No. 447 - February 18, 2020


Coming Events


Workshop Wednesdays in the FIMS Graduate Library
Every Wednesday
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
FIMS Graduate Library, Reading Room and Maker Space
Looking for help on mending something but don't know how? Looking for techniques on how to fix up a damaged item? Thinking of repurposing an item and need some guidance? Bring your items and let's learn how to fix/upgrade them! The aim of these fix-it sessions are:

1) Environmental & Sustainability: Mending objects keeps them out of the landfill – It's increasing reuse and reducing purchasing!
2) Health & Wellness: Mindful mending can be meditative. It is good mental practice to learn and exercise new skills. We also aim to build community and togetherness within and without the FIMS community through regular meeting.
3) Economic & Political: Many students are in financially precarious situations. Extending the life of necessary items can help lessen our financial burden. Right to repair legislation is currently being proposed in the Canadian federal government. Building knowledge about repairs helps improve community sustainability.

Here is a partial list of possible mends that could be learned in a 1-hour mending circle session. Email scornwel@uwo.ca if you have questions or ideas to add to the list!

FIMSWrites Retreat: Winter Edition
February 19, 20, 21, 2020
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
FNB 4110
Snacks and coffee provided (contributions welcome!)
The FIMSWrites Writers' Retreat provides a dedicated time and space for intensive writing/working. Participating in the retreat can help you make significant progress in your dissertation, assignments, and (hopefully) help establish good writing habits that will enable you to meet future objectives. By providing you with a comfortable, encouraging, and distraction-free space, this is an opportunity to remove yourself from daily distractions and time demands to focus exclusively on writing (or whatever you need to work on.)

What it is: A group of people sitting silently together working on individual writing projects, with a short coffee, snack, and socializing break in the middle.
What it's not: A writing tutorial or workshop.
Who is this for: FIMS graduate students, staff, instructors, & faculty, and any other FIMS member who may need some focused/quiet time to work.
How it works: For three consecutive mornings (February 19, 20 and 21), FNB 4110 will be open from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.

For more information, please email lola.wong@uwo.ca. FIMSWrites sessions continue every Thursday morning, 9am- 12pm, in FNB 4110.

"Knowing Machines: Machine Information Behaviour"
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
FNB 4070
Presented by Michael Ridley, PhD candidate, Western University, and Postgraduate Affiliate, Vector Institute.
Abstract: Algorithmic decision-making systems are ubiquitous, powerful, sometimes opaque, often invisible, and, most importantly, consequential in our everyday lives. Knowing Machines is an investigation of the information behaviour (IB) of intelligent machines (machines that know) by exploring the nature of those machines, their processes, and the context within which they operate (knowing about machines). Continue reading.

"Filtered In/Filtered Out: Locative Media and Social Accessibility in Urban Spaces"
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
FNB 4110
Presented by Darryl Pieber, PhD in Media Studies candidate.
Responses from Vicki O'Meara and Charlotte Nau.
Abstract: Social accessibility involves the capacity of a person to be reached by other people, typically through established social networks. Locative media provide new complications to the issue of social accessibility in urban spaces. They do not connect people with their existing social networks, but rather with people—often strangers—immediately around them (continue reading).

Research Ethics Workshop: "Conducting research with or about human subjects"
Thursday, February 27, 2020
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
FNB 4130
Are you considering a Guided Research Project, a Major Research Project or starting your thesis research next term? If your research involves collecting data for or about people, attendance at this human research ethics workshop is required before submitting any Guided Research, Major Research or thesis research proposal for the Summer 2020 term. You can also attend if you're considering a research project in a subsequent term, though the same workshop will be offered in the Summer 2020 and Fall 2020 terms. If you have already received ethics approval for your research/data collection, attendance is not required.

"Researching Canadian business news through translation: debt, austerity and victims"
Thursday, February 27, 2020
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
FNB 4110
A talk by Pier-Pascale Boulanger, Concordia University, with a response by Melissa Adler, Western University.
Abstract: Translation is a point of entry for studying how social groups and topics are represented in the press. Investigating translation in a large bilingual corpus provides insight into the way anglophone and francophone journalists frame and explain economics and finance for large audiences. With Chantal Gagnon (associate professor at Université de Montréal), we look at the words “debt”, “austerity” and “victim” to see whether narratives converge or diverge when anglophone and francophone stories are set side by side and contrasted.

This talk is sponsored by the Rogers Chair in Journalism and New Media and Debt, Austerity & the Media.

FIMS, Arts, Education, Law, Ivey, Music, Social Science 3MT Heat
Friday, February 28, 2020
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
IGAB 1N05
Doctoral students from all faculties are encouraged to give the 3MT a try, as it aims to build research communication skills. Registration deadline is Friday, February 22. For more information, visit the 3MT website.

Save the Date: Zine Fiends Workshop
Thursday March 5, 2020
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
FNB 3020 D&E
Join us for a workshop about zines from the Zine Fiends themselves. Zine (rhymes with 'queen') Fiends is a zine club based out of London, Ontario. Through monthly meetings, drink n' draws, and anthology projects, Zine Fiends represents a growing community of zinemakers and zine enthusiasts based in the Forest City. You'll hear a short history of zines, including aspects of radical and zine librarianship and get hands-on experience making a zine out of a single piece of paper! Sign up in the library or email fimslib@uwo.ca. See the poster (pdf).


