Abstract

As Canadian journalism continues to encounter underfunding, shuttering outlets, and low public trust, now is perhaps the best time for the field to explore more collaborative channels with other institutions. This research explores collaborations between journalism and libraries and the impacts they have on labour, civic engagement, and power. The CBC/Radio-Canada’s Collab initiative, and specifically the partnership undertaken by CBC and the Notre-Dame-De-Grâce Benny library in Montreal, Gem of an Idea, are used as a case study upon which the rest of this research is built. Using event observations, qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, this thesis aims to examine the ways in which collaborations can contribute to information spaces that are accessible and engaging for their community members. Further, this research uses the theoretical framework of critical pedagogy. Critical pedagogy is rooted in praxis and upholds the notion that all theorizing must eventually lead to action, which is best done through human interaction and reflexivity. As some critical pedagogists have pointed out, work that blends theory and practice create proactive spaces in which we might imagine new approaches to scholarship. The results of my study seek to broaden this discussion. The findings of this research paint an initial picture of the possibilities that can arise through collaboration as well as what it means for journalists, library staff, and, most importantly, the public.