LIS 5970: Public Librarianship 

Description, Analysis, & Reflection

Description 

The course description for LIS 5970: Public Libraries states 

The purpose of this course is to help Master’s level students in the SLIS program be prepared for working in public libraries and to be well-rounded, articulate, and critically-thinking professionals. 

This course is designed to introduce you to areas of work that are relevant and important in public librarianship, and to develop your skills and knowledge in several key areas including: 

1. People - Human Resources, Personnel and Stakeholders 

2. Ethics, Freedom of Information and Public Libraries 

3. Program Planning, Outcomes & Evaluation: Measuring for & Communicating Impact 

And throughout the summer you’ll engage your critical thinking and problem solving skills (Wymer, 2022). 

Most of the artifacts I have selected for this ePortfolio have either been final projects or assignments from later in the semester.  For LIS 5970:  Public Librarianship, I selected an assignment from the first week of class, the Hiring Process Rubric.  Over the years, I have loosely taken part in the hiring process for close to a dozen employees at the Noble Public Library.  My part has been to give the candidates a tour of the branch after they have completed the interview.  During the tour, a coworker and I would chat with the applicant in an effort to get a feel for the individual, answer questions that they might have, and ask some “interview” questions of my own.  After the interviews were completed, we would meet with our Branch Manager and provide our thoughts, notes, and feedback.  The assignment’s purpose was to take a subjective process and try to make it as objective and equitable as possible.  I created a rubric based off of a sample job description that was broken into two sections, one with yes/no answers, one with a five-point sliding scale, and both with space for comments.    

Analysis 

Public Librarianship focused on the realities of working in a public library and thus was the first time in the program in which I could see practical, real-world applications of the material.  (For the record, that is not a knock on any of the other courses in the program.  Each and every one of them added to my experience and helped bring me closer to my learning goals.)  Another thing that I liked about the class was its holistic approach.  Granted, there’s only so much holisticness that can be fit into an eight-week course, but Professor Wymer did a great job in hitting the important aspects outlined in the course description. 

Reflection 

This was the first course that I took during a summer semester, and I was not sure how a graduate class would work in an eight-week timeframe.  As I mentioned above, this was the first course in the program that I felt I could apply to my job at the Noble Public Library.  Translating how the concepts from the academic literature would help me with assisting a customer in sending a fax or filling out an online application was difficult.  Where this course succeeded was giving students a glimpse into working in a public library.   

Personal Learning Goals 

Public Librarianship touched on most of my goals but really helped toward Goal 4:  To gain the knowledge and skills to be a successful librarian and public servant thanks to its holistic approach exploring the world of public libraries.  

MLIS Program-level Student Learning Outcomes 

This course advanced me towards SLO 1 Core Knowledge by covering the basics of public librarianship from the point of view of working in a public library; SLO 3 Professional and Scholarly Communication from the discussion posts and course assignments; and SLO 6 Diversity through the examination of the hiring process and the importance of making it as objective as possible. 

ALA Competencies 

This course helped towards competencies 1. Foundations of the Profession, 5. Reference and User Services, and 8. Administration and Management by providing a “real world” exploration of the various aspects of being a public librarian including programing, advocacy, and freedom of information. 

Wymer, S. (2022). LIS 5970: Public librarianship [Syllabus]. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma.