[MCASIlaris] Resignation of Louise Curham and new appointment of Lecturer specialising in archives and records

[Gaby Haddow]

Dear LARIS students

Over the past few months there have been lots of conversations in LARIS about the teaching team. Unfortunately, Dr Louise Curham must return permanently to Canberra for family reasons and LARIS must have people on the ground in Perth. For this reason, we have had to accept Louise's resignation, effective on 3rd July.  I know many of you will feel saddened by this news, as we are, and I want to take this opportunity to thank Louise for all that she has achieved and contributed in the few years that she has been with LARIS. In particular, I'd like to recognise her energy and commitment to creating an engaging and inclusive learning environment for students.

Here are some words from Louise:

>From Week 9, you'll be seeing me online from my office back in Canberra and I'll finish my teaching with Curtin at the end of the current study period. I'm so sorry I can't live permanently in Perth and thus keep working with LARIS, but family must come first. You're all welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn and I'll be keeping in touch with LARIS.

We have been busy recruiting a new staff member and I am pleased to announce that Dr Leisa Gibbons will take up the archives and records position on Monday 9th June. For those of you who do not know Leisa, this is her bio:

Leisa worked at Curtin from 2017 to 2022. Since then, she has gained valuable public sector experience as Program Manager of State Archives at the State Records Office of Western Australia and Principal Policy Officer at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. In these roles, she contributed to several significant initiatives, including the Digital Discovery and Climate Change Adaptation Modelling projects. Leisa led whole-of-government policy work for the department across Arts and Culture, Climate Action, Environment, Emergency Management, and Aboriginal Affairs.

Leisa's research focuses on community archives, digital cultural heritage, and social media as memory-making spaces. She is expanding this work to explore how archives contribute to climate adaptation and community resilience. Her approach bridges archival science with public policy, emphasising the essential role of information infrastructure and the need to ensure sustainability, accessibility, and cultural memory preservation.

With experience across academia, government, and industry, Leisa brings practical insights to her teaching and research. She's very excited to rejoin the LARIS team and looks forward to preparing the next generation of information professionals through innovative teaching, interdisciplinary research, and meaningful industry engagement.

For three units in study period 2 - Knowledge Organisation and Metadata, Public and Private Records, and Digital Preservation - I will be an interim unit coordinator for week 1. I will do my best to make it a smooth introduction to the units and then hand over to Leisa. Please welcome her when you get the opportunity.

Best wishes,
Gaby


________________________________
Associate Professor Gaby Haddow
Course Coordinator
Libraries, Archives, Records & Information Science
iSchool at School of Media, Creative Arts & Social Inquiry
Curtin University
E: G.Haddow at curtin.edu.au<mailto:G.Haddow at curtin.edu.au>
P: 61 8 9266 2707


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I acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation on whose lands Curtin University stands. I pay my respects to all Indigenous custodians of the lands across Australia.

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