No. 502 - May 17, 2023

  • Coming Events:

    - FIMSWrites - Summer Edition
    - "Local or Global? The Future of Diaspora and Immigration Museums"
    - "Intersections of Racial Justice with Disability Justice and Queer/Trans Liberation"
    - "Finding Power in your Authentic Story: Storytelling Workshop"
    - FIMS Doctoral Workshop Sessions

  • Important Dates:

    - Friday, May 19, 2023 - Senate (1:30 PM, A&HB)
    - Monday, May 22, 2023 - Victoria Day holiday (no classes, FIMS offices closed)
    - Friday, June 9, 2023 - Senate (1:30 PM, A&HB)

  • News & Announcements:

    - Emerging Library and Information Perspectives (ELIP) Journal Relaunch
    - Community Engaged Learning & Well-Being Workshop - Call for Proposals
    - Subscribe to the Graduate Student Research Blog
    - Inspiring Minds - Tell us about your scholarship or creative activity
    - Western Summer Farmer's Market opening on June 7
    - In Memoriam: Jennifer Stephen (MLIS'04)

  • Awards & Accomplishments:

    - Jacquie Burkell
    - Alissa Centivany
    - Andrea Krywucky
    - Elise Purdy
    - Effie Sapuridis

  • Publications & Presentations:

    - Melissa Adler
    - Alissa Centivany
    - Nikka Cornelio-Baker
    - Ronique Gillis (MLIS'22)
    - Toby Malone
    - Andre Melo
    - Selma Purac
    - Effie Sapuridis
    - Meghan Voll

  • In the Media:

    - Juan Bello
    - Tim Blackmore
    - Leah Brown
    - Alissa Centivany
    - Norma Coates
    - Jeremy Copeland
    - Anabel Quan-Haase
    - Shayla Reyes
    - Effie Sapuridis
    - Sharon Sliwinski
    - Luke Stark
    - Sam Trosow

  • Additional Activities of Note:

    - Bones of Crows opening in theatres in June
    - Podcast: GradCast, featuring Mark Ambrogio
    - Podcast: Boredom Matters, featuring Busra Copuroglu
    - Podcast: Re-Creative, featuring Mark Rayner
    - FIMS 9328 Digital Wall: Cautionary Tales of Disinformation
    - Western volunteers use unique method to restore Medway Creek bank

  • News from the FIMS Graduate Library:

    - Welcome New and Returning MLIS Students
    - Library Terrace, Now Open!
    - Summer 2023 Hours

  • Next Issue:


Coming Events


FIMSWrites - Summer Edition
Every Wednesday
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
New this term: attend either in person or online.
Check your Western email for the link (or contact Pam McKenzie) or drop in to FNB 4070.
Do you expect to have assignment, story, article, report, thesis, and/or book writing deadlines coming up in the Winter term? Does having other people writing around you help keep you on-task? Then join us for FIMSWrites, an informal initiative to provide some solidarity in the sometimes-solitary writing process. What it is: a group of people sitting silently together working on their individual writing projects for 25-minute Pomodoro sessions, with short breaks between and a longer mid-morning coffee, snack, and socializing break. What it's not: a writing tutorial or workshop. Open to FIMS faculty and grad students who have writing to work on.

**On May 31, June 28, and July 26, FIMSWrites sessions will include an option to share what you're working on, get feedback, and talk about writing for grants, publications, and conferences.

"Local or Global? The Future of Diaspora and Immigration Museums"
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
6:30 p.m.
Aga Khan Museum (77 Wynford Drive, Toronto)
Attend online for free (Registration required).
Featuring Diana Abouali, Marie Chapman, Palina Louangketh, Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis.
Diaspora communities speak to belonging across multiple generations and locations, encompassing a range of experiences from forced migration to skilled immigration. In the last three decades, these communities have been represented by a range of museums. Marking International Museum Day, this panel discussion explores how museums engage diaspora and immigrant communities and represent their stories, speaking to local and global issues and networks (continue reading).

"Intersections of Racial Justice with Disability Justice and Queer/Trans Liberation with Lydia X.Z. Brown"
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Via Zoom - Register now.
Lydia X.Z. Brown, advocate, organizer, attorney, and writer. Join Lydia and gain insight into intersections of racial justice, disability justice, and Queer/Trans Liberation. Explore the impact of systemic violence, reflect on access, and learn strategies for promoting equity and justice. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge with Lydia X.Z. Brown. Presented by the Office of EDI.

