FIAA Student Grant Recipient Reports

Ken Lui

Conference: International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPRES 2023) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA

Attending the conference as both a first-time attendee and presenter was truly enlightening. The conference delved into numerous topics within the field, providing me with an invaluable opportunity to deepen my understanding of professional practices, innovative technologies, and emerging challenges in the sector. As a presenter, I focused on the nuances of memory preservation under challenging circumstances. This presentation not only aligned with the conference’s theme but also, I hope, expanded the attendees’ comprehension of censorship and its countermeasures. The constructive feedback I received during my session has given me fresh perspectives, prompting me to consider my topic from broader and more holistic angles.

One of the key takeaways from the conference was the opportunity to network. I was fortunate to meet experts from around the globe, each bringing their unique backgrounds to the table. Through these conversations, I was apprised of the latest developments in digital preservation across various sectors – from libraries to software companies, community organizations, and national bodies. These interactions have undoubtedly paved the way for potential future collaborations across these domains.

Conner White (Formally Natasha White)

Conference: Seventh European Congress on World and Global History in The Hague, Netherlands

In my three days in The Hague, I was able to listen to a variety of panels which explored topics such as imperial policy in the Hispanic World, political imaginations of equality and justice, forensics as a tool of knowledge and justice, and peasant societies in the network of global capitalism. I also had the pleasure of presenting my ongoing research on the treatment of Alaskan Natives by Russian and the United States.

The opportunity enabled me to meet and discuss with scholars in the fields of sociology, anthropology, forensics, history, and information studies as well as get feedback on my own research. Much of the advice provided by senior scholars during this conference will help me better myself as a young academic.

Adam Williamson

Conference: Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) 48th annual conference in Charlottetown, PEI

Mitra Fakhrashrafi

Conference: Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) 51st annual conference in Mexico City, Mexico

Likewise, as a student that is focusing in both Library & Information Sciences and Archives and Records Management, I was very pleased by how many of the sessions also focused on archiving and the GLAM sector more broadly. Attending sessions, I learned from a diverse range of professionals who work in academic art libraries as well as museums and galleries. Some of my favourite sessions included “Perspectives in Black Memory Work” and “Visual activism and performance” – both of which connected information management to social experiences and affect . The conference also provided practical workshops, keynote speaker events, and exhibitors – all of which I took advantage of by making connections and learning more about possible work and research opportunities in the field. Of note, most of the colleagues that I met worked in the US. This was interesting because they oftentimes had more private funding which posed opportunities and challenges. That being said, going forward I am going to make an effort to connect with more ARLIS/NA members based in Canada as well so that I can learn more about the art librarianship opportunities in Canada. The conference organizers encouraged me to join their planning committees and attend next year, I am excited to do so.

Laura Lamont

Research: Information behaviour, hobby campers

Thanks to the support of the FIAA grant, I am able to cover the costs associated with my research. These costs include compensating my participants for their time and acquiring necessary materials to deepen my understanding of the research process. With this support, I have been able to conduct research directly with camping participants. This has given me a better opportunity to assess different forms of information within this social hobby setting. The FIAA Grant has allowed me to gain further experience in conducting research of this type as I move toward completing my thesis.

Madelin Burt-D’Agnillo

Research: Information behaviour, life coaching

My project is progressing well! In January, I completed ten interviews with life coaching clients. In February, I finished transcription of these interviews. The funding that I was offered has been allocated in two ways. First, I purchased coffee shop gift cards for the interview participants in my research project. This was appropriate, and well-received, compensation for my participants’ time. Second, I subscribed to Otter.ai, a digital transcription service, for three months. I am grateful for this service as it has enabled me to complete transcription—a laborious task—within the timeline that I outlined in my proposal.

If I continue to meet the goals on my timeline, I will defend my thesis in September 2023. Presently, I am considering submitting my “work in progress” on this project to the Association for Library and Information Science Education conference in October. This knowledge mobilization is possible because of the generous support of the FIAA committee. Thank you!

Helen Jingshu Yao

Conference: Museums as Spaces of Cultural Translation and Transfer, Tartu, Estonia

The paper is a case study of my experience volunteering for a community-based project as a translator. Usually, my role in a project like this was from the institution’s perspective, however, for the purpose of this paper, I analyzed my role as a community collaborator, which exposed me to a point of view that I might not have as a museum professional. I was able to gain a better understanding of community collaboration and community-centred heritage projects. I was reminded of the importance of diversifying the museum workforce so that the museum environment could be more comfortable and accessible for the community members they serve.

