Congratulations to Master of Arts in Children’s Literature candidate Karen Taylor, who has successfully defended her thesis, “’Her Knowledge of Flora and Fauna Came Mostly from Fiction’: The Adolescent as Green Subject in Three Canadian Young Adult Novels.” Using the lens of ecocriticism, this thesis focuses on the literary portrayal of nature in three contemporary realistic Canadian young adult novels Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks, The Lightkeeper’s Daughter by Iain Lawrence, and The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones. Her thesis supervisor was Judy Brown and Margot Filipenko served as thesis committee member.
Dual Student Eden Marchand’s Experience Featured at SFU
Dual student Eden Marchand has been putting her archival studies theory to practice this summer doing a professional experience for academic credit with Simon Fraser University Library. Working in the Library’s Special Collections division, she is organizing a recently acquired collection of archival material from Canadian sprinter Harry Jerome, who earned a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. See the feature at http://www.lib.sfu.ca/node/11375
Webcast of Telling Stories with Data
What good is open data if we don’t know how to find and use it? The digital age has ushered in new opportunities to better understand our communities and demand accountability from our governments. In an intensive two-day master class, digital publishing expert Phillip Smith introduced some of the “working with data” tricks he has learned in over 15 years working with advocacy organizations, publishers and groups such as Civic Access and the Electoral Data Consortium. UBC iSchool graduate students Josh Rose and Jonathan Kift attended the two-day class, and summarized what they learned in a presentation to UBC librarians on how organizations make sense of data and how to use data to tell compelling stories. Introduction by Gordon Yusko, Assistant Director of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. A video of the presentation is available at
Student Article Featured in Feliciter
MLIS graduate Michael Kerr has an article featured in the Spring issue of Feliciter, the journal of the Canadian Library Association. “Customer Advisory Committees: Giving a Voice to Library Users” examines the role of customer advisory committees as part of growing trend of expanding the public consultation process for public libraries. The article is based on a paper Michael wrote for a directed study examining CACs in Canadian public libraries. He completed the requirements for his MLIS degree this summer, and will be conferred the MLIS in November 2012. The article in Vol. 58, Issue 3 of Feliciter, available at
Faculty Named Acting Director of MAGIC
SLAIS, The iSchool at UBC, is pleased to announce that Dr. Victoria Lemieux has been appointed Acting Director of MAGIC, the Media and Graphics Interdisciplinary Centre. She will remain on the SLAIS faculty as she is taking up the Acting Director position from Dr. Sidney Fels who is on leave for one year. As Acting Director, Dr. Lemieux will be responsible for the organization and activities of MAGIC, including developing and supporting research initiatives associated with MAGIC, working with the human computer interaction subcommittee on its HCI specialization, and exploring synergies with the iSchool.
“This leading presence with MAGIC is a great opportunity for us all, extending the reach of SLAIS and further solidifying our position as an iSchool,” Director Caroline Haythornthwaite said in announcing the appointment. “I look forward to building these connections, and congratulate and thank Vicki for taking on this challenging position.”
MAGIC was created at UBC to foster research covering the entire spectrum of new computer-based and computer-associated media. Some examples include multimedia, mobile computing, computer animation, 3-D modeling, interactive Web-based applications, hypermedia, computer music and computer-based tools for collaboration in education, medicine and entertainment.
Students Publish Info Policy Papers
Several student papers are featured in the latest issue of the BCLA Browser, the newsletter of the British Columbia Library Association. “Bill C-11: A Guide for Academic Instructors” by Devin Soper, “Open Access Policies on Scholarly Publishing in the University Context” by Anna “Christie” Hurrell and “Censorship Issues in School Libraries” by Shannon Mills are were published in Vol. 4 Issue 3 (2012) of the Browser. All papers were submitted as assignments for LIBR 561 Information Policy, taught by Dr. Lisa Nathan.
Students Win National Fellowship, Scholarships
Students at SLAIS, the iSchool at UBC, continue to earn national and international awards and accolades at all stages of their programs of study. Congratulations are in order for graduating Dual MAS/MLIS student Kevin Read, selected for a prestigious 2012 National Library of Medicine Associate Fellowship, MAS student Isabel Taylor and incoming MLIS student Erin Peters for earned Canada Graduate Scholarships for master’s students from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and to incoming Dual MAS/MLIS student Grant Hurley, who has won the Dafoe Scholarship from the Canadian Library Association.
Kevin, who is completing his Dual MAS/MLIS program this summer and will be conferred in November, is one of only four candidates selected for the prestigious NLM Associate Fellowship program in Washington D.C. He will take up the fellowship in September, spending a year with NLM exploring the role of research and development in providing biomedical information services to the health professions, and examining current issues and trends affecting the library and information fields.
Isabel applied for the SSHRC scholarship last fall, having just begun her MAS program, while Erin applied while still completing her BA at the University of Alberta. SSHRC scholarship program is highly competitive, and fewer than 60 were awarded to UBC students at the master’s level.
Grant’s selection for the Dafoe Scholarship was one of two made by CLA. In announcing the 2012 awards, CLA scholarships jury member Karen Darby noted competition was intense, but that the two final winners “stood out as having the potential to make outstanding contributions to the field.”
Big Ideas for Libraries – Event for MLIS and Dual students
You are invited to join in a conversation about what libraries could be and how they could contribute even more deeply to building stronger and more meaningful connections and relationships in your community. Titled “Oh, the Places We’ll Know: Big Ideas for Libraries in Communities,” the event takes place the evening of September 19th at SFU Vancouver. Please plan to attend if you can. It’s free, but an RSVP is required.
You are also invited to participate directly by sending in a proposal for the event. Representatives from the British Columbia Librarian Association, Public Library InterLINK, the Vancouver Public Library, and the Vancouver Foundation will review all the submissions and create a shortlist of proposals that will be featured at the event. Attendees at the event will cast their votes for the top three ideas.
“Oh, the Places We’ll Know: Big Ideas for Libraries in Communities” is part of the SFU Public Square six-day community summit “Alone Together: Connecting in the City“.
Charles Eckman
Dean of Library Services, SFU
tel: 778-782-3265
International Students Now Eligible for Work Study Positions
This message is of interest to all international iSchool students, particularly those at the master’s level.
All UBC students, including those on a study visa, are now eligible to apply for Work Study/Work Learn positions. For graduate students, these were formerly available only to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The policy has been changed so that international students may apply. You MUST be registered in UBC courses, and have a valid Social Insurance Number, but that is fairly straightforward.
See the eligibility information at: http://www.students.ubc.ca/careers/students/work-and-volunteer-opportunities/work-study-work-learn/program-information/#Student
There is more information on employment for international students at http://www.students.ubc.ca/international/international-students/working/.
SLAISMatters Summer Newsletter Now Online
The Summer 2012 edition of SLAISmatters, the newsletter of the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, The iSchool@UBC, is now available in PDF format as a downloadable file. In this issue you’ll find a feature on the UBC iSchool’s new Roberta F. Greig Research Laboratory, an article on changes to the MAS curriculum, news of the DiiG Symposium and UNESCO conference in September and more. Current and past issues are always available on the SLAISmatters page of our site. The print version of the newsletter is being prepared for mailing. For a print copy, send an email to slais.reception(at)ubc.ca.
