.A. Program at the History Department. They are taking place as part of graduate courses taught by Dr. Jamila Ghaddar and Krystal Payne, which are: INFO6370 Records Management (Winter 2023) at Dal’s SIM and the HIST7372 History of Archiving & Archival Records (2022-2023) at the UofM’s Archival Studies M.A. Program.

Contact: Dr. Jamila Ghaddar at director@archiveslab.org.

Winter 2023 Schedule:

Wed 15 March @ 1pm ADST (Halifax, NS) / 11am CDST (Winnipeg, MB): “Community connections: plural provenance theory & the role of archives and records in Indigenous community-led research,” a lecture by Jesse Boiteau, Head of Archives, National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation. Co-hosted with Dr. Greg Bak, Associate Professor, Archival Studies M.A. Program, History Dept., University of Manitoba. Register today!

Abstract: It is no longer a secret or revelation in the wider archival community that western or colonial archives and records played a role in the colonization of Indigenous peoples around the globe. The process of reconciling this fact has been handled differently by archives in various regions, and for the most part has been a tentative and slow process in fear of not engaging the right way or making a misstep in connecting with the Indigenous communities and peoples represented in their holdings. In May of 2021, this tentativeness changed forever. When the 215 potential gravesites of children were identified by Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc at the Kamloops Residential School site, the urgency for archives and records to build meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities was sent into overdrive. Read more

Wed 22 March 22 @ 1pm ADST (Halifax, NS) / 11am CDST (Winnipeg, MB): “When there is no archives: decolonial archiving and oral records in Mau Mau history,” a lecture with Rose Miyonga, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick. Co-hosted with Cameron Welsh, student in the Master of Archival Studies program, School of Information, University of British Columbia. Register today!

Abstract: In the 1950s, the British colonial government launched a brutal counterinsurgency against the revolutionary Mau Mau movement in Kenya. In an effort to quash the anticolonial uprising, British colonialists imprisoned over 150,000 people without trial in detention camps where torture and murder were commonplace. In the early 1960s, as the British began their exit from empire in Kenya, they took with them the evidence of this brutality. Hundreds of thousands of archival documents detailing their atrocities were destroyed, and many more were stolen away to a secret archive in the United Kingdom. Read more

Wed 29 March @ 1pm ADST (Halifax, NS) / 11am CDST (Winnipeg, MB): “Digitality, crowdsourcing and the photographic record: archival losses and alternatives in Kenya in the shadow of repatriation,” a roundtable with Chao Tayiana (co-founder of Digital Heritage, Museum of British Colonialism and Open Restitution Africa); Maureen Mumbua (Digitisation Coordinator, Book Bunk) and Max Pinckers (Artist and Guest Lecturer, School of Arts KASK & Conservatorium) in conversation with Rose Miyonga (PhD Candidate, History Dept., University of Warwick). Register today!

Abstract: In conversation with Rose Miyonga, this roundtable brings together trailblazing and innovative practitioners and scholars working to address the many gaps, silences and erasures in Kenyan archival memory and documentary heritage due to the history and legacies of British colonial rule and its brutal counterinsurgency practices in the country. With a focus on resistant and marginalized histories and perspectives, participants will share their experiences with a range of alternative approaches to address the archival gaps and silences, from crowdsourcing and “imagined records” to living archives and participatory documentary projects. Read more

Antiracism & Decolonization in Archival Studies: Open Classroom Series

October 13, 2022 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

Join us for the Fall 2022 edition of the open classroom series on antiracism and decolonization in the information professions, with a focus on archival studies in the 2022-2023 academic year. The first open classroom is scheduled for October 26 and features a presentation by Riley Linebaugh (PhD), Research Associate, Leibniz Institute for European History on “Race, Capital & Empire: Placing Hilary Jenkinson into History.”

Registration is free and open to all!

Check out the full details here!

The Fall 2022 open classrooms are hosted at the University of Manitoba’s History Department, and sponsored by Dalhousie’s School of Information Management and CUNY’s Archival Technologies Lab. They are taking place as part of graduate courses taught by Dr. Jamila Ghaddar, which are: HIST7372 History of Archiving & Archival Records (Fall 2022) at the University of Manitoba’s History Department, and INFO6370 Records Management (Winter 2023) at Dalhousie University’s School of Information Management.