"Finding Power in your Authentic Story: Storytelling Workshop with Veronica Antipolo 'Sassy La V'"
Friday, May 26, 2023
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Via Zoom - Register now.
Veronica Antipolo, also known as "Sassy La V," is the head of Sassy La V Productions and the co-founder of Mosaic Untold Lives, a storytelling platform for women of colour. She will be leading a workshop on the power of authentic storytelling, where she will provide valuable insights and tools on how to communicate stories effectively and promote social change. Presented by the Office of EDI.

FIMS Doctoral Workshop Sessions - Your Grad School Years with Jacquie Burkell
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Attend in person: Room TBA
Attend online: Zoom link TBA
RSVP to madler7@uwo.ca by May 24.
A workshop series designed to support PhD students in all stages of their degree program. PhD students from LIS, HIS and Media Studies are invited to attend. Watch your email for future events and dates.
Session one will be a lunch-and-learn led by Jacquie Burkell, FIMS Professor and Western’s Associate Vice-President (Research). Jacquie will talk about progressing through your grad school years and how to realize your goals as a scholar. Possible topics--thinking and planning for the job market; deciding how much and where to publish and present; making connections and building relationships; prioritizing the exam/dissertation/publications/teaching/service; and envisioning and positioning yourself in the field. 


Important Dates


- Friday, May 19, 2023 - Senate (1:30 PM, A&HB)
- Monday, May 22, 2023 - Victoria Day holiday (no classes, FIMS offices closed)
- Friday, June 9, 2023 - Senate (1:30 PM, A&HB)


News & Announcements

Emerging Library and Information Perspectives (ELIP) Journal Relaunch
After a brief hiatus, student-run journal Emerging Library and Information Perspectives (ELIP) is relaunching mid-June 2023 to publish its sixth volume! ELIP is an open access, peer-reviewed journal managed by students in the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at Western University. In June, the 2023 managing editorial student team (Vicky Chung, Tianyang (Joe) Qiu, Yeliz Baloglu Cengay, Sarah Sharpe) will open the call for new submissions and organize informational sessions on how the MLIS students can contribute and participate in the creation of the new issue. Submissions will be accepted from current students and recent alumni from Western University’s MLIS program. Watch for upcoming announcements on ELIP’s website, and follow ELIP (@elipwesternu) on Instagram or Twitter.

Community Engaged Learning & Well-Being Workshop - Call for Proposals and Participation
This one-day, intensive, praxis-oriented workshop is designed to explore issues related to mental health and well-being for students engaging in community-focused forms of experiential learning. The workshop will take place on Friday November 3, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Western University (London, Ontario) and is free of charge. For questions, contact Sandy Smeltzer at ssmeltze@uwo.ca.

Inspiring Minds - Tell us about your scholarship or creative activity
Inspiring Minds, launched on May 1, is a non-competitive showcase celebrating the research, scholarship, and creative activity pursued by master’s and doctoral students from all 11 faculties at Western. Inspiring Minds has one rule: graduate students are asked to describe their research, scholarship, or creative activity in any language in no more than 150 written words. They can also include supplementary digital files to support their work including music, images, or video clips. FIMS has been fortunate in the last few years and has had three different students highlighted through the showcase (highlighted students are selected randomly). The deadline to submit is June 9, 2023. To see previously highlight students, visit the Inspiring Minds website. You can also browse the full collection of FIMS submissions.

Subscribe to the Graduate Student Research Blog
Graduate Students are invited to subscribe to the Graduate Student Research Blog. The blog provides research information for graduate students - scholarship, fellowship, internship and other funding announcements, tips on writing scholarship/funding applications, and other research-related tidbits.

Western Summer Farmers' Market to open on June 7
Starting June 7 and running until September, the Western Farmers' Market will be open from 10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. every Wednesday in front of McIntosh Gallery. With a variety of local vendors offering everything from fresh produce to delicious baked goods, there's something for everyone to look forward to.

In Memoriam: Jennifer Stephen (MLIS'04)
Jennifer Stephen, MLIS'04, sadly passed away unexpectedly on April 28, 2023. Jennifer had been working in professional librianship steadily since graduating in 2004, working with Vaughan Public Libraries and most recently as the Director of Customer Experience at the Oakville Public Library.