This experience helped me combine my theoretical learning with my experience working in the museum field and gave me the opportunity to explore different perspectives. It was also a great learning opportunity, especially the process of collaborating with another author who has similar interests but is more advanced in her academic career. I felt encouraged to continue pursuing my research in future education to build on and expand my current work.

Christina Nguyen

Conference: Oxonmoot 2022 at the University of Oxford, England

In early September 2022, I was fortunate enough to attend the Oxonmoot 2022 conference at the University of Oxford, England, which was hosted by the Tolkien Society. I presented a talk and a workshop on computational approaches to literary analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works; this conference focuses especially on introducing new approaches and perspectives to the field. It was also exciting for me to hear from other researchers bringing gothic, statistical, and post-colonial approaches to the literature. My talk, titled Towards Tolkien research with computational literary analysis, gave a brief overview of what computational methods could work in Tolkien studies, what work has already been started (i.e. this is a pioneering field), and potential access challenges researchers face when creating literary and linguistic corpuses for sharing between institutions. My workshop was a practical introduction to using R to perform computational analysis, helping beginners “get their feet wet” in a constructive environment. These experiences of presenting solidified my desire to continue my research and constantly improve my academic skillbase. I am extremely thankful to the FIAA committee for the financial support, and enabling me to visit a lovely city to take part in an excellent conference. 

Will Power-Jenkins

Conference: IFLA World Library and Information Congress, Dublin, Ireland

It felt fantastic to be able to discuss so many topics with such a variety of people from all over the world. I learned so much about how libraries around the globe are fighting disinformation, marketing themselves, signing transformative agreements, as well as engaging in international partnerships through IFLA and beyond. Being a volunteer was itself a critical opportunity, as it allowed me to connect with other volunteers (many of whom were also there for the first time) and interact with so many more people than I might have otherwise. 

As someone looking to get started in librarianship, archives, or policy internationally this was a wonderful opportunity to network and to see for myself what opportunities were out there and what a wide range of experiences both my fellow volunteers and the delegates had had over the course of their careers. I will definitely be attending and volunteering the conference next year in Rotterdam, and hope to see many of those same faces there. 

Casarina Hocevar

Conference: McGill-Queen’s Graduate History Conference, Kingston ON

This conference was both an exercise in professional and academic development. On one hand, having the opportunity to deliver a presentation beyond a classroom setting and make my research accessible to a broader audience are skills that are invaluable as an emerging museum professional. On the other hand, through the preparation of researching, writing and receiving feedback on my paper, I was able to explore new avenues of historical inquiry that has aided in the curation of Storefront Stories. For example, my conference peers engaged me in thoughtful commentary both during my panel presentation and afterward, thereby offering audience insight and suggested points of interests for me to consider as I had continued developed Storefront Stories with my team post-conference.

Rebecca Ritchie

Conference: WIPO Standing Committee on copyright and Related Rights, Geneva, CH

Attending the session at WIPO presented me with an opportunity to learn how policy and legislation are developed in ways that reflect the practical and theoretical elements I’ve learned in the classroom. It provided me with a mature perspective on the role of LAMs in a global society and how these institutions are perceived by external parties.

Sandra Jajicek 

Conference: WIPO Standing Committee on copyright and Related Rights, Geneva, CH

This experience complimented and enhanced my understanding of critical information policy, and in particular, copyright exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives. Moreover, it was invigorating to observe the political arena at the WIPO and to consider the underlying framework of international relations that ultimately influences the progress of intellectual property law. Altogether, my participation in the thirty-eighth session of the SCCR was a unique networking opportunity through which I grasped a more practical understanding of intellectual property, copyright, and international law.

Oy Lein Jace Harrison

Conference:HASTAC: decolonizing Technologies, Reprogramming Education

Our presentation, Radical Ontologies: Indigenizing Libraries at the University of Toronto, summarized the research that we have been conducting as TALint interns for UTL’s Metadata Services. In particular, we focused on challenges and barriers that we have encountered in our Indigenous Metadata research, as well as reconciliation initiatives in the GLAM landscape as a whole. We argued that GLAM institutions have skipped past the “truth” and are quickly moving towards checking reconciliation off of their to do list. Reconciliation, however, is not a box to be checked. It is a process centered on building a relationship with Indigenous Peoples whilst acknowledging the harm induced by our colonial behavior – as individuals and institutions. The conference also granted networking opportunities with other librarians and academics who are working on similar projects. I am looking forward to sharing knowledge with other librarians and learning about how our department and libraries can create more safe spaces for Indigenous patrons.  I am very thankful for the FIAA’s support, which has made this opportunity a reality.

