New Librarians Symposium

2018 Real Talk Panelists

Steph is a news researcher in Editorial Research at The Globe and Mail, where she helps reporters, editors, and other newsroom staff obtain and make sense of a wide variety of information across an extensive range of research service. She has been a researcher behind numerous stories over the past 9 years, including serial murderer and disgraces former Colonel Russell Williams, the killing of Tina Fontaine, an investigation of allegations of insider trading in the online gambling industry, the Unfounded series investigating the police handling of sexual assault cases, and the ongoing case of the alleged serial murder Bruce McArthur. Steph was co-editor and contributor of the anthology Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer (Coach House Books, 2017) and for the past four years has co-instructed the course Investigative Journalism in Humber College’s Bachelor of Journalism degree program. She can be found primarily creeping but occasionally posting on Twitter @hoserlibrarian.

Nicole didn’t start out in libraries, but her curiosity in science (BSc in Agriculture) and penchant for technology (Computer Engineering Technology Diploma) eventually led her to Library and Information Studies. After working at the University of Alberta Libraries, she realized that libraries were her jam and completed her MLIS at the University of Alberta. Nicole is the Assistant Director of Bruce County Public Library.

Lisa has worked as an academic librarian for most of her career – first as a Librarian Intern at the University of New Brunswick, then as the Information Literacy Coordinator at the University of Windsor, and since 2004 she’s been at York University where she has served in a variety of roles. Her career has been based in teaching, collections development and faculty liaison work. In 2013, Lisa decided to challenge herself and begin a PhD in Social and Political Thought at York University, where she took courses in feminist theory, digital humanities, memory studies and modernity, all leading up to her comprehensive examinations in the fields of archival theory and critical librarianship. She is currently working on a dissertation which examines the affective labour of academic librarians in relation to broader sociopolitical questions of knowledge production and collective memory work, with a view towards filling in some gaps in conversations outside of LIS around theories (and practices) of the archive which generally misunderstand the word archive and ignore the material contributions of both archivists and librarians. Consequently, she spends a lot of time staring at the ceiling although she also occasionally indulges in some hardcore fist shaking.

In this role, Aly is responsible for developing and supporting literacy services at the Toronto Public Library, as well as volunteer management for the system. He also oversees TPL’s services to vulnerable populations, including enhancements to the programs and services and development of new and innovative way to reach vulnerable customers. Adding to his many years of public library experience, Aly is a recent library school graduate and is excited about discovering new ways to connect and make an impact on the communities that he serves. You can connect with Aly on twitter at @alyvTO.