Awards & Accomplishments


Professor Jacquie Burkell is co-PI of a research project titled "Human-Centred Digital Innovation for Ethical and Trusted Data Governance," that was recently awarded funding through SSHRC's New Frontiers in Research Fund competition.

Assistant Professor Alissa Centivany is PI of a research project titled "Breakdown and Repair in Gaza's Health Care Sector," that was recently awarded funding through SSHRC's New Frontiers in Research Fund competition.

Andrea Krywucky, MHIS student, successfully defended her thesis titled How We Debrief: An Interpretive Description of Social Service Community Workers' Experiences on April 20, 2023.

Elise Purdy, MHIS student, successfully defended her thesis titled Exploring Screen and Social Media Use Among Young Adults With Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms on April 13, 2023.

In April, Effie Sapuridis (PhD Media Studies) was awarded the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada Graduate Student Award of Merit. The award is based on outstanding academic achievement, service, and exemplary leadership. The award was presented at the annual SWAAC conference, held from May 4-6.


Publications & Presentations


Melissa Adler (Associate Professor) will be presenting her paper, "Authenticating the Erotic: A Queer History of Encryption," in the panel, Queer(ing) Histories - Queer(ing) Activism: Communication Practices Among LGBTQ People, at the meeting of the International Communication Association in Toronto on Sunday May 28.

This year the University of Toronto's The iJournal opened submissions to students from other Canadian information studies schools, making room for two articles authored by external students. In the Winter 2023 issue, both external publications were by FIMS students:

Nikka Cornelio-Baker, MLIS'23, contributed a paper titled "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm (Still Not) Yours: Challenges in Archiving Electronic Communication in the 21st Century."

Meghan Voll, PhD in Media Studies student, contributed the article "Cupid's Digital Arrows: The Ethics of Algorithms in Mobile Dating Applications."

Assistant Professor Alissa Centivany co-authored an article titled "The empty success of recent amendments to Canada's right-to-repair bill" in Policy Options on May 1, 2023.

Ronique Gillis, MLIS'22, published the article "Changing Tides: A Critical Reflection on Neutrality and Antiracism in LIS" in The Serials Librarian in April. The article stemmed from the course LIS 99160: Antiracism in Library and Information Science, taught by LIS PhD candidate Amber Matthews.

Toby Malone, MLIS candidate, published an article titled "Polychronic Actants: Modern Promptbooks as Anticipated Acts, Unanticipated Acts, and Ideal Assemblages" in Shakespeare on May 10. 

Andre Melo, Phd in Media Studies student, presented a talk titled "Necropolitics Illustrated: the Covid-19 pandemic and the photojournalistic images related to Brazil's Bolsonaro" on April 6 as part of the FIMS Mediations Lecture Series.

Assistant Professor Selma Purac will present a talk titled "Japanese Visual Culture and Global Imagination" at an international symposium at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan on May 27. The symposium is, in part, a book launch for Bloomsbury's Capture Japan: Visual Culture and the Global Imagination from 1952 to the Present, which came out in 2022. Professor Purac will be discussing her chapter in that book, callled "Myth, manga, technology, and gender: Chobits and the post-war Pygmalion."

Associate Professor Victoria Rubin gave or will give the following presentations:

Plenary Keynote, June 2023: "Artificial and Human Intelligence Solutions to Combat Mis- and Disinformation: Examples, Methodologies, Limits" at The 26th International Conference on Information Fusion, June 27 - 30, 2023, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Invited Speaker, March 2023: "Detection Capabilities with Natural Language Processing & Machine Learning: for Deceptive Content, Satirical Fakes, & Clickbait," at the annual Canadian Network on Information and Security (CANIS) conference on Misinformation: Impact and Challenges in a Diverse Society at the University of Calgary, Banff, Alberta.

Invited Speaker, April 2023: "Disrupting Mis- and Disinformation: Educational, AI-Based, and Regulatory Countermeasures" at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington as part of the Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics (RKCSI) Speaker Series.

Effie Sapuridis, PhD candidate in Media Studies, presented a talk titled "Neutral!Reader: Self-insert Fic Tagging as a Form of Data Violence" at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference in Denver, Colorado.
 