Alexandra Forland

Conference: Annual Graduate History Symposium, Toronto ON

The event took place over the course of three days and brought together graduate students from many disciplines from all over the world. My presentation, “Is it an Archive: Analysing the J.S. Mclean Centre for Indigenous and Canadian Art,” was based on a paper I wrote for MSL 2360: Museum and Indigenous Communities: Changing Relationships, Changing Practises. In my presentation I treated the J.S. Mclean centre for Indigenous and Canadian Art in the Art Gallery of Ontario as a multisensory public archive. In my presentation I posit that with the latest renovation the J.S Mclean Centre has erected itself with a structure of reconciliation. The structure of reconciliation can be seen through the use of space, relinquishing ownership, and surrendering authoritative voice.

As a scholar who is interested in interdisciplinary cooperation amongst the galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) sector, I saw the AGHS as a wonderful opportunity to make connections with colleges from different academic disciplines and geographic locations. Representing the iSchool at a conference was a rewarding experience and I would certainly encourage current and future iSchool students to attend conferences outside the iSchool community whenever possible.

Aaron Cain

Conference: Archives Association of Ontario Annual Conference, Belleville ON

The workshop was led by Camille Callison of the Tahltan Nation in Northern BC. Callison’s presentation was entitled, “Indigenous Knowledge: Relationships, Responsibilities, Access and Mobilization”. After her presentation, Callison invited the participants to work in groups to brainstorm how we could facilitate reconciliation and take steps toward implementing the guidelines from reports such as the UN DRIP and the First Nations Information Governance Centre’s OCAP®. Because the participants were from a wide range of institutions, our experiences and prior knowledge were all very different. Sharing each other’s stories and proposals allowed me to consider options that I would not have otherwise thought of.

During the conference, I chaired one session which gave me to practise speaking to a group and directing the question and answer period. For the other sessions, I focused my attention on issues applicable to smaller archives such as; finding funding, reaching out to community, creative use of technology, and, how to fulfill our mandates following the principles of reconciliation.

The conference was organized in such a way to provide structured learning sessions as well as much time to socialize and meet other attendees. I connected with many people; a few from my iSchool cohort, other new and mid career archivists and several people in senior positions at their respective organizations.

I have since followed up with a number of people and am beginning an archival research project based on discussions I had during the event. I look forward to attending next year’s AAO conference and catching up with the connections made in Belleville.

Randa Tukan 

Conference: OMA Conference 2018, Toronto ON

In addition to presenting, the OMA Conference was my first opportunity to get a wide overview of how different museum institutions and professionals are creating their own collaborative opportunities, and embarking on innovative initiatives to increase their engagement with the communities they serve, including leading edge digital technology such as the use of VR. The conference also gave me the opportunity to network with other museum professionals establishing a multitude of new contacts to enrich my academic and professional career.

Michael Dockstator

Competition: Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge, New York, NY

Overall, attending the competition has been a valuable experience for three reasons. First, the competition provided an introduction to the world of cyber security. Not only did we learn a lot about what a career in cybersecurity would involve, but we also made connections with many peers and professionals in the area that provided a lot of insight into what cyber policy work is like. Second, the competition created a space where we could all practice many of the analysis and communication skills that we have learned at the iSchool. And finally, the competition allowed us to learn from our peers and gain a deeper understanding of the many different perspectives that policy problems can be examined through.

Overall, the Cyber 9/12 competition has been an incredibly valuable learning experience and one of the highlights of my time at the iSchool. The support of the FIAA is greatly appreciated and is invaluable in managing the trip’s expenses. Thank you again for all of your support.

Jordan Pedersen 

Conference: Code4Lib, San Jose, CA

While the workshop was great, I was also immensely grateful to have the opportunity to also attend Code4Lib and build relationship with so many interesting people. The sessions offered ranged from lessons learnt during difficult technical projects, to socially focused experimental projects targeting metadata and bias in technology. My past experiences definitely made me more comfortable with the latter. However, the intellectual rigor of the technical sessions introduced me to a wide variety of systems and tools in libraries, archives, and other similar institutions, while also challenging me to gather the courage to ask lots of questions so that I could expand my knowledge.  I left the conference feeling proud to have represented the iSchool, energized with plenty of new ideas, some new connections, and excited to continue to participate in the professional community.

This was an excellent opportunity, and I am very appreciative for the financial support of FIAA, and the time and energy provided by the Grants & Awards Committee. Thank you!

