Why did you decide to pursue the MI degree?

Our digital experiences are rooted in effective information systems. Contemporary societal infrastructure is made possible through everyday information systems like Client Relationship Management applications, eCommerce platforms, Electronic Health Records etc. Having worked in clinical technology implementations these past nine years, I wanted a graduate education that would help me contextually understand subjects like information architecture, business intelligence, data science, human-information interaction, user experience etc. The Master of Information provides access to domains of knowledge that will help me design human-centric information systems.

What is your dream job and why?

More than a title or position, my dream job would allow me to both design the development and usage of organizational information systems. I’d like to build effective user experiences, human-centric data architecture and/or study how organizations use their information to achieve business outcomes. The Master of Information should open doors to a leadership or subject-matter-expert position either in IM/IT consulting or as an in-house resource.     

How do your experiences with the MI degree at Dal compare with previous education that you have received at other institutions?

Receiving a graduate education during a pandemic, as a mature student, has been an interesting and challenging experience. But, the MI program permits a flexible approach to study. I’ve really enjoyed virtual classes (both real time and pre-recorded lectures) and the opportunity to explore my own interests. All the professors are warm and genuinely interested in your perspective. It’s a very safe space to explore yourself.   

What do you do outside of class?

I love hiking, playing dungeons and dragons and daydreaming. I’m also very interested in augmented/mixed reality and am currently voraciously reading as much as I can about their design and implementation. 

What has been your most memorable moment at SIM?

The conversations with professors and colleagues. It’s nice to both have your own paradigms be challenged and to challenge others to see the world in a new way.  

VIZARATH ALI SYED

Master of Information Candidate

Hometown

Toronto, ON

Education

• BA Honours (History), University of Toronto, 2010
• Post Graduate Certificate (Public Relations), Humber College, 2012

Why did you decide to pursue the MI degree?

I have worked in public and academic libraries over the last eight years, starting as a student assistant at Mount Allison University’s R.P. Bell Library and working my way up to full-time staff at Dalhousie AC’s MacRae Library. Both of MacRae’s current librarians earned their MLIS part-time from Dalhousie, and they encouraged me to do the same. My wife is a librarian, our friends are all librarians, my colleagues are librarians, so I figured I should be one, too!

What is your dream job and why?

I absolutely love teaching. I’m hoping the MI program will open a door to becoming an instructional librarian at Dalhousie.

How would you describe the atmosphere of SIM?

It feels very comparable to my previous schools in terms of instructor-to-student ratio, which I like a lot. Classes seem relatively small and there’s a lot of opportunity to get to know professors and for them to get to know you. The same goes for classmates. I find it very relaxed and friendly. Instructors are easy to talk to and willing to help, and people have built all kinds of social spaces to connect with one another, even when COVID keeps us all miles apart.

What were your expectations for the study program, and how have they been met?

I expected this to be a professional program that caters to people in all stages of their career, and so far it’s been meeting those expectations. Course content and assignments lean more towards applied knowledge, making it easy to know how to use it in real life applications.

What do you do outside of class?

Cater to the wishes of a tiny tyrant. My son is nearly two and much of my time is spent with him and my wife. Otherwise, I enjoy cooking, gaming, watching TV, and painting model kits.

DARYL ATKINSON

Master of Information Candidate

Hometown

Ottawa, ON

Education

• BA Honours (Psychology), Mount Allison University, 2015
• Advanced Diploma in Human Resources Management, New Brunswick Community College, 2017

Why did you decide to pursue the MI degree?

I had long considered applying for a Library and Information Studies program, and upon graduating from my MA I felt that the time was right. I wanted to continue working with archives and felt better equipped at this stage in my life to enter into a professional program like the MI degree. The program struck me as intensely applicable in professional settings, relevant to our changing world, and offered a diverse range of topics and competencies that I wanted to learn.

What attracted you to Dalhousie and SIM?

Having earned my BA and MA at Dalhousie, I had already strong ties with the school and deep connections with its community. After attending one information session I was sold on its esteemed faculty, close-knit community, and the potential for applying its curriculum to any realm of Information Management. 

What particular LIS topics interest you most?

My background in History informs my deep interest and passion for Archival Studies. My current work is diversified between Bibliometrics, the Digital Humanities, and Health Sciences librarianship. My work in these areas is rooted in a desire to better understand the process of learning and teaching in academic contexts and how to bridge divides between disciplines. I am keenly interested in pedagogical approaches, and my position as a Reference intern at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library has granted me the opportunity to apply my research in practice!

What opportunities have you been introduced to since being at SIM?