In the Media


Juan Bello, FIMS instructor, was featured both in an interview with CBC London Morning on May 1 and then in an accompanying print piece from CBC News Online titled "'Londombia' photo project celebrates the lives of Colombians in London." 

Professor Tim Blackmore was quoted in an article titled "Un nouvel écusson de Winnie l’ourson fait fureur à Taïwan. Quand guerre et humour se rencontrent…" published by La Presse on April 16. 

Leah Brown, PhD LIS student, was interviewed by Susan Svrluga of The Washington Post on generative AI tools like ChatGPT and the implications these tools have for librarians and educators. Brown spoke about the types of applications generative tools are useful for in teaching and creating learning materials, as well as the importance of paying attention to these tools despite their current problems, since librarians and educators have a key role to play in supporting students' multimodal literacy of generative technologies. The article will be part of an upcoming series on emerging uses of artificial intelligence in education.

Assistant Professor Alissa Centivany appeared on TVO's The Agenda on April 20 in a segment titled "Why Is Everything Poorly Made?" The discussion centred on the consumer's lack of ability to fix their things and the right to repair movement.

Professor Centivany also joined The Mike Farwell Show on CityNews Kitchener on April 25 to discuss the importance of implementing right to repair legislation to prevent companies from imposing barriers that prevent consumers from repairing their products.

Professor Centivany provided expert commentary about right to repair during the hour-long radio program Alberta at noon with Judy Aldous on May 2, which invited listeners to call in.

Professor Centivany provided comments in an article titled "Right to Repair: Why is it so difficult to fix our electronics?" published by Global News on May 13.

Professor Centivany was quoted in an article titled "Call to Action: Our Right to Repair," published in the Mar/Apr issue of Cottage Life Magazine.

Lastly, Centivany participated in a Q&A published on the FIMS website called "Challenge Accepted: Could you go a year without purchasing anything new?" An accompanying Instagram Reel was also posted.

Following the passing of Gordon Lightfoot, Associate Professor Norma Coates was interviewed by CTV London, The Drive with Ted Henley on 770 CHQR in Calgary and A Little More Conversation with Ben O'Hara-Byrne, broadcast on Corus radio stations across Canada.

Instructor Jeremy Copeland was quoted in an article titled "Is CBC at a crossroads? Or are Twitter spat and Poilievre barbs just more of the same?" published in the Toronto Star on April 23.

Professor Anabel Quan-Haase was interviewed on April 20 on The Mike Farwell Show on 570 City News about the conflict between Elon Musk and CBC after Twitter labelled CBC "government-funded media." Part 1. Part 2. 

Professor Quan-Haase was also interviewed for a radio segment titled "Trudeau calls Meta's decision to block news in Canada 'irresponsible and out of touch'," that aired on The Shaye Ganam Show on 630 CHED and 770 CHQR on May 11.

Shayla Reyes, MA in Media Studies student, had her independent research-creation project Flip to See Original featured in a Western News article titled "Exhibit shows how bi- and multilingual Facebook posts become 'lost in translation'" on May 9.

Effie Sapuridis, PhD in Media Studies student, was featured in an article titled "Graduate students, Western scholar, earn national awards for outstanding leadership," published in Western News on April 5.

Professor Sharon Sliwinski and the Museum of Dreams were featured in an article titled "The power of dreams can change everything, Western prof says," published in Western News on April 26.

Professor Sliwinski was also the subject of a Q&A titled "What our dreams can tell us about ourselves and connection to the world," that aired on CBC's London Morning on May 7.

Assistant Professor Luke Stark was interviewed on The Alex Pierson Show on AM640 on May 3 about the ethical concerns and social impact surrounding artificial intelligence. Part 1. Part 2.

Professor Stark was also quoted in an article titled "Before worrying about AI's threat to humankind, here's what else Canada can do," published by CBC News on May 6.

Lastly, Professor Stark was quoted in an article titled "From ChatGPT bans to task forces, universities are rethinking their approach to academic misconduct," published in University Affairs on May 10.

Associate Professor Sam Trosow, who sits on London City Council as the councillor for Ward 6, appeared in a multimedia, longform investigation of homelessness published by The Gazette on April 4.

Professor Trosow also spoke to CTV News and AM980 about the possibility of using a 'pedestrian scramble' at the intersection of Sarnia and Western Road. The CTV News article was titled "City may redesign intersection upgrade over pedestrian safety," published on April 12.  


