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You’re Invited: 2026 Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Lecture & Award Presentation

This event is virtual, free, and open to all. Please share throughout your networks.

The 2026 Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Lecture

SPEAKER:
Lucas Maxwell (MLIS’07)
Librarian, Glenthorne High School & Author

TITLE: Using Dungeons & Dragons for well being and developing a sense of community

EVENT DETAILS:

Join us ONLINE [Register here]
Monday, February 2, 2026
3:30 – 5:00 p.m. AT – Lecture (Online)

ONLINE LINK: Link will be sent to registrants closer to the event date.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Teams account you use to register via the link must be the account used to access the event. Also note that logging in via the app is more stable/reliable than the browser.

ABSTRACT: Lucas Maxwell has been running Dungeons & Dragons in the high school library he manages in London, UK, for over seven years. During that time he’s observed and written about the mental health benefits the game has had for both students and staff alike. After speaking to a wide variety of mental health professionals in both the UK and North America, it became clear that the game has therapeutic benefits that not only create a sense of community in and around the school, but also builds important social and interpersonal skills. It also helps struggling students engage with reading and creativity and has helped Maxwell with his own wellbeing and mental health. In this presentation, Maxwell will discuss how he started the game with only five student players and how it blossomed into a school-wide phenomenon that led to his students developing D&D sessions for neurodivergent youth in literary festivals around London and in one of the largest libraries in the world.

SPEAKER BIO:

Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, Lucas Maxwell grew up on Nintendo, comic books and Dungeons & Dragons. He has been working in libraries for over fifteen years and is passionate about providing safe and welcoming library spaces for everyone. In 2017 he was named the UK’s School Librarian of the Year and in 2024 he was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to libraries. His debut Young Adult novel, A Million Tiny Missiles All At Once, will be published by Chicken House Books in April 2026. He is proud to be a neurodivergent writer and grateful to be adding his voice to the world of literature. He currently resides in the UK with his amazing family and Biscuit the chocolate lab.

If you wish, please donate to the Horrocks Scholarship.

Learn more about the Dalhousie Horrocks National Leadership Fund.

DIS Professor Receives Dalhousie Legacy Award

Dr. Stacy Allison-Cassin (Assistant Professor, Department of Information Science) has received a Dalhousie Legacy Award – specifically the President’s Research Award for Emerging Investigator.

The Dalhousie Legacy Awards recognize a number of university-wide awards, that are aligned with the university’s strategic plan. The awards assist in helping Dalhousie create a culture of respect and recognition for employees at all levels. The first annual Dalhousie Legacy Awards was held in June 2018, as part of the university’s 200th anniversary celebrations.

Congrats Stacy!

Laura Warner (MLIS/MPA ’07) appointed Chief Executive Officer of Orangeville Public Library

Re-posted from Canadian Librarianship. Click here to read the full article.

The Orangeville Public Library is excited to announce Laura Warner as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective November 17, 2025.

A champion for innovation, Warner brings more than 17 years of leadership experience, including 10 years with public libraries. Most recently, she served as senior manager of Library Resources at Brantford Public Library and prior to that, director of Corporate Services and Facilities at Saskatoon Public Library.

“Laura’s experience and commitment to community enrichment and engagement make her an exceptional fit for the Orangeville Public Library,” said Heather Savage, general manager, Community Services. “We are excited to welcome her to the team and look forward to her leadership in continuing to grow the library as a vibrant hub for knowledge, connection and creativity.”

Warner has led large-scale technology upgrades, capital projects and community partnerships. Committed to innovation and inclusivity, her work includes initiatives that expanded access to library services, strengthened digital infrastructure and fostered community connection.

She holds a master’s degree in library and information studies and public administration from Dalhousie University. She is also an active mentor and facilitator in national library leadership programs.

Congrats Laura!

Join us: The inaugural Alan H. MacDonald Information Science Public Lecture: How Generative AI Fuels Disinformation and Misinformation and What We Must Do

The flood of disinformation and misinformation flowing through social media today is a widespread societal concern. Artificial Intelligence is making the problem worse. What to do? In the Alan H. MacDonald Information Science Public Lecture, Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd, one of Canada’s leading social media scholars, will offer insights on how students, faculty, and the public can develop resilience to address this growing concern.

Title:  From Prompt to Propaganda: How Generative AI Fuels Disinformation and Misinformation and What We Must Do

Speaker: Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd, Professor and Director of Research, Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University

Date/Time: Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 4:00 pm

Location: Ondaatje Theatre, McCain Arts & Social Sciences Building, Dalhousie University, 6135 University Avenue

Social platforms now algorithmically remix news, memes, and AI generated content, blurring the line between fact and fiction, and obscuring traditional credibility cues (e.g., source reputation, visual authenticity, consensus). According to a new report, The State of Generative AI Use in Canada 2025, from the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, 59 percent of Internet users distrust political news online because it may be fake or manipulated, with two-thirds fearing that generative AI could sway elections. Yet paradoxically, students and faculty are embracing these same generative AI tools for study and research support. This apparent disconnect between public concerns and uptake of these tools demands closer scrutiny. The talk will examine the features that enable the rapid adoption of generative AI tools by the public on the one hand, and how those same features allow bad actors to create and disseminate dis- and misinformation at scale on the other. The talk will conclude with a call for actionable research and policy focused on strengthening “epistemic resilience” among students, researchers, and the broader public through critical digital literacy, robust verification practices, and institutional safeguards that ensure the safe and ethical use of generative AI.

Speaker Biography: Anatoliy Gruzd is a Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management and the Director of Research at the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. As a computational social science researcher, he investigates how social media affects the way people and organizations communicate, collaborate, and share information, including misinformation. His expertise lies in studying online communities and social networks, as well as in developing new computational methods and tools to analyze public discourse across various domains. Most recently, he has been examining the spread of pro-Kremlin narratives, propaganda and disinformation related to the Russia-Ukraine war. Anatoliy’s innovative approach to studying social media has led him to be named a Canada Research Chair in 2015 and inducted into the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2017.

Kelti McGloin Chosen as 2025 Recipient of the Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Fund

We are pleased to announce that Master of Information/Juris Doctor (MI/JD) student Kelti McGloin has been selected as the twelfth recipient of the Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Fund. 

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 (now DIS) 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. 

Kelti McGloin is in her final year of the combined MI/JD degree program. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sociology with minors in Philosophy and Political Science at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022. She was inspired to pursue a Master of Information alongside her law degree upon observing the work done by law librarians at the Schulich School of Law. Having worked as a reference intern at the Sir James Dunn Law Library for the last three years, Kelti regularly helps to resolve the legal information needs of patrons from diverse backgrounds and brings a strong service orientation to her emerging professional practice. These experiences inform her enthusiasm for access to justice and promoting legal literacy among non-lawyers. She is grateful to have had opportunities to synthesize these interests with her passion for Aboriginal law in research assistantships with Professor Naiomi Metallic and the Lnuwey Tplutaqan Wikuom.
Kelti has further leveraged her combined degree to co-author Best Practices for Writing About Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian Legal Context, a style guide for legal writing at the Schulich School of Law. She is excited about opportunities to connect with legal information professionals and is an active member of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries and the American Association of Law Libraries. Kelti will be articling with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in 2026/27. Further into the future, she hopes to work as an academic law librarian, where she can mobilize her unique professional background to teach legal research skills to future lawyers.

 

This award will be presented at the Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Lecture in early 2026. Stay tuned for more details! 

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