SIM really has something for everyone in IM; you need only jump down the rabbit hole to find courses, faculty, conferences, and a myriad of other opportunities to learn about your particular interests or gain practical experience in them. SIM offered me the ability to largely design my own degree and experience in the MI program. The freedom to do this has really been invaluable to me in developing my academic and professional interests. Opportunities I have particularly valued include networking events and the chance to learn directly from professionals in the field, participating in research labs to develop my abilities as a researcher, the community, friendship, and support I feel every day in our school, and the professional experiences of the practicum and internship programs.

What career plans or goals do you have?

My larger ambitions are to support academics and the public in their learning and in their understanding of our world. I am curious about the ways in which we organize and build our societies, and how we can strive to learn from our past and advance our future through information as a communal resource. I see my desire to better understand these things as manifesting in work as an archivist, academic librarian, or through continuing my research and learning in a doctoral program.

With what activities are you involved in Halifax?

I currently volunteer at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in their Visitor Services department. I also run a small not-for-profit baking initiative which I use to try to support local community groups and other causes. I sometimes run pop up baked goods stands at local markets around the city. Otherwise, I try to contribute to and empower my local community in small ways every day.

What would have been useful to know before applying to the MI program?

A mentor of mine advised that I prioritize forming meaningful relationships with peers, faculty, and other professionals during my time in the program. I would pass this counsel on to anyone considering applying to the MI program. It is truly the people at SIM and my colleagues at work who inspire me to creatively apply myself and provide more impactful service. I look forward to connecting with people every day and spending time with people I find endlessly inspiring in the SIM community.

MADDIE HARE

Master of Information Candidate

Hometown

Richmond Hill, ON

Education

• BA Honours (History), Dalhousie University, 2017
• Master of Arts (History). Dalhousie University, 2021

Why did you decide to pursue the MI degree?

I decided to study here because we get to choose what we want to study. And above all, the SIM MI program is an ALA-accredited program, which means that we get an internationally-accredited degree.

What particular LIS topics interest you most?

My prime focus is to study Archival studies and Records Management. The cohort is an amalgamation of different knowledge domains with students from backgrounds like Sciences, Literature and Languages, Business studies, Management, Computer Science, and Social science. In my earlier library studies, the focus was on the biliographic management of resources. After earning my MLIS in India, I worked as an Academic Librarian and have so far worked in libraries in 5 countries, in diverse roles, including Junior Librarian (subject Liaisons-Engineering), Expert Manager-Reference and Instruction both in University libraries and as a Teacher Librarian at an International Baccalaureate school. In SIM I find the program is research focused and covers topics related to the IM domain incorporating the recent trends in the industry. There is a lot of focus on critical thinking, analytical writing, and skills required for the present-day job market. 

What opportunities have you been introduced to since being at SIM?

The array of opportunities students get while studying here is inspiring. We get to network and make connections with peers and professionals in the field. I have been fortunate to complete my Practicum under the Council of Nova Scotia Archives with a Records Retention Schedule, under the supervision of the CNSA Archival Advisor. During the summer break, I worked as a Co-op student Librarian for the University of Calgary as an Open Education Resources Librarian. The UCalgary OER Librarian and I created an OER by Discipline guide for the University of Calgary, which was published in July. Working in this role also allowed me to be a member of the cross-Canada focus group on Open Education Resources and the various OER advocacy groups.

What career plans do you have?

Primarily I decided to join SIM looking for a career shift, so I can venture into the Archival and Records Management fields after acquiring work opportunities in these areas. After my MI degree, I may also proceed to work in the field of Open Educational Resources, as the Open Access movement has always inspired me. I'm excited about the range of career opportunities available to me with this degree.

If you could describe Dal SIM in one word or phrase, what would it be?

I found studying here is a ‘Gateway to opportunities’. The support and guidance we receive from the faculty and staff, the SIM Subject Liaison Librarian workshops, and the SIM Student Association (SIMSA) are all commendable.

RAMINA MUKUNDAN

Master of Information Candidate

Hometown

Dubai, UAE (via Kerala, India)

Education

• BSc (Zoology), University of Calicut
• BLIS, University of Calicut
• MLIS, Mahatma Gandhi University

Why did you decide to pursue the MI degree?

I was interested in this degree because it felt like the best way to push my Bachelor’s in English as far as I thought it could go. Libraries and library science also align strongly with my core personal values, and the most important thing to me is that I work in a job that will provide satisfaction and fulfillment, which I believe I can find using the skills and philosophy inherent in an MI degree.

What attracted you to Dalhousie and the School of Information Management?

I was a library student assistant for three years at the SMU Patrick Power library, and when I asked my supervisors how I could go about continuing to work for libraries they all pointed me in the direction of Dalhousie.