Additional Activities of Note


Bones of Crows to open in theatres across Canada on June 2
FIMS instructor Juan Bello worked on the project as an Archival Researcher. Bones of Crows is a fiction (feature) film on the history and impact of the residential schools system.

Podcast: GradCast, featuring Mark Ambrogio
Mark Ambrogio, PhD in LIS student, was a guest on the SOGS-sponsored radio show GradCast, Episode 415 - Next Stop: Station Science Fiction. The conversation focused on "readership typologies, who defines genre, and how science fiction can be thought of as an event, rather than static writing tradition." GradCast is also co-hosted by PhD in Media Studies student Meghan Voll.

Podcast: Boredom Matters, featuring Busra Copuroglu
FIMS instructor Busra Copuroglu recently hosted a podcast episode on the topic of boredom and work for the Boredom Matters podcast, supported by The International Society of Boredom Studies. The episode is available on on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and SoundCloud. Guests included Charlie Tyson (Harvard and contributor for The New Yorker), Sheila Liming (Champlain College; author of Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time) and Yonina Hoffman (Merchant Marine Academy.) This episode was an extension of an essay cluster titled Bored as Hell for the online journal Contemporaries at Post45.

Podcast: Re-Creative, featuring Mark Rayner
Tune in for the latest episodes of Re-Creative. Hosted by Joe Mahoney and FIMS instructor Mark Rayner, Re-Creative is a podcast about creativity and the works that inspire it. The hosts talk to creative people from all walks of life and learn from them what piece of art stokes their own imaginative fires. MLIS grad and Canadian author Corey Redekop was a guest on Episode Ten, available now. The discussion focused on Director Tobe Hooper's cult classic, Lifeforce.

FIMS 9328 Digital Wall: Cautionary Tales of Disinformation
Victoria Rubin's FIMS 9328 class published a showcase of their semester's work on April 25 via an online Sway digital wall. The showcase was titled "Cautionary Tales of Disinformation: 'Eyes Wide Open!'" and featured work by students who condensed ideas on how to see through propaganda, and how to avoid being duped. Submissions include posters and abstracts.

Western volunteers use unique method to restore Medway Creek bank
A recent London Free Press article about people who are working to sustain Medway Creek and protect it against environmental decline has multiple FIMS connections. Associate Professor Sandra Smeltzer, who is PI for the overarching research project, supervised graduating MPI student Madeleine McColl as she completed a community engaged learning placement related to the conservation work. The article, titled "Western volunteers use unique method to restore Medway Creek bank," was also written by Calvi Leon, who is an MMJC graduate. A water blessing was provided before the work began and a video was made about the live staking/flood prevention methods used so that others can learn about the technique.


News from the FIMS Graduate Library


Welcome New and Returning MLIS Students

The FIMS Graduate Library is a full-service library for all graduate programs at FIMS, and a teaching library for the MLIS program. If you’re new to FIMS, be sure to pop by and introduce yourself, pick-up your library card, and meet FGL staff. We’d be happy to give you a tour of our facilities and introduce you to our resources. We look forward to supporting you throughout your graduate studies.

Library Terrace, Now Open!

With the return of the warm weather, we’ve opened the door(s) to our terrace. FIMS students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to make use of this wonderful outdoor space during the library’s summer hours of operation. As a food and drink friendly space, the library’s terrace is a great spot for lunch or a coffee/tea break; please be sure to take any waste with you when you leave.

Summer 2023 Hours*

Mondays & Fridays, 11am – 1pm
Tuesdays – Thursdays, 11am – 4pm
Saturdays, 1-4pm*; Sundays (CLOSED)

*Closed all statutory holidays, as well as: May 20th, July 1st, August 5th, 2023.

N.B. Support outside of the library’s hours of operation is available. Contact us!
Email: fimslib@uwo.ca, call: 519-661-2111 x88488, or visit: https://lib.fims.uwo.ca/ 




Next Issue


The Grad Bulletin is your source for news, announcements, and events pertaining to FIMS graduate programs. Submissions from the FIMS community are always welcome and may be sent via e-mail to fims-communications@uwo.ca .

This is the first of four issues of the Grad Bulletin to be published over the summer. The remaining dates are June 14, July 12, and August 9. The deadline to submit content for the June issue is Tuesday, June 13 at noon.