Important Dates


- Monday, February 17 - Friday, February 21, 2020 - Reading Week/MLIS Research Week



News & Announcements


Media Girlfriends Scholarship
This scholarship offers $7000 for two young women* in journalism, communications, media, or tech.
Open to: *women/non-binary folks, ages 17-30. This scholarship is for Canadian students studying journalism, communications, media or tech. One scholarship will be awarded to a high school student entering a program, the other to a student already enrolled in a college or university program.
Requirements: Essay, letter of recommendation, resume. Write a personal essay up to 500 words on what you hope to achieve working in media. Provide one letter of recommendation, highlighting your school work and extracurricular activities, and a recent resume or biography highlighting your student activities, hobbies, and/or related media experience.
Application Deadeline: April 30, 2020. More info at mediagirlfriends.com, or search ScholarTree.ca.

Listening session for Anti-Racism Working Group - one session remains
The campus community will have an opportunity to offer input into the university’s anti-racism efforts as part of a series of listening sessions scheduled for February. Final session is Wednesday, Feb. 19 from 5-7 p.m. in the atrium of the International & Graduate Affairs Building (IGAB). More information can be found online.

Professor Pam McKenzie launches research survey
Are you an adult living in the province of Ontario? Do you have opinions about public libraries? Whether you are a public library user, non-user, or staff member we invite you to participate in a study ranking and categorizing a set of 30 statements about the value of public libraries. Interested? https://participant.groupwisdom.tech/project/750/sorting-rating



Awards & Accomplishments


Ramon Diab, PhD in LIS candidate, successfully defended his thesis titled, "The General Artificial Intellect," on Friday, February 7, 2020.

Arthur McClelland, MLS'84, received a 2020 Mayor of London Honour. Honoured in the Heritage Category, McClelland was lauded for his tireless promotion of historical events that have taken place in London. For more than six years, he has organized joint trips of Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (London Branch) where he gives a detailed history of villages and hamlets in Middlesex and surrounding counties. McClelland, who is continually asked to speak at history societies of the county and outside the county of Middlesex, has an expertise so vast that the City of London has often asked him for information about a building or history of a specific area.



Publications & Presentations


Zahra Khozema, MMJC'19, published the intensely personal article, "I underwent FGM. It doesn't define me," on the broadview.org website on February 5, 2020.

Professor Anabel Quan-Haase published the following article:

Hoang, L., Blank, G., & Quan-Haase, A. (2020). The Winners and Losers of the Platform Economy: Who participates and why? Information, Communication & Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1720771

Hannah Sung, current FIMS Asper Fellow, published the column "Read. Watch. Listen. with Hannah Sung," in Western News on February 10, 2020. 



In the Media


Professor Sharon Sliwinski was featured in a Western News article titled, "Migrants speak in many ways through project," published on February 12, 2020.

Hannah Sung, current FIMS Asper Fellow, is featured in a Western News article titled, "Asper Fellow eyes nuance, context in knee-jerk world," published on February 14, 2020.


Additional Activities of Note


Welcome to Ellis Jones, visiting postdoctoral fellow
FIMS welcomes Ellis Jones, visiting postdoctoral fellow from the University of Oslo. Ellis will be working primarily with Professor Matt Stahl and will be in London until January 2021. He's eager to meet his new graduate colleagues, and has a particular interest in chatting with people about in popular music, new media, and cultural production. More about Ellis' research interests can be found on his online bio. Feel free to reach out to him at his Western email: ejone29@uwo.ca.

Effie Sapuridis, Media Studies PhD student, is the new Reviews Editor for the Journal of Fandom Studies.


News from the FIMS Graduate Library


We are open during research / reading week (closed Family Day)
The library will be open regular hours during reading week: Tuesday-Thursday 8:30am-7pm Friday 8:30am-5pm and Saturday 1-5pm

Zine Fiends: A Workshop
Date: Thursday March 5, 2020
Time: 12-1pm
Location: FNB 3020 D&E

Join us for a workshop about zines from the Zine Fiends themselves. Zine (rhymes with 'queen') Fiends is a zine club based out of London, Ontario. Through monthly meetings, drink n' draws, and anthology projects, Zine Fiends represents a growing community of zinemakers and zine enthusiasts based in the Forest City. You'll hear a short history of zines, including aspects of radical and zine librarianship and get hands-on experience making a zine out of a single piece of paper! Sign up in the library or email fimslib@uwo.ca. See the poster (pdf).


News from your LIS SOGS Rep


SOGS Annual General Meeting - Feb 27, MC 110, 6pm
A SOGS General Meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, February 27, 6:00 pm in Middlesex College, Room 110. All SOGS members (graduate students) are welcome to attend.

*** You will need to bring your WesternOne student card. It will be required at sign in. ***

A package will be sent to members via email in advance of the meeting with an agenda and any relevant documents. Members wishing to submit motions, reports, or other materials for inclusion in the package should send them to speaker@sogs.ca by 4:00 pm EST on Tuesday, February 18, 2020.

Any member who is unable to attend the meeting may assign their vote to another SOGS member who will be in attendance with the fully completed proxy form. Each voting member in attendance may hold two proxies.
If you have questions about the meeting, feel free to contact the Speaker at speaker@sogs.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 bblue@uwo.ca.

The next issue of the FIMS Graduate Bulletin will be published on Monday, March 2. The deadline for submissions is noon on Friday, February 28, 2020.