Meet your MDL: Megan Belisle
Megan Belisle (she/her) is a Graduate Student Library Assistant (GSLA) at the Map & Data Library. At MDL, she works with fellow GSLAs and staff to support patron requests relating to software, data and GIS discovery, access, and interpretation. Megan completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in Human Geography and Urban Planning and will complete her Master of Information (MI) in Library and Information Science at the Faculty of Information this spring.
Q: What’s a project you’ve enjoyed working on at MDL? Tell us a bit about it.
A: I frequently assist MDL’s Data Librarian, Kelly Schultz, in creating, editing, and testing online tutorials and workshop materials, primarily for qualitative data analysis and visualization software. Most recently, I helped test transcription features across several qualitative research tools to evaluate how they could support researchers working with interview and audio data.
As someone with a strong interest in instructional design and teaching, I’ve really enjoyed contributing to the preparation and testing of these learning materials. It’s been a great opportunity to gain insight into how research support and training resources are developed, while also learning the tools alongside the researchers who use them.
If you’re interested in learning more about qualitative or quantitative data analysis, data visualization, GIS, text and data mining, and digital scholarship tools, the MDL website offers recorded workshops and detailed tutorials, allowing researchers to explore the tools at their own pace.
Q: What’s a memorable research discovery or “aha!” moment you've supported someone in making?
One of the most rewarding parts of working at MDL is the incredible range of research questions we receive. In a single shift, I might help someone locate fire insurance plans of Toronto neighbourhoods, track down statistical datasets for environmental analysis, or troubleshoot a GIS project.
While I’d love to say the biggest “aha!” moment was uncovering a rare dataset or GIS layer that completely transformed someone’s research, sometimes the most satisfying moments come from much simpler solutions. I remember helping a patron troubleshoot a stubborn GIS final for a course that wouldn’t display properly. After a bit of testing, the fix turned out to be as simple as reloading the dataset into the map. Seeing the immediate relief when their project finally worked was incredibly rewarding. Those moments remind me that research support isn’t just about finding information; it’s about helping people move past the barriers that stand between them and their work.
Interestingly, my connection to MDL began when I was an undergraduate studying GIS. I used to come to the library for help from the team here, so now being able to support students, researchers, staff, and members of the public in the same way feels like a real full-circle moment.
Q: What's your approach to helping researchers navigate their complex data and research?
My approach is grounded in the reference interview, starting with understanding the researcher’s question, goals, and stage in the research process. Often, what initially appears to be a technical problem with data or software is really about clarifying the research question or identifying the right sources and tools.
From there, I try to help researchers break complex projects into manageable steps: identifying relevant datasets, refining search strategies, selecting appropriate tools, and thinking about how their data will be structured and analyzed. A big part of the process is helping people feel more confident working with unfamiliar tools like GIS or data visualization software.
Ultimately, I see research support as collaborative. My goal is not only to help someone solve the immediate problem they’re facing, but also to equip them with strategies and skills they can carry forward into future research.
If you think Megan or someone else at MDL could help you with your research or assignments, please reach out!