Prof. Lynne Teather - Faculty of Information - University of Toronto

Spotlight on
Institutes
By Adeela Ahmad & Kathleen O’Brien
marshall mcluhan teaching his
class at the coach house.
Photo credit: University of Toronto Archives, Robert Lansdale Collection.
iscHooL LAuNcHEs diGiTAL
curATioN iNsTiTuTE
l–r: Dean Seamus ross, Dr. Daniel J. caron,
Prof. cheryl misak, Prof. Wendy Duff
Professor cheryl Misak, vice-President and Provost of the
University of Toronto, and dr. daniel J. caron, Librarian
and Archivist of Canada, joined Professor Wendy duff
to launch the iSchool’s newly created Digital Curation Institute
(DCI). The Institute was officially introduced at “Curation Matters:
The First Digital Curation Institute Conference,” on June 16, to
participants’ delight. The DCI was founded by Prof. Duff—an idea
that she says came naturally, given that “the concept of curating
objects is one that the entire Faculty is involved in.” She notes
that the DCI’s significance extends beyond the Faculty’s uses:
“Everybody’s creating data but it’s not being managed very well,
which is important so it can be used over time.”
dean seamus ross remarked that Prof. Duff’s expertise
makes her an ideal individual to champion an institute that must
lead a fundamental redefinition of the field of inquiry if it is to
advance both theory and practice. “Professor Duff’s investigations
in the area of archival users and access to archival materials
have led to publications that others acknowledge as having
fundamentally moved the field forward,” says dean ross, adding
that her scholarly publications are required reading for archival
students in many North American institutions.
The DCI offers a rich, interdisciplinary environment for investigating
principles and theory building related to the creation,
management, use, interpretation, and preservation of digital
resources. It will also provide the Faculty with a framework
on which to establish international research collaborations in
a problem domain that is of central social and economic significance
to contemporary society. The Institute will work with
notable guest speakers who have contributed to shaping the
current research in the field, and members of Faculty of Information,
to define a research agenda that can form the foundation
for the DCI’s initial focus. In distinguishing it from other digital
curation centres in the world, Prof. Duff notes that this is the only
such centre situated in an iSchool faculty, with the benefit of DCI
research being “flavoured” by multi-disciplinary expertise, “with
insights from critical theory, philosophy, museology, archives,
and information technology.”
iscHooL iNsTiTuTE BuiLds
oN ProFEssioNAL LEArNiNG
cENTrE FouNdATioN
The Faculty of Information is proud to have launched the
iSchool Institute, formerly the Professional Learning
Centre (PLC), which will enable us to engage with a wider
community of professionals and the broader public. The Institute
will build on the decade of success that the PLC has seen,
providing continuing education for information professionals. The
Institute will also add more workshops aimed at senior managers,
entrepreneurs, and other leaders in the community who are
26 informed | autumn 2010