Olenna Hardie
Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS)
2020/21 UBC iSchool MLIS Co-op Student of the Year
Filling the Shoes of a Professional Librarian
In her co-op terms with the Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS) unit of the Koerner Library, Olenna performed nearly the full duties of a professional librarian at UBC. Initially, she served as the liaison librarian for Anthropology, Hispanic and Latin American Studies, and Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice (GRSJ), and later also took on Sociology. She provided research and reference assistance, library instruction, teaching support, and collections development, and also aided in the content identification of two web archiving projects: the Broadway Plan/Corridor redevelopment in Vancouver and the Vancouver Local Election in Fall 2022.
Olenna is praised by her supervisor, Koerner Library’s Interim Head Doug Brigham, for providing crucial support to the understaffed unit. He describes Olenna as “literally, the solution” to their in-person reference service, where she provided support to all calls between September and December. Olenna went above and beyond expectations during her eight-month term at Koerner Library, where she is remembered as a crucial member to the success of the HSS unit.
Applying Workplace Experiences Back to the Classroom
Olenna believes her co-op experience was deeply enhanced by the opportunity to apply, practice, and perform the skills from her coursework in a library setting. For example, she was able to draw upon database searching skills she learned in LIBR 506 to help patrons with their research.
Through the government web archiving project with the UBC Government Publications Librarian, Olenna also discovered her interest in government publications, enrolled in LIBR 533, and through her study, completed a Legal Research Certificate. The progression from co-op to coursework to certification illustrates Olenna’s journey of exploring and pursuing professional development opportunities from her academics and workplace.
Personal and Professional Development
Olenna feels fortunate to have worked as an academic librarian, allowing her to explore various responsibilities. Her co-op work term introduced her to the library setting, expanding her professional development horizon. She discovered interests in reference librarianship, liaison librarianship, and community outreach. Most notably, Olenna sees her growth in confidence as the highlight of her co-op experience, which provided a “rich learning opportunity that has enhanced my studies, career goals, and personal life.”
About the iSchool Co-op Student of the Year Award
The Arts Co-op Program’s Student of the Year Award recognizes two co-op students in UBC iSchool (Library, Archival, and Information Studies). Two annual awards of $1,000 are available: one to a MLIS or dual student (who used their MLIS background on the co-op job) and the other to a MAS or dual student (who used their MAS background on the co-op job).
These annual awards recognize outstanding achievement in all aspects of the UBC iSchool co-op student’s performance, including academics, the workplace, and professional/community involvement.
Olenna Hardie
Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS)
2020/21 UBC iSchool MLIS Co-op Student of the Year
Filling the Shoes of a Professional Librarian
In her co-op terms with the Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS) unit of the Koerner Library, Olenna performed nearly the full duties of a professional librarian at UBC. Initially, she served as the liaison librarian for Anthropology, Hispanic and Latin American Studies, and Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice (GRSJ), and later also took on Sociology. She provided research and reference assistance, library instruction, teaching support, and collections development, and also aided in the content identification of two web archiving projects: the Broadway Plan/Corridor redevelopment in Vancouver and the Vancouver Local Election in Fall 2022.
Olenna is praised by her supervisor, Koerner Library’s Interim Head Doug Brigham, for providing crucial support to the understaffed unit. He describes Olenna as “literally, the solution” to their in-person reference service, where she provided support to all calls between September and December. Olenna went above and beyond expectations during her eight-month term at Koerner Library, where she is remembered as a crucial member to the success of the HSS unit.
Applying Workplace Experiences Back to the Classroom
Olenna believes her co-op experience was deeply enhanced by the opportunity to apply, practice, and perform the skills from her coursework in a library setting. For example, she was able to draw upon database searching skills she learned in LIBR 506 to help patrons with their research.
Through the government web archiving project with the UBC Government Publications Librarian, Olenna also discovered her interest in government publications, enrolled in LIBR 533, and through her study, completed a Legal Research Certificate. The progression from co-op to coursework to certification illustrates Olenna’s journey of exploring and pursuing professional development opportunities from her academics and workplace.
Personal and Professional Development
Olenna feels fortunate to have worked as an academic librarian, allowing her to explore various responsibilities. Her co-op work term introduced her to the library setting, expanding her professional development horizon. She discovered interests in reference librarianship, liaison librarianship, and community outreach. Most notably, Olenna sees her growth in confidence as the highlight of her co-op experience, which provided a “rich learning opportunity that has enhanced my studies, career goals, and personal life.”
About the iSchool Co-op Student of the Year Award
The Arts Co-op Program’s Student of the Year Award recognizes two co-op students in UBC iSchool (Library, Archival, and Information Studies). Two annual awards of $1,000 are available: one to a MLIS or dual student (who used their MLIS background on the co-op job) and the other to a MAS or dual student (who used their MAS background on the co-op job).
These annual awards recognize outstanding achievement in all aspects of the UBC iSchool co-op student’s performance, including academics, the workplace, and professional/community involvement.