No. 557 - October 14, 2026

  • Coming Events:

    - Crisis, Conflict, and Imagined Futures in North American Cultural Diplomacy
    - Ontario Public Library Roadshow - Lunch & Learn
    - Public Talk by Rua M. Williams
    - Ethics Workshop with Dr. Trevor J. Bieber
    - In Conversation with... Melissa Adler

  • Important Dates:

    - Monday, October 12 - Friday, October 16, 2026 - Fall Reading Week
    - Tuesday, October 20, 2026 - Western's Fall Pride Parade (on campus)
    - Wednesday, October 21, 2026 - FIMS Faculty Council
    - Thursday, October 22, 2026 - FIMS Convocation Ceremony at Canada Life Place (3PM)
    - Friday, October 23, 2026 - Senate (1:30 PM, Schmeichel Building)

  • News & Announcements:

    - Writing for The Conversation - Hybrid Workshop
    - AI, Health Information, and Healthcare: HEAL at Lunch Starts January 13
    - Call for Abstracts: Co-Creating Equitable Futures

  • Awards & Accomplishments:

    - Daniel Arauz Nuñez
    - Sarah Smith

  • Publications & Presentations:

    - Daniel Arauz Nuñez
    - Chris Arsenault
    - Sara Falahatpisheh
    - Isobel Flindall
    - Martie Grof-Iannelli

  • In the Media:

    - Chris Arsenault
    - Juan Andrés Bello
    - Jesse Butler

  • News from the FIMS Grad Library:

    - OPLW Lunch & Learn
    - Fall Reading Week Hours

  • Next Issue:


Coming Events

Crisis, Conflict, and Imagined Futures in North American Cultural Diplomacy
October 15-16, 2026
All day
Attend online: Register for Zoom Webinar
Description: How can cultural diplomacy help navigate the shifting dynamics of North American relationships? As Canada, Mexico, and the United States confront an era of rising nationalism, transactional politics, and the fraying of the liberal international order, cultural diplomacy emerges as a powerful tool for dialogue and collaboration. Co-organized by FIMS Associate Professor Sarah Smith.

Ontario Public Library Roadshow - Lunch & Learn
Monday, October 19, 2026
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Attend in-person: FNB 3020 (FIMS Graduate Library)
Attend online (streaming begins at 12:15 p.m.): Zoom Webinar
All are welcome. Join the FIMS Graduate Library for a two-hour, interactive Lunch & Learn with Michelle Arbuckle and Dina Stevens discussing all things library advocacy.

Public Talk by Rua M. Williams
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Attend online: Zoom
Description: Rua M. Williams will expand on ideas from their work, Disabling Intelligences. The talk will be followed by a panel of faculty and students from Western University sharing interdisciplinary perspectives on intersections, narratives, and matters of concern and possibility related to disability and AI. Panelists include Pamela Block, Jeff Preston, Abouzar Samiei, and Kat Chen. Facilitated by Dani Dilkes. Hosted by the Starling Centre for Just Technologies and Just Societies.

Ethics Workshop with Trevor J. Bieber
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Attend in-person: FNB 4130
Attend online: Zoom Webinar
Description: Graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, faculty and staff are invited to a practical workshop on navigating the research ethics application process. Dr. Trevor J. Bieber, Western Research Ethics Officer, will provide guidance and practical tips to help participants develop protocols, complete applications, and understand key steps in the review process. Participants are encouraged to bring their current protocol and questions for an interactive session.

In Conversation with... Melissa Adler
Thursday, October 29, 2026
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Scholar's Lab, Weldon Library (ground floor)
Description: Join Western Libraries for In Conversation..., our lunchtime series featuring Western faculty discussing their latest books. Melissa Adler will discuss her book, Peculiar Satisfaction: Thomas Jefferson and the Mastery of Subjects. Moderated by Geoffrey Robert Little, Vice Provost and University Librarian.


Important Dates

- Monday, October 12 - Friday, October 16, 2026 - Fall Reading Week
- Tuesday, October 20, 2026 - Western's Fall Pride Parade (on campus)
- Wednesday, October 21, 2026 - FIMS Faculty Council
- Thursday, October 22, 2026 - FIMS Convocation Ceremony at Canada Life Place (3PM)
- Friday, October 23, 2026 - Senate (1:30 PM, Schmeichel Building)


News & Announcements

Writing for The Conversation - Hybrid Workshop
Looking for support with knowledge mobilization? Join us in person or virtually to learn how to develop a pitch and write a compelling article for a general audience. The Conversation is a daily, independent online publication, delivering analysis and explanatory journalism from experts to a global audience. Academics and researchers work directly with professional editors to educate and inform the public about current affairs and complex issues. Presented by Kim Honey, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Conversation Canada. December 4 from 9-11 AM. Open to faculty members, post docs, PhD and master's students. To reserve your spot in the hybrid workshop please email Media Relations Officer Jacquelyn Mitchell at j.mitchell@uwo.ca and indicate whether you intend to join in person or virtually. Note that in person space is limited.

