Freshly Minted: Myles Browne

October 18, 2021

Master of Information Studies (MISt) Student, School of Information Studies, McGill University

Which information studies program are you attending?

The Master of Information Studies Program (MISt) at McGill University.

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

As I am in my second year, my mandatory classes are completed and I have free choice with my classes now. I am currently taking Law Information, Information Policy, Digital Media, and Preservation Management.

Law Information is my favorite class so far as it is certainly the most useful and interesting. It is a blend of government and legal information, which equipes me with advanced knowledge of resources and databases from around the world. Just recently, I was tasked with finding a codified bill from 1923 in the United States. It is a challenging, yet rewarding class.

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

Technology runs our world and this very much applies to our profession.

I, as with many others, gravitated towards the physical material that surrounds our profession. I love rare books and documents, however the bulk of the work we perform involves technology. In some circumstances, the scanning, the metadata, the systems, and the digital curation are more pertinent than the actual items themselves.

In almost every aspect of the profession, we must think about technology in-depth which surprised me.

What was it that initially drove you to librarianship?

I was always obsessed with rows and rows of collections so this was the original interest. My liaison librarians at my undergraduate university were some of the most interesting and helpful people there which sparked more of my interest for the profession.

Librarians hold some of the best knowledge our society can provide to all of us, and the stewardship aspect of the profession drew me in.

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

I fell in love with government information. My dream job would be to work in a legislative setting, surrounded by historic government information. I would love to help the general public better understand the democratic process through reference, research, and programs. Likewise, assisting members of parliament and other government officials perform their work is another dream of mine.

If someone were considering going to information studies, what would you advise them about?

Have an open mind!

I initially came into information studies solely focused on archives which isn’t my main interest anymore. One of the best and most rewarding aspects of this field is how dynamic and varied it can be. Although me and my colleagues are all going to walk away with the same degree, our skill-sets are varied with some being experts in public libraries while some are incredible data scientists.

This program is definitely what you make of it, and I would advise anyone to take classes outside of their comfort zone because you never know what will interest you.

On a more practical note, make sure to get experience in the field you want to work in before and during your time in the program!

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

Our world is moving at such an incredibly fast-moving pace, which means the amount of information we have at our disposal is more than ever before. Information professionals’ task is multi-faceted, as we have to make information accessible and clear for all of us.

The most important aspect of this profession today is balancing biases and deciding the importance of some information over others. We will always have to decide what information we want and do not want to make available. Creating systems that maintain all of the information available to us is an impossible task, due to the sheer volume and due to the prevalence of disinformation and misinformation in the world.