Larissa McNeil

Hi. I'm Larissa McNeil and this is my portfolio submission for the Master of Library Information Science degree at the University of Oklahoma. 

In the short introduction, I am going to give you a little background on me and then share about why I decided to pursue this degree and what I hope you gain from perusing my portfolio.

Like I said, my name is Larissa. I was born and raised in a small city in Southwest Georgia called Albany. I went to college at Savannah State University where I majored in English  literature, emphasis on Creative Writing. I have always been a book lover - even though librarianship had never crossed my mind - and that has influenced much of everything I've done since I graduated. After college, I moved to Arkansas to complete the City Year program. I worked with 9th graders the most, tutoring them and supporting them in behavior and attendence. For a while after that, I worked at Philander Smith College in their English support department.

Teach for America brought me to Tulsa in 2017, where I still reside. For four years, I taught English and Writing to 8th grade students in a North Tulsa charter school. After getting my Master's in Educational Literacy, I left my school looking for other educational opportunities. That's when I stumbled upon a job listing for a position with the Tulsa City-County Library.

And that brings me to now.

I am currently the coordinator trainee for the African American Resource Center for the Tulsa City-County Library, with full coordinator status just a MLIS degree away. It is my first job in libraries, and honestly, a bit of a dream job as it combines by love of literature, education, and Black American culture. In my various educational experiences, I've worked with grades 6-12 and beyond in various capacities, including tutoring, workshop building, and classroom teaching. My focus has always been on pushing books and literacy to students, especially those students of color in lower income communities who struggle to find interest and personal history in traditional school materials. In my position as a teacher of middle school students, I tried to focus on stories that allowed students to see themselves in the literature but varying perspectives as well. As the AARC coordinator, I have been working to continue that work, though on a different level, by exploring the nuances of Black American culture through programming, advocacy, and the collection materials we offer.

I am excited to present this portfolio to you all. The last two years have been a study in all that I've stated previously. I have used the classes and lessons to explore ways in which I can push the learning in my library system. I have studied the history of libraries, particularly how they've affected communities of color, and studied how libraries are working to bridge gaps and truly be places for all people. I've shared with you my reflections on my classes with artifacts from each that I think exemplify the learning. A glimpse under the professional learning tabs will show you  some of my background through my resume, and my philosophies on professionalism and leadership.

I hope that this portfolio shows that I have what it takes to be an information specialist and continuing doing the work that I've started years ago. It feels almost inevitable that I've ended up here now.

This portfolio is easily navigable by clicking the headers at the top. Below each of the headers are pages that showcase work I've done over the program, my reflections on that work, and the goals/objectives they align to.

I hope you enjoy. Happy reading!