I’m a librarian by accident, though I’ve always loved libraries (I discovered library school when looking at law schools). Raised in small town Ontario – Bancroft, Ontario (the Mineral Capital of Canada) to be exact, I attended Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario where I completed a double major in Political Studies and History. After graduating, I spent some time working for a big 5 bank.
I completed a Master of Library and Information Studies degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2010. During my time there, I completed a Reference and Technical Services internship at Dalhousie’s Killam Library and a thesis on the “Pleasure Reading Habits of Undergraduate Students.” I also have certificates in Intercultural Relations and as a Teacher/Trainer for Online Learning.
I began my professional career in 2010, at the Conestoga College Library Resource Centre, where I worked in Circulation and Reserves, becoming the Engineering, IT, Trades & Apprenticeship Liaison in 2011. In 2013, I became the Blended Learning Librarian for the University of Guelph Library. In 2017, I was seconded as the Digital Media Librarian, opening the Library’s new Media Studio. In 2019, I took on a new secondment with Portage (now New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO)) as their Training Coordinator. As of September 2020, I am the Head, Learning & Curriculum Support at the University of Guelph Library.
My research and practice interests include imposter syndrome, digital literacy, educational technology, pleasure reading and visual note-taking.
I blog professionally at “becoming blended” (here) and personally at “what the librarian wore” (here).
Melanie Parlette-Stewart 