Contact: Dr. Jamila Ghaddar at jghaddar@dal.ca or jamila.ghaddar@umanitoba.ca.

Fall 2022 Schedule:

Note: CDST refers to local Winnipeg time and ADST refers to local Halifax time.

Wed 26 Oct @ 11:30am CDST / 1:30pm ADST: “Race, Capital & Empire: Placing Hilary Jenkinson into History,” a presentation by Riley Linebaugh (PhD), Research Associate, Leibniz Institute for European History. Register today!

Abstract: This presentation provides a critical biography of Hilary Jenkinson with a focus on his 1912 publication, “The Records of the English African Companies,” his participation in the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section during WWII, and his 1948 memo on colonial archives. Read more

Wed 16 Nov @ 11:30am CDST / 1:30pm ADST: “Displaced Archives, Repatriation & the Vienna Convention: Global South Perspectives,” a panel with Dr. Ellen Namhila (Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Namibia), Dr. Nathan Mnjama (Professor, Department of Library & Information Studies, University of Botswana), and Dr. James Lowry (Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Library & Information Studies, CUNY). Co-hosted with CUNY’s Archival Technologies Lab. Register today!

Abstract: Contestation over archival access and ownership have been a feature of the relationship between European countries and their former colonies in Africa and Asia because records displaced to Europe in the context of Third World political decolonization in the mid-20th century have rarely been repatriated. How to imagine a future in which such archival legacies of colonialism are redressed? This open classroom explores this question with renowned personalities and leading experts. Read more

Wed 7 Dec @ 11:30am CDST / 1:30pm ADST: “Multiple Provenance, Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Archival Protocols,” a conversation with Dr. Vanessa Watts (Assistant Professor of Sociology and Indigenous Studies, McMaster University) and Krystal Payne (University of Winnipeg, Kishaadigeh Collaborative Research Centre). Co-hosted with Dr. Amber Dean, Professor of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University. Register today!

Abstract: How can archivists and archivists be more responsive and accountable to Indigenous peoples and communities? This open classroom explores this question in relation to a variety of archival principles-based guiding documents, and the project based out of McMaster University, “The Challenge of Reconciliation: What We Can Learn from the Stories of the Hamilton Mountain Sanatorium and the Mohawk Institute Residential School.” Read more

New MI Competencies Approved by SIM School Council

May 18, 2022 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

This year, the MI (Master of Information) Curriculum Committee embarked on a full review and revision of the MI Competencies. These competencies are the measurable skills, abilities, and behaviours required to be a successful IM professional. All courses and learning experiences incorporate these competencies, and students will have the opportunity to gain these competencies through participation in all aspects of the program. These metrics are particularly important for the continued accreditation of MI program (by the ALA – American Library Association).

The new competencies were recently approved by SIM’s governing body, School Council. The full list can be viewed here and below.

Adaptation: Information managers anticipate and adapt to trends in information management, support organizational change, and promote a learning culture within the organization.
Collaboration: Information managers work effectively in teams and cultivate a culture of collaboration within the organization and build relationships with stakeholders.
Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and decolonization: Information managers practice and critique the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and decolonization for participating in an inclusive and socially just society.
Communication: Information managers communicate effectively, listen actively, and are receptive to feedback and suggestions.
Digital and technological literacy: Information managers safely, responsibly, creatively, and effectively use technologies. They assess IT requirements of the organization or users and develop and implement IT strategies that support the organization’s mission.
Evidence-based practices: Information managers promote evidence-based decision making and policies. They use adequate methods to produce, assess, synthesize, evaluate knowledge to support the organization’s activities.
Leadership: Information managers advocate the strategic importance of information for their organization or community, promote the professional values of the field, support the development of their peers, and mobilize people and resources towards the achievement of collective goals.
Learning: Information managers are reflexive, life-long learners who adopt a creative and innovative approach to their work.
Management: Information managers effectively manage projects, people and resources, and ensure that the information assets and practices of the organization support its values, mission and objectives.
User-centered design: Information Managers engage users and adapt services to their information needs and behaviours.

