Freshly Minted: Gabryelle Iaconetti

April 10, 2018

MISt Student, School of Information Studies, McGill University

Which information studies program are you attending?

I’m currently in the MISt (Master of Information Studies) program at McGill University.

What are your current classes like? Which is your favorite so far, and why?

My classes ended a few days ago, but this semester I took Digital Curation, Metadata & Access, Archival Principles & Practice, and Information Search Evaluation.

My favourites were Digital Curation and Archival Principles.

Is there one aspect of the profession that surprises you that you were not expecting when you started the program? What is it?

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of activism and social justice that has become pertinent to the profession over the last few years, especially in archives.

What was it that initially drove you to librarianship?

To be honest, I am more inclined towards archives than I am to librarianship, but I still love learning about that aspect of the field. I spent a lot of time in libraries as a child, with my nose buried in books, which made me appreciate the pursuit of knowledge as well as reading for pleasure. I currently work in a public library and it never ceases to amaze me how important it is to have this institution in society because it provides a place for people to learn and enrich their lives.

If you could work anywhere, and do anything with information, what would your dream job look like?

I would love to work for a history museum (in either a library or an archive), or even Library and Archives Canada.

If someone were considering going to library school, what would you advise them about?

Be prepared to learn more than what you initially thought you would! I thought that spending time in libraries gave me a pretty good idea of how they operate, but I’m learning something new every day about librarianship and what a vital role it is in education and learning. Also, really consider and take time to do your work. Being an information professional is hard work, and we should take pride in that work.

What do you think is the most important aspect of being an information professional today?

Access and having many outlets and resources that inform about all aspects of life and society. We cannot stick to only a few socially accepted narratives. The more we know and educate about things that others may not be familiar with, the better!