ARST 596 – Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Organization
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Address
520 East 1st Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5T 0H2
Canada
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Supervising Librarian/Archivist
Name: Kristy Waller
Email: kwaller@ecuad.ca
Purpose of the project:
The purpose of this project is to appraise, arrange and describe the Libby Leshgold Gallery fonds in order to make it available for researchers. The Libby Leshgold Gallery is a public art gallery dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art. Located within Emily Carr University of Art + Design on Great Northern Way, the Gallery serves a broad and varied community that includes the students, faculty and staff of the University, the arts community, the public of Greater Vancouver, and visitors from around the world. Previously the Charles H. Scott Gallery, named for the first principal of the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr University of Art + Design), the gallery became the Libby Leshgold Gallery in the Fall of 2017 when the school moved to the Great Northern Way Campus. The Gallery was opened in 1980 when the University relocated to its previous location on Granville Island and has hosted an impressive array of artists and exhibitions.
We are very much looking forward to having these materials available for researchers.
The project will provide an opportunity for a student to work on an ongoing arrangement and description project. The project will include appraisal of the physical materials, contributing to the arrangement of the fonds, writing RAD compliant descriptions and re-housing archival materials. The descriptions will be uploaded to our AtoM site. The work will happen on campus with the possibility for some remote work.
Summary of activities required to carry out the project:
Orientation and project layout:
- Orientation to the ECU Library/Archives
- Systems/standards training
- Familiarization with the Libby Leshgold Gallery fonds
- CSV/AtoM training and overview
Arrangement and description:
- High level inventory and assessment of the fonds
- Appraisal of physical materials in consultation with the Archivist
- Creation of an arrangement plan based on original order and functional analysis
- Creation of RAD descriptions including fonds level, series and file level descriptions and a biographical sketch
- Re-housing and assigning identifiers, allocating locations to boxes during description process.
Documentation of process and next steps:
- Writing a document to report on work completed
- Compiling recommendations for next steps if not completed
Expectations of the end result of the project, for both host and student:
By the end of the project, we hope to have more of the the physical materials that are a part of the Libby Leshgold Gallery fonds appraised, arranged, and described, including re-housing and new box locations. The fonds is quite large, and it is unlikely to be completed in 120 hours, therefore we would ask for a document including recommendations for next steps; materials left to be arranged and described; and documentation (including key decisions) of the work completed so far.
The student would gain arrangement and description experience, including understanding the complexities surrounding arrangement decisions, contextualization, and description challenges. The student will be able to assist with planning requirements around access and preservation of the materials. The student will gain experience working with artists archives, and how they may differ from other kinds of records.
Time periods in which the project could be supervised:
- Winter Term 2 (January – April)
- Summer Session, Term 1 (May – June)
Is there a deadline by which the project must be completed?
There is no firm deadline.
Considering the project requirements, please suggest suitable coursework as pre-requisite or co-requisite:
Can be pre-requisites or co-requisites:
- ARST 515 Arrangement & Description of Archival Materials
- ARST 587 Preservation
Application deadline: Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.
LIBR 596 – Landmark Real Estate Management
Organization
Landmark Real Estate Management
Address
This is a remote position.
Supervising Librarian/Archivist
Name: Emileigh Kinnear
Purpose of the project:
It is widely acknowledged that there is a widespread and increasingly urgent crisis of housing affordability. It is equally clear that the current way of responding to the crisis is not producing meaningful results, while the problem is worsening.
In response to the crisis, political leaders across the country have passed a variety of regulation to try and address the issue. However, elected officials frequently pass regulations without a clear understanding of the intricacies of the industry, the convoluted existing regulations, or in-depth quality research of how the policies they are proposing will actually play out in practice. In essence they are guessing, and hope for the best in a landscape where the results of their regulations may take years to show effect.
At the same time, costs that affect the price of housing have exploded out of proportion to inflation. These factors include property taxes, property insurance (in part due to climate disasters), construction costs, labor supply, and regulatory compliance. Many of the regulations passed into law are essentially unfunded mandates that increase regulatory compliance cost, and force landlords to pass those increased costs on to tenants. Privately funded housing developers and housing providers are finding it increasingly difficult to justify investment to increase housing stock when the profit margins are shrinking, in an industry where regulation is increasingly complex, costs are ballooning, and where legal statute often limits revenue increases that could offset the increased costs. While tax credits are offered as an incentive to build affordable housing, typically the costs of regulatory compliance far exceed the tax credit, disincentivizing investment in low-income housing. Additionally, the federal government in the US passed regulation limiting the total number of public housing units decades ago (Faircloth Amendment), and has instead been relying on a voucher system whose budget and oversight is determined by the whims of congress.
Typically those in the housing industry point to the root cause of the crises being increased costs, while the number of new dwellings built is far exceeded by population growth. Even in existing buildings, increased costs make decreasing rents impossible. Essentially, housing providers feel that it’s not increasing profit margins driving the prices up, but increasing costs and insufficient supply. The disparate interests of political officials and housing providers often put them into an adversarial position that does not produce productive collaboration or meaningful results.
The purpose of this project is for an experienced researcher to create a body of academically rigorous research from a variety of sources in order to better support the development of meaningful policy. A body of research that can be shared with industry leaders and organizations, as well as local, state and national elected officials. In other words, provide good supporting evidence of effective policy to the people who have the best chance of making changes that will ease the housing affordability crisis. The hope is that with sufficient supporting evidence readily available and meaningfully organized, we can foster collaborative work between industry, politicians, tenants and homeowners.
