On May 28, I will cross the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium stage in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to receive the Master of Information Management (MIM) degree from  Dalhousie University. Securing my parchment, I am likely to reflect on my newfound specialty and on what it is like to take on graduate studies from the opposite coast.

As a discipline, information management considers the whole information lifecycle, from creation through organization, management, use and distribution to eventual destruction or permanent retention. MIM coursework applies theory from information science, library and archival studies, computing science, management science and legal studies to analyze and address such practical problems as developing effective records retention policy, managing information privacy and security risk, capturing corporate knowledge and preserving electronic information for the long term.

Dalhousie's MIM is a year-round program. Each semester combines three months of distance study with a two-day residential intensive. Active participation is a core program requirement. Students are expected to engage comprehensively with weekly discussion topics or questions. For two courses I attended a live lecture; for the remaining six, I viewed the archived audio stream. The generally asynchronous study model makes it possible to balance full-time employment with graduate studies.

On-site intensives live up to their name. Working through information management problems quickly and as part of a team, students gain confidence in applying key course concepts while experiencing realworld challenges — namely, limited resources and time.
One of the MIM program's strengths is the dynamism of its participants. I had the opportunity to study with a leading national adviser in information and privacy legislation. MIM faculty are leaders and multiple grant- and award-winners in their respective fields. With student cohort members from the federal public service, global multinational companies, law enforcement, federal security agencies and other diverse employers, discussions were thought provoking, well-rounded and hardhitting.

Rather than finding distance study alienating, I found Dalhousie's unique blend inspiring. As a formidable research university, Dal's combination of faculty expertise, research foci and top-rate academic resources made an appreciable difference to the study experience.

Having completed the program, I acknowledge the most important applied skill as asking the right questions at the right times, when approaching the application of new technologies, architecture, interfaces, etc., to Hansard products and services. Whether considering the fundamental role of the Web as our public portal or improving the internal systems that support transcription, I understand how each piece fits in the overall information lifecycle as well as how it ultimately serves our key stakeholders. MIM studies have strengthened my professional understanding of the role Hansard Services plays in the information universe — and made me look continually forward to what the future holds in store for the Official Report.