Fonds MS-2-837 - Information Science Student Association fonds

The Information Science Student Association (ISSA) at Dalhousie University, formerly known as the School of Information Management Student Association (SIMSA), has been embedded in several academic units across the Halifax-based Studley campus. Dalhousie’s Library and Information Science program first resided in the Faculty of Graduate Studies, where it was seeded in 1969 as the School of Library Service (SLS); the program was renamed to the School of Library and Information Studies when it moved to the newly founded Faculty of Administrative Studies in 1975, which became the Faculty of Management Studies in 1984, and later the Faculty of Management. In 2005, the School adopted a new name: the School of Information Management (SIM), and in 2019, the Master of Information (MI) program was launched. In 2023, the School of Information Management became the Department of Information Science and SIMSA was renamed to the Information Science Student Association.

ISSA passed its first governing constitution in 1970 (under the Library School Students' Association), making it one of Canada's longest-running student associations amongst MI/MLIS programs. ISSA's primary objectives as described in its constitution, last updated in September 2022, are:
1) to provide a forum for the opinion of the student body
2) to promote communication and collaboration among students, between students and faculty, and between students and alumni
3) to represent members of the student body within SIM in aspects of the School such as development, curriculum, scholarships, work experience programs, and professional development
4) to promote academic and social activities connected with the School
5) to represent students in matters pertaining to the rest of Dalhousie University and the wider community
6) to foster relationships with and encourage cooperation between other student organizations within the Faculty of Management and in Canada
7) to ensure matters of equity, diversity, accessibility, anti-racism, and decolonization are prioritized within the student body, the School and the University, and in the professional field of Information Management.
All students registered at SIM are automatic members of ISSA, and the student association is managed by an executive body consisting of 9-14 members sitting in seven roles: (Co)-Chair, Financial Chair, Communications Chair, Academic Chair, Non-Academic Chair, Digital Publications Chair, and EDIA & Special Projects Chair. Two chairs, on average, sit in each role: one incoming executive member and one outgoing (varying throughout the year based on when elections are held).

Possessing 7 specific mandates, which largely encompass liaising internally within SIM and with external groups, ISSA directs most of its attention toward communicating with students, faculty, the university, and the wider community. It provides spaces and forums through events and programming to encourage and facilitate these communications. ISSA also supports related entities in the Faculty of Management, including the Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management and the Information Without Borders conference. ISSA is not a solely project-based organization; it serves its members through embedded programming, its existence as a resource for students, and its agreed-upon responsibilities with the School. Its diverse range of programming makes for a variety of records generated by the organization- from promotional materials, creative journals, and invitations- to grant applications, governing documents, and financial materials.