Fall 2008 - Faculty of Information - University of Toronto

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STUDENT NEWS(L-R): Inforum Director Joe Cox '84, Christina Hwang, Jennifer Bawden, andProf. Wendy Duff. Not pictured: Nicholas GambleThree Students Win Gordon Cressy AwardThe Faculty is thrilled that three of our students, Jennifer Bawden,Nicholas Gamble, and Christina Hwang, won the 2008 GordonCressy Student Leadership Award at a special ceremony on April 8,2008. The Cressy Awards recognize students for outstanding extracurricularcontributions to their faculty, or to the university as awhole. Committed to making a difference, Ms. Hwang waspresident of the Faculty of Information Student Council, and Mr.Gamble and Ms. Bawden were president and vice-president,respectively, of the Museum Studies Graduate Students’ Association.Student Leader Chosen as Jubilee WinnerChristina Hwang was alsohonoured as the recipient of thisyear’s Alumni Association’sJubilee Award, which waspresented at the June 13convocation reception. Shehappily accepted a $500 chequeand plaque. Christina is aninspiring individual whoDean Brian Cantwell Smithcongratulates Christina Hwangillustrated her dedication to theInformation community throughher many contributions aspresident of the student council this past year. Prior to taking on thisposition, she was the Council’s web chair. In this role, Christinarevamped the student website, and amazed both faculty andstudents with her engaging Flash presentation. Besides being a topstudent, Christina somehow found time to create informative videosfor the 2007 Job Fair for the student website, taught the Photoshopand Dreamweaver workshops in the Inforum, and wrote regularcolumns in alumni publications.Student Helping Buenos Aires NGOThanks to the generosity ofManulife Financial, MISt studentMark Swartz completed a 12-weekinternship with Poder Ciudadano, awell-established with NGO inBuenos Aires, this summer. Hismajor project was conductingbackground research for the creationof an online repository of documentsfor civil society organizations across(L-R): Mark Swartz with colleaguesSandra, Maria, Lucas, and RosarioArgentina. This open source virtuallibrary, called the Bibliocivica, isscheduled to launch in November.Incoming Students Get the Low DownMore than 180 incoming students joined usfor a fun and informative evening at theFaculty to learn more about what we do,what to expect when studying here, andhow to register. On June 19, incomingstudents met faculty members, staff, andcurrent students, to hear about courses,and tour the facilities. For the 50 or sostudents who could not join us on site, avirtual session was held online the nightbefore, facilitated by Assistant Dean, JudyDunn, and Vice-Dean, Jens-Erik Mai.Museum Studies Exhibit Goes VirtualGraduating Museum Studiesstudents were thrilled (andexhausted) after launchingtheir annual exhibitionproject, Mischief & Malice:Crime in the Museum, on April2 at Toronto’s uniqueGladstone Hotel. For the firsttime, the exhibit was donevirtually, allowing publicaccess to the students’research on high profileincidents of theft and forgerywithin museums and othercultural heritage institutions.The event also featured a(L-R): Monica Carota, Lecturer Cheryl Meszaros, andJes Koepfler. (Back) Nick Gamble and Amanda Burrowskeynote address by renowned Canadian archaeologist, Dr. AdamSellen. The next day, graduate students held a symposium showcasingstudent panels and presentations. To experience the virtual exhibition,visit http://www.mischiefandmalice.org/.Information Student Chosen for Berlin InternshipLibrary education in Germany is under increasing pressure tointroduce a Master’s level program for information professionals. Inthis spirit, the Humboldt University Library in Berlin(Universitätsbibliothek at Humboldt-Universität) initiated a studentexchange by offering a four-week internship in June to Informationstudent Monica Rettig. The Library thought she would gainvaluable experience working in an academic setting. In September,the University of Toronto Libraries and the Faculty of Informationwill welcome a German student to spend a month in Toronto. Thisexchange is funded by the Goethe-Institut Toronto, which isstudying "The Internationalization of Library Education" as Europemoves towards a more North American model of Master’s-levellibrary degrees.Doctoral Students Share Ethel W. Auster ScholarshipThe Ethel W. Auster Scholarship for Doctoral Research wasestablished in 2005 to honour this esteemed and well-loved professorwho taught at the Information Faculty for 23 years. The award,created by the late Prof. Auster’s husband Henry, and son David andhis wife Janis, is a fitting commemoration of the significance andmerit Prof. Auster placed on doctoral studies. Three PhD students,Rhonda McEwen, Keren Dali, and Danielle Allard, will share the$5,100 scholarship/bursary. The award will help these studentsstudy and prepare for their doctoral dissertations.10 informed | september 2008