2022 SIM Research Day (April 7th)

April 5, 2022 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

Please join us for (virtual) SIM Research Day to hear about the exciting research projects our graduate students and colleagues are working on. Featuring virtual lightning talks from graduate students, alumni, and professionals. All presentations will be 3 minutes + 2 minutes for questions. This event is free and open to all. No need to RSVP. Simply click the link below to join.

Feel free to share. This event will be recorded and posted to our YouTube channel.

Via Microsoft Teams (<–click link at above date/time to join. If you already have Teams, it will open. If you do not have Teams, you can watch in your browser – move the Teams download request window and click the option to open in browser. Note: Safari is NOT recommended due to issues with video and audio. Instructions for downloading Teams are attached if needed).

Click here for the full event schedule

Click here to learn more about research in the School of Information Management.

You’re invited: Virtual MI Meet & Greet (March 28th)

March 16, 2022 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

Attention IM professionals/employers:

Dear colleagues,

You’re invited to the Master of Information (MI) Program Meet and Greet event, on Monday March 28, from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm (AT) / 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm (ET).

This event is to provide an opportunity for students to meet employers in the library and information management field and for a chance for employers to meet the graduating class, as well as the first year students, looking for summer employment. It is also a chance for you to network with your colleagues and give back to the profession. Please feel free to share this invitation with your colleagues.

The event will be held on the Wonder Virtual Event platform. (More information about this platform can be found below.)

Please RSVP by March 25 to: https://forms.office.com/r/9zNfdiKdPx

(We like to have a sense of who is coming so students can be better prepared with their questions for you.)

A link to the Wonder platform will be sent to you closer to the event date.

I hope to see you there!

Thanks for your support of our students,

Sincerely,
Sandra

Using Wonder

Wonder is an event platform that allows you to navigate a virtual room and engage in individual or group conversations as you would in a physical room.

You can try it out in a test room we have created: https://app.wonder.me?spaceId=3d2be8bb-36a5-4241-9aa8-8e18f2398796

A few additional notes about Wonder:

Supported Devices & Browsers
- Wonder is designed for use on desktop and laptop computers and is supported with Google Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge.
- Wonder is not currently supported by tablets (including Ipads) or mobile devices.
Privacy and GDPR: https://wonder.me/gdpr

Sandra Toze, PhD (she/her)
Director, School of Information Management (SIM)
Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University

Provenance in Place: A Symposium

February 24, 2022 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

Provenance in Place: A symposium
12pm – 5pm Eastern Time
Monday March 7, 2022

Globally, the archival legacies of colonialism look much the same today as they did sixty years ago. Records displaced to Europe have rarely been repatriated, and in still colonised countries, the record-making and -keeping practices of the colonizer continue to attempt to inscribe settler power over Indigenous sovereignty. How to imagine a future in which the archival legacies of colonialism are redressed?

Powerfully articulating a new conceptualization of provenance as “provenance in place”, JJ Ghaddar offers “an understanding of provenance that embraces the commitment to undo the colonial occupation of one people’s land by another today, and the archival legacies of such occupations in the past”. Against the globalization of western European archival tenets “established at a time when the vast majority of people within and beyond Europe were not at the table”, Ghaddar offers a vision of provenance that is grounded in the Third World project and its anticolonial aspirations.

The Archival Technologies Lab at the City University of New York, together with the School of Information Management at Dalhousie University, is holding a virtual symposium to discuss provenance-in-place and its possibilities.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the symposium. This event will not be recorded.

Program

All times in Eastern Time:

12:00 Welcome

12:10 Keynote: “Provenance in Place” JJ Ghaddar (Dalhousie University)

13:00 Respondents: TL Cowan (University of Toronto), Michelle Caswell (University of California, Los Angeles), Tonia Sutherland (University of Hawai’i at Manoa)

13:50 Break

14:00 Places as Provenance
Moderator: Nadia Caidi (University of Toronto)
Maria Montenegro (University of California, Irvine)
Forget Chaterera-Zambuko (Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi)
Raymond Frogner (University of Manitoba)
James Lowry (Queens College, CUNY)

15:00 Break

15:10 Imagining Provenance Otherwise
Moderator: Jamie A. Lee (University of Arizona)
Gracen Brilmyer (McGill University)
Riah Lee Kinsey (Queens College, CUNY)
Jessica Lapp (University of Toronto)
Jess Guijarro (Queens College, CUNY)

16:10 Break

16:20 Roundtable Discussion

17:00 Close

Speaker biographies available on the event page.

