Martin is a PhD candidate in Library and Information Science in the Faculty of Information & Media Studies at Western University. His research considers how documents influence individuals as they position themselves in the world as moral selves. Documents bridge the space and time between individuals in the absence of face-to-face interactions, and Martin is interested in the implications—good and bad—of this phenomenon. In his dissertation, Martin explores a case study of documents produced by the United Church of Canada in the context of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s Calls to Action and its recognition of a government policy of cultural genocide. Individual experiences of the church documents concerning this fraught situation shed light on how documents are and are not able to bridge the distance between people.

His other research interests also reflect his overarching concern with the problems arising for meaningful human relationship in the “information age.” Martin sees information issues—such as the personalization of information—and information organizations that facilitate communication of ideas between people—such as libraries and NGOs—as directly associated with the strengths and weakness of social relationships in what we are told is a highly-interconnected world. He has published and presented on information literacy as a dynamic phenomenon in the interaction between individuals and social contexts in contexts like citizenship, emancipation, and agency.

Martin holds an honors BA in History and Interdisciplinary studies from Concordia University River Forest. In addition he holds an MA in Public History from Loyola University Chicago, an MLIS from Dominican University, and a Certificate in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Management from Loyola University Chicago. Martin has presented his research in Canada, the United States, France, and Slovenia at meetings of the Michigan Library Association, the Great Lakes History Conference, the Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians, the Document Academy, the Canadian Centre for Scholarship and the Christian Faith, and at the 10th International Conference on Conceptions of Library and Information Science.

As an educator, Martin challenges his students to make connections between the questions raised in the classroom and the problems they encounter in the world. He believes that learning cannot be forced but that opportunities to grow in understanding should be introduced and nurtured by the teacher.