• Hello! I'm a doctoral candidate in the Faculty of Health, Arts, and Design at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. My supervisors are Professor Lisa Given and Dr. Kim Thompson.

       

      I share highlights on this page. For more complete information, please view my CV.

       

      I study people's experiences with information in everyday life. I'm intrigued by how our bodies play a part in our information experiences. In my thesis research, I work with people to create video and other forms of data capturing everyday food activities and the information practices within them.

       

      I also work as a librarian at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

       

      Coming up:

      • I'll be offering a talk called "Engaging student bodies: ideas for embodied information literacy learning" at MacEwan University's annual IL Palooza symposium in Edmonton, April 24. Registration is free!

       

      I'd be happy to hear from you! spolkinghorne@swin.edu.au

    • Publications

       

        My recent publications include:

        • Interviews that attend to emplacement: the "walk through" method. (2017). Winner of the award for Best Paper Overall at The Warp & Weft of Knowledge: Information Threads Connecting Disciplines, Identities, and Perspectives: The 45th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science. Toronto, Canada. With Lisa M. Given and Lauren Carlson. [Link]

        • Critical consciousness and search: an introductory visualization. In N. Pagowsky & K. McElroy (Eds.), Critical library pedagogy handbook. Chicago: American Library Association. [Link]

        • Unpacking and overcoming 'edutainment' in library instruction. (2015). In the Library with the Lead Pipe. [Link] [open-reviewed]

      • Presentations

         

          Recent presentations include:

          • Bodies of knowledge: what studying embodiment can teach us about teaching (2018, March). A keynote in the annual Ashton Lecture Series, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
          • Connecting information behaviour with the senses. (2017, November). A guest lecture for Information Users and Uses, a course in the Department of Library and Information Studies, University at Buffalo.

          • Against the wind: Challenges and barriers to Canadian academic librarians’ instructional practices. (2017, June). Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Information Science, Ryerson University, Toronto. With Heidi Julien.

          • Coming to our senses: Considerations for studying sensory information. (2017, May). Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Information Science, Ryerson University, Toronto.

          • Institutions, ways of knowing, and critical information literacy. (2017, February). Guest lecture for LIS 598, Knowledge Production, Diffusion, and Reception, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton.

        • Practice

           

            The core of my work as a librarian is supporting students and faculty members in the University of Alberta's Departments of Art & Design, Drama, and Psychology. I help people find and use information, manage research data, and work through processes such as making publications openly available.

             

            I'm on a research leave from this role until July 1, 2018.

          • Service

             

              Some current and recent service involvement includes:

            • Awards

               

                A selection of awards, scholarships, and grants:

                • Organizational Support Grant, Edmonton Arts Council (with Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre) (2017)
                • Best Overall Paper, Canadian Association for Information Science (with Lisa Given and Lauren Carlson) (2017)
                • Tuition Fee Scholarship, Swinburne University of Technology (2017-)
                • Librarian Recognition Award, University of Alberta (2014)
                • Best Paper by a Practitioner, Canadian Association for Information Science (2013, 2012)
                • Sponsored Place Award at i3 (information: interactions and impact), Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland (2013)

              • Curriculum Vitae

                Please feel free to view or download the complete chronicle.

              This work is licensed under a

              Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

               

               

              Banner image by Kelly Tindall.