We recently met with Shirley Lew (MLIS ’99) to chat about having a non-linear career path, her book recommendations, and what being the Dean of School of Arts & Sciences at Vancouver Community College is like.
This interview was edited for clarity.
What was your path to deciding to pursue an MLIS at UBC School of Information?
The seed was planted early when I was a library monitor in elementary school, where I discovered my love of reading (and checking out) books. Years later after dropping out of university, I worked as a bookseller at a local independent bookstore. I loved bookselling, but after five years at minimum wage, I decided to return to UBC to finish my degree.
While on campus, I ran into a former co-worker from the bookstore in front of the Main Library (now the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre). She looked unhappy and very stressed. I asked her if she was okay, and she said no, she was in her first term of library school [the MLIS program]. As soon as she said library school, it was like a thunderbolt hit me and I realized that it was what I needed to do. Two years later, I finished my undergraduate degree and immediately went into the MLIS program. As warned, the first term was awful but it got better after that!
After you finished your MLIS, you became the first-ever Student Services Coordinator here, which is now called the Educational Services Manager. How did you go from graduating from the MLIS program into this role?
My career has not been linear, so it really was just an opportunity that came up while I was working at a public library. At that time, I also started teaching advanced information retrieval and library automation courses as an adjunct instructor in the MLIS program at UBC. Lots of things were changing quickly in libraries, particularly due to technology, the open source movement, and the corporatization of proprietary databases and platforms. I also felt that the curriculum of the MLIS program and the demographic of people the profession was attracting did not mirror the diverse communities we were serving. I saw the Student Services Coordinator as a way of supporting change and growth of our profession.
Do you feel like you were able to enact change in the Student Services Coordinator role like you wanted to? How do you reflect on that time of your life?
Yes, this role was a meaningful and very fulfilling part of my career. A significant aspect of the job was operational but thinking back, it was the conversations I had with prospective students who were interested in our MLIS and MAS programs that stayed with me. These conversations gave me the opportunity to talk about what libraries and archives mean and what we do that often ignited the imagination of students, who hold the future of our professions in their hands. These conversations were such a privilege.
What do you think the library profession is about?
It’s so cliché, but I think libraries play a key role in a democratic society by ensuring equal access to information for everyone. It’s easy to say but the notions of equity, access, for everyone are not easy to achieve in the truest sense of their meaning.
Now that you’re the Dean of School of Arts & Sciences at Vancouver Community College (VCC), how do you bring your library and information studies background into this current role?
The MLIS provides such a generalist grounding and is applicable in all sorts of contexts, so I feel I use the skills and knowledge all the time. It provides a systemic way of thinking that applies well to the academic sector. I feel fortunate to work at an institution like VCC, as their values of access, inclusion, and meeting students where they are, resonate with the values we uphold in libraries.
What do you do as a Dean of a post-secondary institution?
That’s such a good question. It’s a weird role – there’s no school for deans!
The unsatisfying answer is that I am an administrator of a wide range of programs that are grouped under the School of Arts & Sciences. It’s my job to oversee academic programs that fulfill the mandate issued by the Ministry, meet curriculum standards, are consistent with VCC’s mission and values, and most importantly, are relevant to students.
In our current reality, these programs must also be financially sustainable which is enormously challenging. For me, the leadership aspect of being a dean is making difficult decisions about what is a priority when everything feels equally critical and important. Our school has programs for students looking to upgrade, to learn English, to gain skills for those who are Deaf, have visual impairments, to those wishing to enter university or to pursue their passion in music and dance. All of these students in our programs are equally deserving of education and opportunity, and a lot of my job is ensuring they do.
Do you have any advice for current iSchool students or recent graduates?
Trust your gut – you’ll know when something is right or not right for you in a job or career decision. Find your people in the community, create something together that makes the library world better, and go back to them and do it again. Take care of yourself.
Shirley’s book recommendation, as a former bookseller and eternal book lover:
Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro: This is a sentimental pick as I was reading it while applying for library school. It’s a story about so many things but my takeaway at the time was using language in service of our true self if we have a hope of living a fulfilled and happy life.