Mitch Jackson

Conference: Environmental Impact of Data Driven Technologies, New York, NY

I attended the conference as the author of a submitted paper “Invisibility, Breaks, and Contesting Land: Information Communication Technology Infrastructure and Development as a Tool of Colonialism”. This was an opportunity for me to participate in a critical discussion with the assembled group about my paper, with the explicit intent of making my work stronger and more interdisciplinary. The feedback I received on my paper was truly enlightening and being able to have academics from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds engage with my work in such an intimate environment was extremely rewarding. With the feedback I received, I am now looking to submit my paper to a peer reviewed journal.

Overall, it was also helpful to network, ask questions, and receive advice from both established and junior scholars concerning my future goals and aspirations in the field of information studies.

Francesca Kennedy

Conference: OLA Super Conference, Toronto, ON

With over 370,000 international post-secondary students studying in Canada in 2017, academic libraries are experiencing an increasingly linguistically diverse user-base. I helped to create audio tours in English, French, Korean, and Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) to ease these students’ transition to an Anglo-dominant university and welcome them to the library. My poster presentation focused on exploring the process I used to develop these tours as well as share some of the initial impacts of the tours with other libraries and information professionals who may be interested in implementing similar initiatives.

The ability to see a project through from start to finish, and then discuss findings with other professionals and students is an eye-opening experience. Thanks to the help of the Faculty of Information Alumni Association student conference grant, I was able to share my work and passions with others in my field. In addition to the beneficial experience of presenting a poster, this grant enabled me to attend presentations and workshops on topics in library communications and marketing, supplementing my academic experience at the University of Toronto Faculty of Information.

Kirsten McLaughlin 

Conference: Canadian Museums Association, Vancouver BC

By attending the event and presenting as well, I gained a better picture of what our current museum industry talks about and the direction of the field. One thing I noticed was less small museums in attendance, which directly ties to my thesis research. It was gratifying to meet up with those small museum directors who could attend after my presentation who wanted to read the thesis and talk further about the distinct experiences of Canada’s local museums. This was incredibly exciting for me! To know that my research can be valued and utilized by many people in the future—my fellow professionals, government officials, museum staff, and more—I hope means that we can continue to better understand our country’s provincial and national museum experiences.

Renee Saucier

Competition: National Forum on Ethics and Archiving the Web, New York NY

Throughout the forum, I was able to be present for other conversations unfolding around ethical approaches to the practice of web archiving. Overall, it was very gratifying to encounter so many other people concerned with social justice and the societal impact of web archiving, and invigorating to learn about the incredibly important work that people in the web archiving community are doing.

Jaisie Sin

Research: Older Adults’ Acceptance of Virtual doctors

Thanks to the FIAA Student Research Grant, I was able to complete a study to collect older adult user perceptions of virtual doctors through surveys and interviews. The grant allowed me to complete a full research project from start to finish, from formulating a research question, to running a study first-hand, and to finally processing, analyzing, and presenting the results in my Masters Defense. This journey has led me to develop critical skills in academic research and the field of user experience design, which is my field of study in the Master of Information program at the iSchool. The FIAA Student Research Grant has played a key role in enriching my research career and enabling me to move to further PhD studies at the iSchool.

Lana Tran

Conference: Cultivating Connections: Museums and the Environment, Alberta Museums Association Conference 2018, Canmore, AB

This session was a valuable opportunity to get early feedback on my research findings, which was achieved through a “rapid workshop” in which the audience was asked to discuss cultural assumptions surrounding sustainability. As the conference was largely attended by museum professionals, I was challenged to communicate the theories that underlie my research in an intuitive, applicable way. My participation in the conference was also integral for gauging the field’s awareness of the non-Western contexts that I introduce in my thesis. Further, I could gather information on the current state of environmental studies as it pertains to culture and heritage by attending numerous other sessions. As a result, I have made connections with those at the forefront of my field—a network I will leverage as I continue towards the completion of my thesis.

Rachel Moats 

Conference: Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society in Social Sciences Triennial Convention, Kansas City MI

In addition to bring archival science to a larger group of people, I was able to meet with the editor of the International Social Science Review, Pi Gamma Mu’s International journal. Based on my archival knowledge I have been asked to write an article, to be published this spring, that introduces the archival profession in order to continue to enlarge the number of people who know about archives and hopefully entice more people to make use of archives. Finally I was able to meet and discuss with a group of similarity minded  academics on a wide range of topics that I can now count in my network and whom I will keep in touch with as I continue with my career.

Heather Rycraft

Internship: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Geneva, Switzerland

The IFRC is part of the international Red Cross Movement, along with National Societies of all countries around the world, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The IFRC’s sphere of work is coordinating and directing international assistance around the world following disasters (natural or man-made) in non-conflict situations (the ICRC is responsible during conflict, and the parts of the Movement work together when needed).