Contact: james.lowry@qc.cuny.edu

Dr. James Lowry
Assistant Professor
Information Studies, Queens College
City University of New York

IM Public Lecture: Copyright Law and Text and Data Mining: Does the Canadian Copyright Act Need to be Amended? (Lucie Guibault)

February 17, 2022 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

The Information Management Public Lectures give attention to exciting advances in research and professional practice. The topics are diverse reflecting the importance and global extent of Information Management in today’s society. The lectures are free of charge and open to all, unless otherwise stated.

All 2021-2022 lectures will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the full schedule. Lecture will be recorded and posted on our YouTube channel.

Dr. Lucie Guibault
Schulich School of Law
Dalhousie University

Lecture Details
Thursday, March 3rd, 2022
5:30 to 6:30pm
Microsoft Teams (click link at above date/time to join)

Abstract: Text and Data Mining (TDM) represents an increasingly important research method across a range of scholarly disciplines, as well as in journalism, education, civil society, and a range of commercial research. Text analysis is used in the humanities and social sciences to examine corpi of books, newspapers, social media, transcripts, web sites, historical and government documents, and other data to analyze and document historical events, places, media coverage, topics or themes, and language. Copyright can be a barrier to such initiatives and can have a chilling effect on research, journalism, and civil society projects. Recent empirical research shows that strict or unclear copyright rules have a negative impact on the use of TDM techniques for research purposes. This presentation discusses the status of TDM activities under the Canadian copyright law regime, including the limits of licensing solutions, the applicability and limits of the fair dealing doctrine, before delving into the question of whether a specific copyright exception would provide greater legal certainty for the stakeholders.

Bio: Lucie Guibault is professor of intellectual property law and Director of the Law and Technology Institute at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. She joined the Schulich School of Law in July 2017, after spending twenty years at the Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam. She studied civil law at the Université de Montréal (LLB and LLM) and received in 2002 her doctorate from the University of Amsterdam. Lucie is specialized in international and comparative intellectual property law. Over the years, she has carried out research for numerous European, Canadian and international organizations. Her general research interests revolve around the critical and normative analysis of the copyright system, primarily looking at the impact of technological change on the balance of interests between rights owners and users. She has countless publications on topics relating to copyright and related rights in the information society, open content licensing, collective rights management, limitations and exceptions in copyright, and author’s contract law.

IM Public Lecture: Adopting Responsible AI in Practice (A. Casovan)

November 16, 2021 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

All 2021-2022 lectures will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the full schedule. Lecture will be recorded and posted on our YouTube channel.

Ashley Casovan
Responsible AI Institute

Lecture details
Monday, November 29th, 2021
5:30 to 6:30pm
Microsoft Teams (click link at above date/time to join)

Abstract: AI & ML have become the frontier for digital transformation. However, many companies are struggling with getting real business value and many ML projects are getting stalled due to risk and compliance concerns around black-box AI and scaling bias. 96% of organizations run into problems with AI and machine learning projects due to lack of trust in data and models across siloed functions according to a Dimensional Research report and 90 percent of all machine learning models never make it into production, according to VentureBeat. This session will discuss the important role of Responsible AI Framework and tools to drive end to end data and model transparency and trust. Topics will include real-life examples and challenges from early adopters on driving Responsible AI implementation to improve AI governance and control and accelerate adoption of Enterprise AI.

