Statement of Professional Philosophy

Throughout the MLIS program, my area of focus was academic librarianship. More specifically, I took courses that would help me become knowledgeable in instruction, technology, and data analysis. During my time in the MLIS program, I also held three different academic library-based jobs. I began as a circulation manager at Linscheid Library, after a year I  transitioned to the position of Digital Services Librarian, and currently serve as the Technical Services Librarian at the same institution. Across these three jobs, I assumed many responsibilities including:

• Supervising up to fifteen student assistants

• Supervising one full-time staff member

• Maintaining circulation functions of the library

• Improving and maintaining the library's digital repository

• Being on a team to create a new Student Learning Outcome assessment platform

• Being on an implementation team for a migration to a new ILS. 

• Maintaining all library-related systems

•  Overseeing the cataloging, classification, and processing of library materials

My first career goal when I began the program was to be an academic librarian. Because I achieved that I had the opportunity to look at my goal in a much wider view. I still want to be an academic librarian, but my main goal is to educate students during their time in higher education while also showing them how to be lifelong learners. As an academic librarian, I want to make sure after the limited amount of years that someone is a student they have the skills to continue to educate themselves for the rest of their lives. 

The 3 personal learning goals I focused on during my time in the program were:

1. Utilizing the knowledge I learned in my data analytics courses in a library setting 

2. Developing information literacy skills/knowledge that can be used during instruction sessions

3. Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of new technology and resources

These goals coupled with the specific course plan I created will be large stepping stones in the path to meeting my career goals and becoming the academic librarian I truly want to be. I am also a big believer in professional development and the impact it has on someone's career. Because of this, I will also be active in the LIS community in order to make sure I, like the students I hope to help one day, am educating myself even after I have obtained my degree.