Dr. Brenda Chawner is the iSchool’s Visiting Dodson Professor. She is currently teaching INFO 456 Information Policy, and co-teaching LIBR 576 Public Libraries. We caught up with Brenda to ask her more about her research and teaching.
Where are you from?
I received my BA and MLS from the University of Alberta before I moved to New Zealand where I did my PhD. I am currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Information Management at the Victoria University of Wellington.
What made you want to come to the iSchool?
I really wanted to come here because of the people. I’ve met previous directors and professors of the iSchool, and had some distant connections. It is a constant reminder – if you see an opportunity, go for it! You never know where it could lead you.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am working on a few different things at the moment. One is a project I started a while ago, which looks at continuing education for mid-career professionals. For example, if you compare the library/archival profession to others, you’ll see other professions require on-going training or advanced certifications past graduation. But we don’t have anything similar in the information profession. I did a survey with three of my colleagues in New Zealand, which we sent to Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand, and received more than 1,000 responses. It is interesting to see what kind of opportunities there might be here, and while I am in Vancouver I’m continuing to do some interviews and research to compliment the survey.
The other project I am looking at is gathering case studies in the Information Policy area. These case studies are particularly useful in teaching, and help students understand concepts. The various ethical dilemmas you can get into, or that you might face in the field are very helpful for teaching. What would you do in this situation?
Is there anything else you are looking forward to while at the iSchool?
I am also really interested in the First Nations Curriculum Concentration. It relates a bit to what we are doing in Wellington. We are incorporating Indigenous knowledge frameworks into our curriculum. So, it is interesting to see what is being done in other countries – how can we learn, improve what we might be doing, and make things better.
Dr. Chawner will be here until mid-December.
Learn more about her research in New Zealand at her upcoming colloquia on Thursday, November 29.