Over the course of the internship, I worked on my appraisal and description skills, describing to the file level. As the IFRC was founded in 1919, there are a lot of records to be processed and made available. Throughout the summer we started and completed one full series of bankers boxes that ended up containing multiple subseries. The series totalled 28 linear metres of files at the end of the 13-week internship.

In addition to valuable archival skills learned, I also ended up receiving a crash course on geography, languages, and the history of disasters around the world. The series we worked on was a general one, and covered the entire twentieth century and the whole globe. The records were in many languages, but predominantly English, French, and Spanish.

Merci beaucoup to the FIAA for their assistance!

Zachary Osborne

Conference: Canadian Health Libraries Association/Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA/ABSC) Annual Conference, St. John’s, NL

In 2017 I entered the field of health librarianship by joining St. Michael’s Hospital as the Health Sciences Library Team Leader. Attending this conference enabled me to network with colleagues from academic, hospital, and health agency libraries across North America, to meet vendors, make connections and put faces to names. I attended a wide variety of sessions on systematic searching, developing instruction for evidence-based practice, online health information seeking behaviours, Indigenously-authored children’s health literature, and much more.

My conference experience also included presenting two sessions (a paper and lightning talk) where I shared outcomes of two new library initiatives at St. Michael’s Hospital’s Health Sciences Library with the broader health libraries community.

Without the support from the FIAA’s Alumni Professional Development Grant I would not have had this significant career opportunity. Thank you FIAA! I leave you with one final Newfoundland saying: long may your big jib draw (i.e. “may you have good fortune for a long time”).

Aurora Cacioppo 

Conference: Folklore Studies Association of Canada annual meeting at Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences, Toronto, ON

We each delivered a ten-minute presentation on our individual interpretation processes from a project completed in the Exhibitions, Interpretation, Communication module, which was partnered with the Toronto Ward Museum. Each student was paired with an object from the University of Toronto Archives to share a story of migration. After our presentations, Professor Mihalache led a discussion period where the audience could ask questions about our objects. This opportunity helped us to further develop our research skills and strategies, practice sharing interpretive processes, and discuss the challenges we faced and how we overcame them.

We also attended other presentations and engaged with professionals who shared their own research and experience. It was so interesting to hear about what museologists and researchers are practicing all over the world, and it was valuable to hear about how they manage challenges that arise. The conference also provided me with an opportunity to network and discuss my interests with representatives from institutions across Canada and beyond. Overall, attending Congress 2017 was highly advantageous to my academic and professional career, and I am so grateful that I was able to partake.

Elizabeth Carroll

Conference: Archives Association of Ontario’s Annual conference, Toronto, ON

Attending this conference was an opportunity to not only showcase the knowledge and skills that I have acquired during my time at Media Commons, but also a way to advocate for the preservation of culturally significant moving image records. These records differ so much in their description and handling needs, that they often get ignored. Being able to share my work with others allowed me to give a little more insight into the unique skills moving image archivists have.

I also organized and sat on the Young Professionals panel. Many join student associates during their academic careers, yet are unsure as how these chapters will benefit them when they graduate. Additionally, as a leader of two student chapters at the University of Toronto, I personally want to ensure that the chapters are able meet the needs of the members. By working with other student leaders and discussing the many problems we face with well-respected professionals in attendance, we were able to gain insight into how to better our chapters.

Photo credit: University of Toronto Libraries

Curtis Frederick 

Conference: Archives Association of Ontario’s Annual Conference, Toronto, ON

The panel explored the value to students of belonging to a professional organization, the opportunities for professional development through student groups, and ways to better collaborate both between student groups and between student groups and their parent organizations.  The panel shared our successes over the past few years and as well as some of the challenges we have faced in recruiting members and organizing events.  The panel was also used to encourage more students to become involved with professional organizations and to increase the awareness and visibility of the work that our student chapters do within the archival community.  Finally, through the active participation and discussion of the audience we brainstormed more ways of interacting with established professionals in Toronto, Ontario and beyond.  I was also able to talk to many professionals who indicated their interest in participating in an event with our chapter next year.

Lucie Handley-Girard

Conference: Archives Association of Ontario’s Annual Conference, Toronto, ON

Participating in the student panel titled Young Professionals and Collaboration allowed my peers and I to engage with more seasoned professionals in our field. As representatives from three archives-focused student associations in Ontario we spoke about our cross-institutional collaboration, the dynamics of these relationships, what we have learned, common difficulties we face, how we help each other, and what we feel needs to be improved. We were also able to pose questions to the audience of archivists, about how we could improve our student engagement, where we should channel our focus when preparing for the world of archival employment, and what we can bring to the field to set ourselves apart today.