AI, Health Information, and Healthcare: HEAL at Lunch Starts January 13
Interested in how AI is shaping health information and healthcare? HEAL at Lunch (HAL) is a free, virtual webinar series from Schulich Continuing Professional Development, beginning January 13, 2027. Each one-hour session pairs approximately 30 minutes of learning with 30 minutes of questions and discussion. Faculty, researchers, staff, and healthcare professionals are all welcome—including those exploring the connections between information, technology, and health. No clinical background or prior AI experience is needed. Join the mailing list once to receive session topics, speaker information, and calendar invitations, then attend the sessions that interest you.

Call for Abstracts: Co-Creating Equitable Futures
The Africa Institute at Western is pleased to announce the launch of the Call for Abstracts for the 2027 Canada-Africa Academic Collaborations Conference (CAACC 2027), taking place on February 25-26, 2027. CAACC2027 will bring together researchers, students and trainees, academic leaders, practitioners, policymakers, community partners and collaborators from Africa, Canada and beyond to exchange knowledge and advance equitable, reciprocal and impactful academic collaboration. Learn more about CAACC2027.


Awards & Accomplishments

Daniel Arauz Nuñez, LIS PhD candidate, has been named a Doctoral Research Award Recipient of the 2026 History of Healthcare awards program, hosted by AMS Healthcare. The awards are presented to researchers who "are advancing our understanding of the people, ideas and events that have shaped healthcare and bringing historical perspectives to questions that continue to influence healthcare today." (AMS website) Doctoral Research Awards provide $25,000 to support original scholarship, teaching and public engagement.

Associate Professor Sarah Smith's book Trading on Art: Cultural Diplomacy and Free Trade in North America (UBC Press, 2025) was recognized by the Universities Art Association of Canada with a 2026 Book Award. Professor Smith accepted the award in person at an evening event at Concordia University in Montreal on October 13 (see photo).


Publications & Presentations

Daniel Arauz Nuñez, LIS PhD candidate, gave a presentation titled "Between Hallucination and Divination: The joint history of sensory deprivation experiments and machine learning," at 4S 2026 in Toronto (October 7-10). 

Assistant Professor Chris Arsenault also attended 4S, and participated in the following panel:

Arsenault, C. (2026, October 7–10). Cracking the black box: Investigative journalism as a tool for AI accountability in Canada. In L. Stark (Chair), Critical AI literacy: Power, governance, and social futures 1 [Panel]. Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON, Canada.


Sara Falahatpisheh, Media Studies PhD student, was also onhand at the 4S conference and presented a paper titled "Platform design, surveillance and visibility on social media." Find other FIMS-affiliated researchers who were at 4S by viewing the conference program.

Isobel Flindall (MLIS'26) published a column titled, Canadian Literary Fiction: US Versus Canadian Markets and a Primer on Important Authors in the Fall 2026 edition of RUSQ: A Journal of Reference and User Experience.

Martie Grof-Iannelli, long-time School of Library & Information Science employee who remained with FIMS until 2001, authored a column titled "Catching up with: Martie Grof-Iannelli," published on Librarianship.ca on September 23.


In the Media

Assistant Professor Chris Arsenault made two recent media appearances:

Lewis, S. C., & Mathews, N. (2026, October 6). A study of nonprofit newsrooms reveals some cracks in the model’s foundation. Nieman Lab. https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/a-study-of-nonprofit-newsrooms-reveals-some-cracks-in-the-models-foundation/

Karadeglija, A. (2026, October 3). AI “journalists” start to appear in Canada. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/12086525/ai-journalists-canada/ 


The article discussing AI journalists also appeared on CTV News, in the Toronto Star, and across 75 other news outlets.

Assistant Professor Juan Andrés Bello and his work on The Telenovela Archives was profiled in an article titled "The Telenovela Archives is taking Western to Latin America," published by The Gazette on October 6.

MLIS student Jesse Butler appeared on the CBC Radio show The Bridge on October 3 in a segment titled "Maisonneuve magazine hit over 100 issues. That's a big deal for Canadian literary journalism!".


News from the FIMS Grad Library

OPLW Lunch & Learn | Monday October 19th

Join the Executive Directors of the Ontario Library Association (OLA) and Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL), Michelle Arbuckle and Dina Stevens, for an interactive 'Lunch & Learn' on all things library advocacy. Michelle and Dina are touring the province for Ontario Public Library Week (OPLW) and are bringing the Roadshow to FIMS!

Bring your own lunch and beverage, or have a slice of pizza on us! Lunch from 11:30am-12:15pm ET with the official program running from 12:15pm - 1:00pm ET. Networking, trivia, food, and fun!!

https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/j/95104760132 
N.B. Broadcast from 12:15pm - 1pm ET.

Fall Reading Week Hours

Tuesday - Friday, 10am - 4pm
Saturday, Closed
N.B. Regular hours will resume on Monday, October 19th, 2026.

Next Issue

The FIMS 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.

The next issue of the FIMS Bulletin will be published on Wednesday, October 28. Please submit your items by noon on Tuesday, October 27.