Jana McMurray

Manager, Data & Research Services

Ridley College - St. Catharines, ON

Education

• BEd (Adult Education), Brock University, 2015
• MLIS, Dalhousie University, 2007
• MA (English), University of Ottawa, 2004
• BA (English), Brandon University, 2003

Career Path

When I started the MLIS program, I was focused on becoming an academic librarian. However, I came to appreciate how valuable and transferable the MLIS skillset truly is, and I applied to a wide range of job postings. I secured a three-year contract at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the Lake as a Senior Researcher just before convocation. My roles in advancement research have evolved to include data analytics, database management, and pipeline and prospect management, and I have worked with many organizations in various sectors. Advancement research utilises so many of the skills I developed during my MLIS, from reference and records management to information management systems, and I have met so many talented MLIS professionals working in advancement offices.

What was your focus when you were in the program?

My favourite courses focused on reference work because I enjoy the process of hunting down the best possible information for each question or scenario. I also threw myself into the many extracurricular activities available in the program, from serving on the student association to co-chairing the CLA student chapter. I remember organizing amazing events (with Budge Wilson!) and participating in great networking opportunities (like the professional partnering program). I had the amazing privilege of learning from talented and dedicated professionals (including the late Dr. Norman Horrocks). I have really come to appreciate how forward-thinking Dalhousie University was to house the program within the Faculty of Management. 

What would you tell your graduating self?

I would tell my graduating self that Dr. Fiona Black was exactly right: Learning to “tolerate ambiguity” is a life skill everyone needs. I would reassure myself that taking a role in a non-traditional setting would not close any doors, it would only open more. And that even if I never, ever work in an academic library (or indeed, a library of any kind), not a single moment of my MLIS degree will have gone to waste.