Michele Collins Awarded IODE FellowshipStudent Michele Collins was selected toreceive this year’s Imperial Order of theDaughters of the Empire (IODE)Fellowship in Library and InformationSciences. The award, from the LucyMorrison Memorial Fund for Education bythe Provincial Chapter of Ontario IODE, isgiven in recognition of academic excellenceto a first year MISt student.Doctoral Students Successfully Defend ThesisSince January, four doctoralstudents successfully defendedtheir PhD theses: Herman vanJean Dryden, Scott Paquette andHerman van den Bergden Berg for his dissertation,"Knowledge-based VerticalIntegration - The Nature ofKnowledge and Economic FirmBoundary Location;" ScottPaquette for "KnowledgeManagement Systems andCustomer Knowledge use inOrganizations;" Jean Dryden for"Copyright in the Real World: Making Archival Material Availableon the Internet;" and Luanne Freund, for "Exploiting task-documentrelations in support of information retrieval in the workplace."Two MISt Students Chosen as Diversity ScholarsTwo Faculty of Information students have been chosen as DiversityScholars to participate in the "Initiative to Recruit a DiverseWorkforce" program by the Association of Research Libraries.Minakshi Sharma and Lin Li attended a Leadership Institute at theALA mid-winter meeting in Philadelphia in January, and received a$7,500 and $10,000 stipend respectively, over a two-year period.Report from Master of Information Studies Student Council (MISSC)by Julia Brewster, PresidentFRESH from the April elections, MISSC is working hard to prepare forthe upcoming year. Here's a brief preview of events to come!The Social Committee has a big job on their hands as they prepare aweek full of activities for the incoming students' iSchool Orientation.Events will include a welcome barbecue, pub night at the BedfordAcademy, a potluck, and tours of the campus and surroundingneighborhoods.The Professional Development committee is building on the success ofits now well-established annual Job Fair by adding great professionaldevelopment activities to this year's calendar. Confirmed events includea presentation by Ulla de Stricker on preparing the best possible resumé.The 3rd annual Job Fair will be held on February 27, 2009.The Student Tech Fund committee is drafting bylaws to direct thespending of this year's funds. These bylaws will be passed early in theschool year, allowing MISSC to purchase new technology. Currently, amedia room is being added to the basement of the iSchool, which willhouse several multimedia stations for students' use.The website is also under construction to make it your one-stop site forall things iSchool. New content is being added to increase the site'susefulness, and existing content is being revised to reflect the Faculty'snew name. In the meantime, visit us at: http://missc.ischool.utoronto.ca/We are looking forward to another successful year!STUDENT PROFILE: GOING THE DISTANCEMEGHAN Ecclestone has a pleasant, outgoing, andprofessional disposition; however, when it comes to setting goals forherself, her motto is "Go big or go home."While studying at the Faculty, training for the Toronto HalfMarathon and working part-time, she has somehow managed toearn outstanding grades, demonstrate superlative service as theStudent Council’s "Professional Development Co-Chair," andorganize the launch of a scholarly student publication. Hercontributions, participation, and dedication have not gone unnoticedby her colleagues or employers.Meghan’s passion for libraries and information science was sparkedby a part-time position as information desk assistant at McMasterUniversity’s Mills Memorial Library. This "excellent first experiencein library work," encouraged her to learn more. Last fall, she enteredthe MISt program at the Faculty of Information.Just 12 months later, she has earned the respect of the Informationcommunity through her initiatives and enthusiasm. An example thatbenefited many students and employers was the Job Fair, an eventthat introduces students to potential employers from across thecountry, and which she co-chaired with fellow student, JuliaBrewster. The event was a huge success. Faculty, staff, and studentswere not alone in recognizing Meghan’s energy and organizationalskills: her participation helped her earn a summer internship at theLibrary of Parliament in Ottawa, in the Parliamentary Informationand Research Services branch. There, she found herself drawing oncoursework in reference services, resources, information retrieval,and information management.Meghan looks forward to her second and final year of the MIStprogram this fall, while the Faculty can expect to reap the benefits ofher newest initiatives: she is organizing a student perceptions survey,with Bruce Harpham, to gauge the effectiveness of professionaldevelopment events at the iSchool, and is launching a journal,Faculty of Information Quarterly, with student Bill Mann and others.A strong proponent of knowledge transfer, Meghan urges studentsto get involved in extra-academic activities. "Engaging in the Facultyof Information and the information community at-large yields hugebenefits."by Kathleen Scheaffer '07informed | september 2008 11
Page 5 and 6: HOLDING THE FORTJens-Erik Mai, Acti
Page 7 and 8: SPRING REUNION 2008Katharine Greenf
Page 12 and 13: GRADUATES: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?Poten
Page 15 and 16: COMMENTARYWHY ARE FEWERWOMEN ENTERI
Page 17 and 18: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CENTRE REPORT
Page 19 and 20: attentive to detail - was known for
Page 21 and 22: information systems and services. W
Page 24: IN MEMORIAMJudith St. John (BLS ‘
Page 28: THIS YEAR IN REVIEWAlison Hitchens

Fall 2008 - Faculty of Information - University of Toronto

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