Summary of activities required to carry out the project:
This particular project would include the following activities:
- Design an organization methodology to store the research materials in PDF form so that they can be easily shared with both political staff and industry leaders who otherwise might not have the know-how to access them. Obtain permissions as necessary.
- Conduct a literature review and collect a variety of materials that examine different policies and practices that have been tried across the US and Canada, and the results of those policies. Sources from other countries are also of interest, but materials with repeatable policies should be prioritized.
- Produce an annotated bibliography, organized by topic. Topics would include categories such as:
- Rent Control
- Middle Housing & Starter Homes
- Fee Regulation and the Effects
- Tenant Protection Ordinances – Results Orientated
- Transitional Housing Programs (Homelessness, Rapid Rehousing)
- Short Term Eviction Prevention Programs
- Public Housing
- Housing Voucher Programs
- Housing Development (Market Housing and Affordable Housing)
- Non-Traditional Housing – Tiny Homes, Co-living etc.
- Disincentives to Development of Built to Own Homes
- Reducing Development Costs – Make it cheaper to build.
- B&O Taxes on Rent
Expectations of the end result of the project, for both host and student:
The Student will produce an organized body of research with annotated bibliography, summaries, and the supporting materials saved into a static digital file. The organization methodology should be documented so the work can be updated in future as needed. They should consult with the Host on the full list of topic categories. At the conclusion of the project the Student should advise the Host on whether in their judgement additional research resources would significantly expand the body of research materials. It is acceptable for the Student to write research papers on the topic for other coursework, as this project proposes to collect information to be shared for the common good.
The Host can provide guidance on broad topics, industry perspective, and connections to other industry professionals for a variety of perspectives. There is potentially the opportunity to conduct in depth interviews from people in a variety of roles in industry and politics, though this cannot be guaranteed.
Time periods in which the project could be supervised:
- Winter Term 1 (September – December)
- Winter Term 2 (January – April)
- Summer Session, Term 1 (May – June)
- Summer Session, Term 2 (July – August)
Is there a deadline by which the project must be completed?
No deadline.
Considering the project requirements, please suggest suitable coursework as pre-requisite or co-requisite:
Some interest in any of the following:
- Information Behaviour (generally)
- LIBR 514G Record Systems in Digital Environments
- LIBR 532 Science and Technology Information Sources & Services
- LIBR 533 Legal Information Sources & Services
- LBR 574 Project Management in Information Organizations
- LIBR 580 Collection Management
- LIBR 581 Digital Libraries
Application deadline: Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.
LIBR 596 – UBC Library
Organization
UBC Library
Address
Woodward Library
2198 Health Sciences Mall
Vancouver, BC V5T 3K1
Canada
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Supervising Librarian/Archivist
Name: Helen Brown
Email: helen.l.brown@ubc.ca
Purpose of the project:
UBC Library is a member of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and will start the SLI Certification Program in January 2026 led by the UBC Library Climate Action Team (L#CAT).
The purpose of the project will be to work through actions in the certification process with L#CAT members. The project will entail planning, data gathering and reporting, and engaging with specific actions (see summary of activities below for details). Throughout the project, L#CAT will have support from an SLI mentor, monthly meet-ups with other libraries, and access to online resources.
Please note:
Sally Taylor will co-supervise the project with Helen Brown.
While the project will require some on-site attendance during regular business hours, remote work is an option, and hours are fairly flexible.
Summary of activities required to carry out the project:
Project planning: Since the project starts in January, time will be spent initially to attend an onboarding meeting with SLI, read through the materials, and work with key members to create a plan for L#CAT.
Data gathering and reporting: We anticipate that some action items in the certification program may require gathering existing data from UBC sources such as Campus and Community Planning (e.g. for an overview of greenhouse gas emissions, see: CAP2030 Dashboard). Other items may be actions that UBC Library is already doing (e.g. repair café, climate book lists, pen recycling) and could be reported for the certification process.
Engaging with specific actions: As part of the certification process, L#CAT will identify, prioritize, and implement actions. This will provide an opportunity for the student to collaborate with L#CAT members to plan and deliver specific actions.
Potential actions include:
- Create a biodiversity guide
- Create book lists
- Plan and deliver an event related to air travel
- Plan and deliver a repair cafe
- Plan and deliver an event for L#CAT members related to well-being
- Conduct research on AI and the impact on climate and the environment
- Review the UBC Indigenous Strategic Plan for alignment with library climate goals
SLI resources: UBC Library has been assigned to a mentor who will provide guidance and advice on the certification process. In addition, we will have access to monthly meet-ups with other member libraries, and access to online resources, including recorded webinars.
Expectations of the end result of the project, for both host and student:
Host will have student support to get started on the certification program. Anticipated outcomes:
- Project plan
- Data related to the library’s environmental impacts and resource use
- Completion of specific actions (dependent on student interest and library priorities)
Student will gain experience or knowledge in the following areas:
- Project management
- Working in teams
- Grant writing
- Data reporting
- Climate actions in libraries
Time periods in which the project could be supervised:
- Winter Term 2 (January – April)
- Summer Term 1 (May – June)
Is there a deadline by which the project must be completed?
We expect that the SLI certification will take 1-2 years. The student will be able to contribute to activities that occur during the period of the professional experience.
Considering the project requirements, please suggest suitable coursework as pre-requisite or co-requisite:
It is not a pre-requisite but the professional experience may be of interest to students who have completed LIBR 569S The Information Worlds of Climate Justice.
Application deadline: January 5, 2026