We were well received by the audience. They provided us with helpful and thoughtful feedback, which we have passed on to our new association leaders for future students, and which we are currently taking into interviews, applications, and the information workforce.

Maeghan Jerry

Conference: Folklore Studies Association of Canada annual meeting at Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences, Toronto, ON

Presenting at FSAC provided the opportunity to reflect critically on my practice as a budding museum professional. Working with my classmates and Dr. Mihalache produced many rich discussions about the role we play in shaping history, as well as the types of assumptions we carried into our original work on this project as a course assignment. I believe that this experience has left me with a more nuanced view of my own interpretive work, as well as a greater understanding of and appreciation for the range of interpretive strategies available to heritage professionals. I’m very grateful to FIAA for having supported this fantastic experience.

Taylor Lemaire

Conference: Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP) Annual Conference, Victoria BC

the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP) 2017 in Victoria, BC, co-hosted by the Digital Humanities Summer Institute, Electronic Textual Cultures Lab, and University of Victoria Libraries. The theme of this year’s conference was “Technologies of the Book,” which “aim[ed] to encapsulate the long history of technological transformations of authoring, reading, and publishing, as well as the book’s longstanding role as a technology, and the evolving ways that individuals interact with medias.” ¹ As such, I found myself attending panels with titles like: “Gendered Literary Spaces and the Digital Public Sphere,” “Materiality and the Digital,” as well as “Social Media, Social Spaces.”

In my own panel, titled “Myriad Images,” I argued that the voluntary acquisition

of tattoos and the arrangement of authors’ archives, as compiled by the archiving “I” and various “coaxers and coercers,” are strikingly similar performances. ² Both practices reflect an image of the self that is subject to misinterpretation, and both are inextricably tied to issues of textual permanence.

SHARP is, without a doubt, the biggest networking event for book history and

print culture scholars. This conference allowed me not only to get a sense of work being conducted abroad, but also to witness the research being done by fellow peers at the University of Toronto – facilitating a truly full-circle experience.

¹ “Call for Proposals,” SHARP 2017, accessed July 5, 2017, http://www.sharp2017.com/cfp/.

² Jennifer Douglas, “The Archiving “I”: A Closer Look in the Archives of Writers,” Archivaria 79 (2015): 53-89.

Maria Laura Marchiori

Conference: Society for the History of Authorship, reading, and Publishing (SHARP) Annual conference

As a graduate of the MI program in the Archives & Records Management stream and the Book History and Print Culture program, I immediately felt “at home” at SHARP, which is multi-disciplinary, forwardlooking and welcoming. Unlike conferences I’ve attended in the past, at SHARP I felt “safe” in contributing comments and asking questions. I took part in sessions dealing with library history, digital libraries, book history big data, incunabula and medieval books online. I especially enjoyed Lisa Gitelman’s plenary talk entitled, “Emoji Dick, Prequels and Sequels”, which dealt with an emoji translation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. My paper was titled, “How we read: contemporary technogenesis and the book as archival record”, in which I presented a case study of incunabula cataloguing by means of a media archaeology of the library catalogue through its various material evolutions [see Session F9 at http://www.sharp2017.com/program/].

I concluded by recommending that digital humanities projects not utilize data from library catalogue records, but rather adopt a new descriptive paradigm based on the archival descriptive practices. I had an enthusiastic response from audience members, who offered many helpful questions and comments.

Lily Yuxi Ren

Conference: CAPAL & CAIS (Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences)

This year I was invited to present my poster, Leveraging KM in Designing Academic Libraries, at CAPAL. At the CAPAL keynote speaker session, Ms. Harsha Walia spoke about her involvement with grassroots community organizing and social movements. Making connections to race, gender, and poverty, she discussed her community organizing examples to librarianship, encouraging librarians to organize to critically challenge ways in which the profession is influenced by social, political, and economic environments. The discussion she generated aligns and supplements my learning in the LIS concentration at the Faculty of Information, including INF1320H Knowledge Organization. At the poster session, I engaged conversation with my colleagues and scholars in the field about the historical past, present and possible futures of library design, from the physical architecture to the spaces within. It was particularly interesting to hear about opportunities and challenges different librarians experience in their library.