Bio: Ashley is an engaged and innovative leader who has always had a deep interest in advancing the public good. Recently leaving her long-standing career in the public service where she was last Director of Data and Digital for the Government of Canada, she has now taken on the role of Executive Director of Responsible AI Institute, a non-profit dedicated to creating practical tools to ensure the responsible use of AI. Throughout her career she has worked at the intersection of innovative technology and data, and its impact on providing better information and services. As a recognized leader in the social tech community she has developed a strong reputation for developing workable governance for data, artificial intelligence, and open source tools. Her work and ability to bring experts together to solve important challenges has led to meaningful change in government and beyond. Her work helps to inform government, industry, and academic research.

She is currently a member of the following initiatives:

Chair, Responsible AI Certification Working Group, World Economic Forum
OECD’s Network of Experts, AI Policy Observatory
Canada’s AI Strategy Council Public Awareness Working Group
The Canadian Data Governance Collaboration Steering Committee
Responsible AI standards – ISO JTC1/SC42, IEEE, CIO Strategy Council
The Open Community for Ethics in Autonomous and Intelligent Systems (OCEANIS)
Advisor to InnSoTech project for Alberta “HelpSeekers” Initiative
Member of Advisory Board for NSERC research project at University of Toronto, “CREATE Responsible AI”
Industry Advisor for independent study, “Current Health Regulations and their impact on AI,” University of Texas, Faculty of Law

IM Public Lecture: Creating a Decolonizing Archives (R. Frogner)

October 18, 2021 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

All 2021-2022 lectures will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the full schedule. Lecture will be recorded and posted on our YouTube channel.

Raymond Frogner
Head of Archives, National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation
University of Manitoba

Lecture details
Monday, November 1st, 2021
5:30 to 6:30pm (ADT)
Microsoft Teams (click link at above date/time to join)

Abstract: After six years of work, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) had acquired approximately four million documents and over seven thousand Survivor statements documenting the history and legacy of the residential school system in Canada. The next step was to order and sort these records to create an archives that could respectfully and effectively preserve and make accessible these records in a manners that addresses the colonial nature of their content and their profound meaning for both Indigenous peoples and settler society. To make a decolonizing archives. This talk will discuss the acquisition work to bring in such a disparate set of records, and the projects designed to promote their decolonizing reference and use.

Bio: Raymond Frogner graduated with an M.A. in history from the University of Victoria and an M.A.S. from the University of British Columbia. He was the archivist for private records at the University of Alberta where he taught a class in archives and Indigenous records. He was formerly an archivist for private records at the Royal BC Museum where his portfolio included Indigenous records. He is currently the Head of Archives at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. He is also the co-chair of the International Council for Archives Committee on Indigenous matters. In 2019 he was the principal author of the ICAs Tandanya/Adelaide Declaration concerning Indigenous self-determination and archives. He has published two articles in Archivaria on the topics of archives and Indigenous rights. Both articles have won the W. Kaye Lamb Prize. He continues to publish and present on issues of Indigenous identity and social memory. In 2020 he was nominated a Fellow of the Association of Canadian Archivists.

IM Public Lecture: Traditional Sacred Texts and the Art That Makes Them Accessible (A. Shaftel)

September 13, 2021 Kim Humes Leave a Comment

All 2021-2022 lectures will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the full schedule. Lecture will be recorded and posted on our YouTube channel.

Lecture Details
Monday, September 27^th, 2021
5:30 to 6:30pm
Microsoft Teams (click link at above date/time to join)

Abstract: Traditional Buddhist texts in monasteries were inaccessible to diverse populations who had low literacy. Paintings, sculpture, music and dance carried iconographic depictions from the texts to serve as a guide to meditation and visualization. The relationship between texts and illustrative art is traditional and ongoing, even in today’s digital universe. This presentation offers you a view into traditional Buddhist monastery archives and the changing art forms that continue to illustrate sacred texts.

Bio: Ann Shaftel, a Conservator and SIM Faculty member, is a Fellow of International Institute of Conservation, a Fellow of American Institute of Conservation, and Member of Canadian Association of Professional Conservators, ICOM. AND ICOMOS. Ann works internationally for archives, museums, universities, and monasteries. Since 1970 she has researched and taught in Asia, as well as extensive travel through the Middle East, Europe and North America. Ann founded Treasure Caretaker Training, the award-winning preservation non-profit https://treasuresresource.com

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