What particular LIS topics interest you most?

I’m most interested in social tagging, copyright culture and accessibility and diversity within both books and library systems. I’m someone who participates extensively in fan culture, specifically the creation of fanworks, and I’ve experienced first hand the ways that these curated fan experiences are miles ahead of what modern libraries are doing in terms of sharing, creating, having works that represent our diverse and unique world, and most importantly, making it as easy as possible to curate those works and experiences to find the representation one needs. This idea of fanculture is the locus around which all my other interests orbit. If I can bring to modern libraries even a fraction of the excellence of something like Archive of Our Own, I will consider myself to have done a good job.

What opportunities have you been introduced to since being at SIM?

Internships, networking, and professors doing highly relevant/’hot’ research. There is a very wide range of interests and specialities from professors in the program, which means there are a lot of options to choose from in terms of electives and reading courses. Professors are always interested in talking to you about their research, so there’s always something new to learn, and the chance for a new connection to be made.

What career plans or goals do you have?

My goal is to push whatever library I work at forward, to strive for ever greater systems of care and diversity and inclusion. I want to challenge libraries to consider their collection policies in the face of systemic cultural issues/violence and consider whether their core tenet of neutrality is truly useful, or simply another facet of harm from the dominant hegemony.

How does Halifax differ from your hometown?

Living next to the beautiful ocean is one way that Halifax differs, and in my time here, I have come down with ‘sea fever’ to the point where I don’t believe I could return to a city that is landlocked again.

What were your expectations for the study program, and how have they been met?

I came into the program expecting flexibility and a broad selection of different kinds of coursework, because the option to learn many things and constantly be adding new skills was something I required of a Master’s degree. Not only does the program have an excellent range of courses to choose from – including coding and advance technology courses, or Humanities style courses like History of the Book – it also includes the option to take electives outside the program, and the option to take a reading course on something you might be most interested in. I find the program really allows me to curate the experience I’m looking for.

SAM ELLIOT SCHWANAK (they/them)

Master of Information Candidate

Hometown

Sherwood Park, AB

Education

• Bachelor of Arts (Honours), English, Saint Mary's University, 2020

Why did you choose Dal and SIM?

I was really drawn to the multidisciplinary approach at SIM. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to work in libraries or archives so I was excited about the opportunity to take classes in both and maybe even find an area I was even more passionate about. I also wanted to be on the east coast, Halifax is a great city and I wanted to study here.

What has been your favourite course and why?

Community Led Librarianship really stuck out to me. The class had a primary focus in public libraries but it taught me to consider community initiatives in all aspects of information work. I am very passionate about social justice and helping the community so I found it to be a very insightful class. I’m excited to continue using the skills I learned in that class and see how I can incorporate community led work in my career.

Have you been working and/or able to take part in any extracurricular activities since starting your studies?

I’ve been working part time at the Council of Atlantic Academic Libraries (CAAL) for the past year. It’s been a really great opportunity to get practical experience as I study and I’ve enjoyed working with the academic library community in the Maritimes. My boss is very mindful of giving me opportunities to build experience and has encouraged me to attend multiple conferences and webinars I find interesting.

Where do you see yourself after graduation?

I could definitely see myself working in academic libraries after I graduate. The opportunity to work at CAAL has developed my skills in this area and I feel well prepared to start a career in librarianship. I’ve also developed an interest in research while being at SIM, so I hope I have the opportunity to continue with research wherever I end up working. I’d also like to stay in Halifax as I’ve made a lot of connections, both personal and professional, during the past two years so I feel supported as I start the next chapter after graduation.

What advice would you give to someone just starting the program?

Get involved and don’t be afraid to share your ideas! I had an idea for a research project that I was really interested in. I spoke to multiple faculty and fellow students and everyone was very supportive and encouraged me to pursue the project. Everyone was very helpful in making this happen and now it’s one of the proudest accomplishments I’ve achieved during this program. I think your masters experience is what you make of it so if you have any idea for a project or something you would like to see happen don’t be afraid to go for it. 

How would you describe the atmosphere of SIM?

The program is relatively small which leads to a really supportive and friendly atmosphere. It’s easy to get to know everyone in the program, including faculty and staff. Everyone is very passionate in what they do and have similar interests so there’s lots of lively and engaging conversation.

What activities are you involved in

I’ve been involved with the some of 2SLGBTQA+ organizations in Halifax. I want to get even more involved and continue volunteering with other organizations that support the community. There’s a lot of grass roots trans organizations which is really amazing to see.

FRANCIS TOOLE

Master of Information Candidate

Hometown

Orillia, ON

Education

• BA Honours (Film & Media), Queen's University, 2019