My portfolio is a organized based by discipline in which I’ve worked. If you’re here for my writing samples, refer to the technical writing heading below! 🙂
Technical Writing
Help Centre Documentation
A sampling of instructional and conceptual help content I’ve written for public help centres.
KM & Instruction
Ocean Data in Canada
In the winter of 2021-2022, I took on one of my most ambitious career projects to date: I designed, scripted, recorded, edited, and published a training course for the Vitality Project from scratch.
Accessing CIOOS Data through ERDDAP
ERDDAP is a data server developed by NOAA that facilitates open data sharing by allowing users to view and download scientific data. It’s one of the main resources that the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS) uses to share open datasets, but using it effectively can have a bit of a learning curve. This 11 minute ERDDAP tutorial video was made as part of a training initiative by the CIOOS National Communications Committee, on which I sat during my position with VITALITY. The video was scripted by me and Jonathan Kellogg, Science Communication Coordinator for CIOOS Pacific. I recorded, filmed, edited, and produced the video using Camtasia.
Lesson Plan & Planning Materials: Topic-Based Writing and DITA XML Basics Workshop
As part of my coursework requirements for Information Literacy Instruction, I designed a lesson plan for a workshop about topic-based writing and the basics of DITA XML. The workshop is designed for a professional context, ostensibly for use in orienting interns or new employees who will be doing some technical writing work without a lot of experience in this area. Click the link above to read about the lesson plan. Bonus! The materials are available and free to reuse under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
Tutorial Video: Adding and Removing Listserv Subscribers
As part of a course on Information Literacy Instruction, I designed and created a short online tutorial demonstrating how to add and remove users from the Dalhousie School of Information Management’s student association listserv.
SIMSA Transition Planning
The School of Information Management Student Association (SIMSA) at Dalhousie is a student-run society whose Chairs serve 1 or 2 year terms. The frequent personnel turnover can make knowledge retention a significant challenge, and a common complaint has been the lack of adequate transition materials between outgoing and incoming Chairs. During my yearlong term as the Communications Chair, I drafted a transition document template to standardize the process and ensured that each outgoing Chair completed it before leaving their roles.
Research & Academics
Sounds like MLM but OK: Evaluating the Utility & Credibility of Information Encountered in a Facebook Interest Group
How do people use information they find in Facebook groups? How do they evaluate if it’s credible? These are the core questions I explore in this pilot study of members of the Facebook group Sounds like MLM but Ok. This project was done for a course on Human Information Interaction and completed in April of 2020.
Cultural Narratives of a Latina in the United States: Language Barriers and the Educational System
Presented at the 2014 Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters (MASAL) annual conference, this paper centres on one individual’s experience within the American English Language Learner (ELL) educational framework, as both a former student and a current instructor. It was presented as part of a Cultural Narratives projects for the Madonna University Spanish Program, and utilizes a multicultural framework for the narrative analysis.
Collection & Resource Development
A Guide to Safe Travel for the LGBTQ+ Community
Travel planning can be an involved process for anyone, but for LGBTQ+ folks, it’s important to consider some additional factors so that trips go smoothly and safely. For instance, navigating laws related to gender and sexuality in a destination country can be difficult, as can understanding cultural and social expectations. While this information is often freely available online, finding it can involve a lot of searching and useful but more obscure information can sometimes remain undiscovered. To collect these resources in one place, Ridley Thomas, Tyler Lightfoot, and I created a LibGuide for public use as part of a course requirement. We used Halifax Public Libraries as our institutional point of reference, and included some books and other resources available through the library, as well as other online sources like gay country and city guides, info on gay- and trans-friendly accommodation and resorts, and associations and organizations with whom travellers can connect.
Last reviewed: 23 May 2025
Katherine Luber 