Congratulations to Alia Hijaab and Mina Guan, who were both named Association of Research Libraries’ (ARL) 2025 Kaleidoscope Scholars!
The Kaleidoscope Program is a two-year program designed to remove barriers for graduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in research libraries and archives. The program provides opportunities for professional and career development, mentorship, education support, and relationship building.
Meet UBC School of Information’s 2025 Kaleidoscope Scholars
Alia Hijaab (she/her) is a second-year student in the dual MAS/MLIS program at the University of British Columbia. Her research sits at the intersections of decolonial archival practice, archiving with diasporic communities, and land-based/place-anchored memory, with a particular focus on Arab and Muslim communities. Drawing on a background in media arts and experience across the arts, non-profit, and policy sectors, Alia brings a critical, community-rooted lens to her scholarly work. She is currently working with the South Asian Canadian Digital Archive as a Research and Cataloguing assistant through the UBC FOCAS project and also works as a Humanities and Social Sciences Student Librarian at the Walter C. Koerner Library. She is also Co-President of El Yasmin Community Library, a community library whose focus is on contemporary South-West Asian/North African voices
On becoming a Kaleidoscope Scholar, Alia says: “This scholarship has given me the space and resources to grow into my voice as a researcher and leader in information studies. Arabs are largely underrepresented in our field, and being recognized for community-centered scholarship means I can hopefully open doors for others to follow. For me, that looks like a landscape where SWANA communities are not just served, but are active participants in the shaping of our memory and the preservation of our heritage.”
Mina Guan (she/her) is an aspiring information professional currently pursuing a Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies at UBC. Intentionality, relationships, and care are core values in Mina’s information practice. Her research background in Chinese heritage language maintenance and experiences in various galleries and museums have informed her interests in equitable descriptive metadata, archives and libraries supporting language work, and accessible heritage information. She is currently working as a Community Archives Intern with the FOCAS project, conducting archive feasibility research for Hogan’s Alley Society, a Black-led non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, economic, and cultural well-being of people of African descent in Metro Vancouver.
On becoming a Kaleidoscope Scholar, Mina says: “I am honoured to have received support from the ARL Kaleidoscope Program and the UBC iSchool. Participating in the Program has enabled me to connect with like-minded aspiring librarians and archivists, attend insightful conferences and workshops, and expand my professional and academic network across Canada-US borders.”
