Nicole Kapphahn
Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies
What were Nicole’s main responsibilities and most significant accomplishments?
Nicole’s main responsibilities included managing the Special Collections Twitter account and various projects, and processing back-logged materials by using tools such as Access-to-Memory (AtoM).For one of her projects, she curated an 18thcentury French literature exhibition highlighting books from the Alexander Sokalski Collection. She considers this to be one of her most significant accomplishments, as she saw this project to completion. She also wrote and published online Record Information Briefs] about searching the Directory of Records, which people across the entire university will use.
What connections did she make between the MLIS/ MAS programs and this position?
Through this experience, Nicole was able to conclude that theory isn’t just academic and is actually being used in the workplace. When it came to using her academic studies, she drew on both the MLIS and MAS programs. For example, she points out that the “discussions surrounding ‘more product, less process’ are ongoing and everyone has their own opinion—connecting the theoretical to the practical.” . However, her knowledge gained from her MAS program was equally as important: the “archive mentality” came into play, and she used her organizational and contextual understandings from her MAS coursework extensively.
How has doing co-op at a university the size of the University of Victoria benefitted her?
Nicole describes this co-op experience as “richer and more varied than past work experiences.” She explains that her position was geared towards learning, and her supervisor actively set up learning opportunities for her and encouraged her to do the same for herself. As a result, she gained much more out of this position than she had in positions in which she was expected to do mundane tasks. The tight-knit community at UVic was interesting for Nicole, because she felt it was the perfect size— small enough to observe and learn about various parts of the academic library setting, while big enough to see how a large academic bureaucracy works.
How will this experience benefit Nicole post-graduation?
Nicole is confident that this experience will greatly benefit her after graduation— it has been an excellent experience not only for building practical skills, but also for networking. Her coworkers and supervisors at the University of Victoria have been very friendly and supportive and are well-connected to the Canadian archival community at large.
Nicole Kapphahn
Master of Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies
What were Nicole’s main responsibilities and most significant accomplishments?
Nicole’s main responsibilities included managing the Special Collections Twitter account and various projects, and processing back-logged materials by using tools such as Access-to-Memory (AtoM).For one of her projects, she curated an 18thcentury French literature exhibition highlighting books from the Alexander Sokalski Collection. She considers this to be one of her most significant accomplishments, as she saw this project to completion. She also wrote and published online Record Information Briefs] about searching the Directory of Records, which people across the entire university will use.
What connections did she make between the MLIS/ MAS programs and this position?
Through this experience, Nicole was able to conclude that theory isn’t just academic and is actually being used in the workplace. When it came to using her academic studies, she drew on both the MLIS and MAS programs. For example, she points out that the “discussions surrounding ‘more product, less process’ are ongoing and everyone has their own opinion—connecting the theoretical to the practical.” . However, her knowledge gained from her MAS program was equally as important: the “archive mentality” came into play, and she used her organizational and contextual understandings from her MAS coursework extensively.
How has doing co-op at a university the size of the University of Victoria benefitted her?
Nicole describes this co-op experience as “richer and more varied than past work experiences.” She explains that her position was geared towards learning, and her supervisor actively set up learning opportunities for her and encouraged her to do the same for herself. As a result, she gained much more out of this position than she had in positions in which she was expected to do mundane tasks. The tight-knit community at UVic was interesting for Nicole, because she felt it was the perfect size— small enough to observe and learn about various parts of the academic library setting, while big enough to see how a large academic bureaucracy works.
How will this experience benefit Nicole post-graduation?
Nicole is confident that this experience will greatly benefit her after graduation— it has been an excellent experience not only for building practical skills, but also for networking. Her coworkers and supervisors at the University of Victoria have been very friendly and supportive and are well-connected to the Canadian archival community at large.