My academic background, work experience and personal endeavors have influenced my decision to seek out an MLIS. Reflecting upon all this gives me assurance that I am prepared to successfully complete this degree as well as become employed in an academic library. I decided to do a portfolio for my end-of-program assessment as I intend to incorporate many of my work projects into my coursework and overall learning objectives. Having completed a master's thesis during my first masters, I believe I have a good understanding of what is involved in research. Realizing my interests in the application of technology in the library as it applies to information literacy, discovery and organization, I believe I can learn a lot through documenting my projects and learning process. As I set out to complete the Master of Library and Information Studies program I considered how my previous experiences prepared me. The following are the skills and traits I have going into the program.
I find no difference between my weaknesses and my learning objectives as clearly they pertain to areas in which I lack knowledge and experience. Therefore I will restate my learning objectives:
Academic Library Administration:
Information Services:
Technology in libraries:
My academic experience has given me a well-rounded background and a good understanding of disciplines. My interest in culture and history led me to pursue a political science degree in my undergraduate. The social sciences fed my hunger to better understand the world and the people in it. I was a good student and could easily absorb and analyze critical topics. My ability to learn what I applied based on readings and lectures contributed to the development of overall problem solving and critical thinking skills. It seems a liberal arts degree is not meant to prepare you professionally, necessarily but more to prepare you for analysis and decision-making. My field of study did provide me with a good foundation of government, economics and history. This focus upon society, instilled in me a strong commitment toward the virtues of a free and open democracy. Finding myself living and studying abroad in Canada, I looked back toward the United States and its foundations, giving me an even greater sense of its importance. All of this laid the foundation of a personal philosophy which is reflective of the mission of libraries.
During my time in Canada I also came to understand risks associated with environmental degradation. I desired to pursue more scholarship related to environmental conservation, believing with this knowledge I could be part of the solution. When I returned to my hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma, I took my interest in international relations and the environment and sought out a Master of Science in International Studies with a focus on sustainable tourism. This program furthered my leadership skills, familiarity with educational technology, problem-solving and critical analysis abilities, research knowledge, and organizing and advocacy skills. The interdisciplinary nature of the program exposed me to a broad range of subjects including economics, business, political science, sociology, environmental science, leisure studies, and zoology. I completed my thesis focusing on certification programs for ecotourism and using a case study methodology. While writing my thesis I realized I was not an expert in a specific subject but was good at conducting research. Upon graduation I decided I did not want to make a career out of sustainability, believing it to be too charged with politics. I wanted a career in which I could feel like I was making a contribution to society but that would also allow me to live a sustainable lifestyle. I knew my academic background would make me well-suited for academic librarianship.
While academics gave me a theoretical understanding of how the world worked, my extra-curricular activities gave me hands-on learning in leadership, organizing, event planning, problem-solving and communicating. Throughout my undergraduate I remained involved in various student organizations and often took on leadership roles. As the Vice President of Academics for the Political Science Association, I worked with both faculty and students, improving my interpersonal and communication skills. In this position I also helped organize a large Model United Nations conference and oversaw room coordination and technology needs. I gained even more organizing skills when I founded the American-Canadian Association at the University of Calgary. The purpose of this club was to discuss issues facing the two countries. I learned early on much anti-Americanism existed in Canada and it was my desire to bring a greater understanding to the relationship between the two countries.
My understanding of organizational dynamics and conflict resolution was furthered by my volunteer experience during my undergraduate. Working with the Red Cross, I helped organize a conference on Child Soldiers giving me more practice with event coordination as well as opening my eyes to conflict resolution in practice at the international level. . Additionally I served as a campaign volunteer for a municipal election and again learned about organizing and planning. This also gave me a more practical understanding of how conflict resolution takes place at the local government level.
With my interest in American-Canadian relations I sought out a program called "Discovering North American Summer Institute" in the summer of 2004 at American University in Washington D.C. The program brought together students, academics, and professionals from all three countries to discuss the history, politics, and economics of North America. While attending the institute I also held an internship at the International Business Ethics Institute where I gained hands-on advocacy and researching skills. This experience taught me a lot about organizational dynamics and politics.
While studying at Oklahoma State University, I became Vice-President and then President of ECO-OSU, a student environmental awareness organization. This experience furthered my event planning, organizing and advocacy skills. As president I planned meetings, lectures, films and a campus-wide Earth Day Festival. This festival included local vendors and educational booths with free food and music. We had over 4,000 attendees for this one day event. My eagerness to participate in community organizations and naturally tendency towards leadership has given me many opportunities to improve my organizing, communication, event-planning, problem solving and technology skills.
During my undergraduate, I first became interested in librarianship. I had the opportunity to live and study in Canada, as my father's job had transferred us to Calgary, Alberta. As an international student I was only allowed to work on campus, so I found myself employed by the library as an aid in the Current Periodicals department. I really enjoyed the job, as it exposed me to the wide spectrum of disciplines found in academics. I was amazed to find that almost every topic imaginable had a journal dedicated to it. I also worked in the Document Delivery and Inter-library Loan departments during my undergraduate. Again I was amazed by the high volume of activity and the far reaches of the Inter-library loan system. I often thought a career with libraries would be satisfying and interesting. This job introduced to me to library operations and gave me a foundational understanding of educational technology.
While completing my first masters I served as a reference graduate assistant for the Edmon Low Library at Oklahoma State University. This experience furthered my technology skills and really introduced me to the career of a reference librarian. Through training on research databases and reference interviewing techniques I gained a good foundation for providing reference services. Assisting students with computer and library questions proved very satisfying.
My commitment to service motivated me to apply to the AmeriCorps Vista program upon completion of my Master of Science in International Studies degree and secured funding for the MILS program. As the Youth Programs Coordinator for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, I gained experience with project management as I developed, planned, implemented and evaluated programs. Here I was first introduced to content management and enterprise management systems. I undertook customer service training and training on use of computer systems. This position also allowed me to further develop my event planning, publicity and advocacy skills. For instance, I organized a “Battle of the Bands” music competition for adolescents across Oklahoma. This event was held at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK and included a media blitz on all the local networks and ended successfully with 150 attendees and $1,000 raised.
One of my favorite quotes embodies my philosophy toward the library, Thomas Jefferson stated, "The library is the arsenal of liberty." I am drawn to the library by the shear immenseness of its function in society. By providing knowledge, it seeks to ensure the openness and freedom of those in society. The opportunity provided by a library is boundless; the thought that one could be educated in every subject through the resources of a library is mind-boggling. Nonetheless it is this attribute of a library that motivates me to pursue a career in librarianship. My previous academic, extra-curricular and work experiences have all prepared me well to complete my learning objectives and accomplish my goals.