The discussions, feedback, and experience has been tremendously valuable and will guide my work on this topic in the future. In addition, I also joined Professor J. Hartel on a panel discussing my research on one of Bates’ big ideas at CAIS. At CAIS, I had the pleasure of meeting and sitting on panel with canonical LIS scholar Marcia Bates. Having spent the semester studying her work, it was both rewarding and edifying to meet her in person. With FIAA Conference Grant, I was able to partake in these experiences to share my research, facilitate discussion, and network with scholars and professionals alike in the field.

Jessica Svenningson

Conference: Folklore Studies Association of Canada annual meeting at Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences, Toronto, ON

Preparation for the conference was guided by Irina who helped guide us edit and critique our presentations to reach a professional level beyond the student level. I learned a great deal from her about the importance of specific use of language, consideration for how to present information to an international audience, as well as when and where to further examine critical details. It was a wonderful exercise in learning how to tell a story to keep an audience engaged, and prepare myself for potentially difficult questions.

Being able to attend the Folklore Association Annual Meeting was a wonderful professional experience. This was my first conference, and I now feel more confident and interested to attend more conferences for both interest and professional purposes.

Julia Zungri

Conference: Folklore Studies Association of Canada annual meeting at Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences, Toronto, ON

Presenting at the conference gave me a chance to share my research and writing experience with interested individuals who provided useful feedback for future projects. I successfully engaged in an interesting question and answer period after our round table was finished: some questions were specific to my project, while others were general relating to archival research and partnerships between museums and communities. My colleagues and the audience were extremely supportive and thought provoking, making me eager to present at future conferences. Attending other talks, as well as the Folklore Association banquet helped expand my network as I was introduced to professionals who share similar interests to mine, leading to constructive and rewarding discussions. Presenting at such a large event was initially intimidating, but I am delighted with the impact that it has had on me as a student and rising museum professional.

Anja Hamilton

Conference: Ontario Museums Conference, Mississauga, ON

At the OMA Conference, I co-presented with one of the museum’s tour guides and local historian, Arlene Chan. Our presentation, Shared Authority and Inclusive Storytelling, spoke about the museum’s pilot project, Dishing Up Toronto. These food and storytelling tours put personal stories and experiences at the forefront, inviting participants to share their own stories and eat incredible food along the way. The opportunity to present at this conference gave me time to reflect on my experience as an intern, and helped me develop my public speaking skills. In addition to this, the OMA Conference was an opportunity to network with other museum professionals and to learn what other museums are doing to push the boundaries of the museum field.

Dal Singh

Conference: Consultation with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Attending this consultation has been valuable in helping me better understand the concerns different actors had on proposed policy changes. It has equipped me to refine my research on the topic and consider various challenges that I previously overlooked. As one of the youngest stakeholders at the consultation, I was able to use my knowledge in the specialized area of privacy policy to advance the public interest in advocating for enhanced individual consent. It provided me with an opportunity to civically engage with the federal government and help develop solutions to the information privacy issues that affect Internet users across Canada. The Privacy Commissioner was present at the consultation and announced that the discussions from the consultation would be examined by his office and published in a report to be released in the spring of 2017.

Jasmine Proteau

Research: Digital exhibition on tourism in 19th century Florence, Kunsthistorisches Institut (KHI), Florence, Italy

Lelland Reed

Conference: International Association of Music Libraries Conference, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome

In addition to talking about this collection and project, IAML provided the opportunity to meet with other like-minded music librarians and hear about the happenings and projects going on in music libraries all over the world. I not only left Rome inspired by the beautiful art and architecture that adorns the city, but also the wonderful people I got to know while at the conference and plan to keep in touch with as I move forward in my career.

Brendan Smith

Conference: Do-It-Yourself in Anthropocene: New Political Imaginaries, the Winter Colloquium of the Nordic Summer University – Study Circle 6, Appropriating Science and Technology for Social Change, Fengersfors, Sweden

Attending and presenting at the NSU Winter Colloquium was a wonderful experience and immensely beneficial. The set of attendees was highly interdisciplinary, consisting of academics, technologists, and environmentalists, which resulted in a diversity of feedback and constructive criticism of my project that was immensely useful. It was also very small; as a result I had a one-hour speaking slot, which provided time to present a significant amount of my research. This meant the feedback I received from my fellow attendees was able to address a large portion of my research and engage in nuance and criticism that would not be have possible if I had been presenting only a highly condensed summary. The intimate nature of the conference also helped me develop the beginnings of a Northern/Western European network of academic and research colleagues that is complimentary to the Canadian network I have been able to build through my time at the Faculty of Information. I am very grateful to the FIAA for their significant support in subsidising the cost of attending this conference and helping make possible the wonderful experience I had there.

Michelle Thompson

Research: Preserving Culture with Songs and Symbols

Nikolina Likarevic

Conference: 47th Annual Northeast Modern Language Association Convention, Hartford, Connecticut

Jennifer Ford

Conference: 2015 Ontario Museum Association Annual Conference, Windsor, Ontario

As a second-year Master of Museum Studies candidate, the presentation was an important part in sharing my research. My area of study focuses on interpretive planning processes in museums related to difficult history presentation. Therefore, the conference presentation was the first step in presenting my research to the museum community and garnering their feedback and support. The session had a successful turnout, which in turn elicited meaningful discussion and new angles on my research.

Furthermore, the conference was a fantastic opportunity to network with other cultural sector professionals, including museum directors, educators, and government officials. I was able to learn from other presenters’ achievements and challenges, from engaging immigrant communities to breaking down social barriers at science centres. Thus, presenting at the OMA conference was not only an important experience for my research endeavours, but also allowed me to receive feedback and support from my peers.

Bridgette Kelly

Conference: ASIS&T Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri

Lindsay Small

Research: Museums on the Moon: Cultural Heritage Management Policy in the Space Age

As a starting place, I am currently investigating how Earth based museology presents human achievement in outer space. I visited two national museums – the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum – in order to gain insight into what ideologies are present and how rhetoric is employed to craft the narrative of space exploration.

It was immensely valuable to travel to both of these museums. I took thousands of pictures and saw hundreds of milestones in flight and aviation. It was also beneficial to compare and contrast a national space museum in Canada and the United States. Thanks to the support of the FIAA, I was able subsidize the cost of travel to these destinations, take the time to properly gather information and in turn, generate the bulk of my primary data for my thesis.

Alexander Herd

Conference: Web Archives 2015, University of Michigan

Pavel Danzanov

Conference: ASIS&T Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri

Having an extensive experience in education and research from my country of origin (Russia), it was extremely useful for me to attend this worldwide-recognized conference. I was pleased to see that the panel ignited a positive discussion during the conference and on our project’s website. This was also an invaluable chance to grasp the most up-to-date trends and innovative ideas in the sphere which I’ve chosen to be my new career path.

Stephanie Power

Conference: ASIS&T Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri

As a first ­time conference attendee, presenting at the ASIS&T Annual was an exciting step in building my career as an information professional. Not only was I able to share my experiences as a researcher, but our panel was fortunate to secure Dr. Toni Carbo as an expert discussant, who was gracious enough to share her decades of experience in information science with my fellow iSquare students and myself. The panel received positive feedback from audience members during the Q & A as well as via Twitter with people praising the project’s team spirit and innovativeness. My experience travelling to ASIS&T taught me to be confident in my skills as a researcher and presenter and introduced me to some incredible information scholars.

Sanja Ljaskevic

Conference: The New Horizons in Intercultural Dialogue Inaugural Conference, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

The presentation, titled Preserving Syriac Language and Heritage through the CCED Inscriptions Database, focused on highlighting the importance of archiving, digitizing, and cataloguing epigraphic materials from Iraq. It also sought to demonstrate how accessible collections could stimulate intellectual dialogue, which can increase academic output and thereby draw people’s attention to Syriac heritage and its role in the history of the Middle East. In the end, I believe presenting at conference enhanced the importance of the project. It also enabled me to broaden my knowledge on the Syriac community and the issues they face directly from experts in the field. However, it also made me realize that there is much more that information professionals can do to help preserve endangered heritage.

Julia King

Conference: 2015 Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing Conference, Montreal, Quebec

Hilary Barlow

Conference: Association of Canadian Archivists Conference 2015, Regina, Saskatchewan

Besides my own presentation, I had the opportunity to attend sessions led by others and learn from their research and practices. For example, I attended a session on making archives more accessible led by the archivist at the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights and I learned some very practical tips and software for making the archives a better place for patrons with disabilities. Additionally, I was able to meet my ACA mentoe, which would not have been possible otherwise since he lives in British Columbia. Overall, it was an enlightening and exciting experience and I am better equipped professionally for having done it.

Nicole Ritchie

Research: Master of Museum Studies Candidate in collaboration with Sexual Diversity Studies

Robin Nelson

Research: Museums and Money: The Influence of Provincial Cultural Policy

Matthew Fesnak

Conference: EUCLID’s Bobcatsss Conference, Brno, Czech Republic

Kyra Folk-Farber

Conference: Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (CAML) Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario

Richard Laurin

Conference: GRASAC Research Conference, Brantford, Ontario

Alexandra Kordoski

Conference: 2014 University of Ottawa English Graduate Student’s Conference, Ottawa, Ontario