Outcome 1B. Articulate the philosophies, theories, models, and/or major perspectives of the library and information professionals.
Outcome 1C. Participate in professional activities and associations, such as professional conferences and meetings, internships and practicums, and professional email discussions and social media.
Outcome 1D. Apply the core values and ethics of LIS to diverse local, national, and global contexts.
In LIS 770, Management of Libraries and Information Centers, we were asked to create a professional association review in an area of future career interest. For this review I chose the Public Library Association, as I would like to continue working in that type of library setting. This review helped me to gain a better understanding of the ways that organization could help librarians continue to grow and develop in the future. Studying PLA in such detail allowed me to learn about the professional benefits of membership and the ways I could use their services in my future career path. The review also gave me greater insight into the future direction of public libraries, which reconfirmed my decision to continue in that direction.
In November of 2017 I was fortunate enough to travel to Guadalajara, Mexico for the International Book Fair; not only was this an amazing cultural experience it was also a wonderful professional learning opportunity. Prior to attending the book fair, I would not have known how many books are published in Spanish or truly understood the scope of the publishing industry. The size of the book fair was overwhelming, but the excitement by the locals to have this fair in their town took my breath away; they were so honored to host international guests and show the best of the Spanish speaking world. The journal I kept while attending sheds some like on my experience that changed me personally and professionally.
In LIS 701, Introduction to Library and Information Science, we presented information about different professional associations around the world. I focused on the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). What struck me as most important about the organization was their commitment to upholding the values identified as core elements of librarianship. While serving a boarder audience than ALA's typical membership, their values shared many of the same themes; information access, equability to information, quality of service, and inclusivity. It was humbling to realize no matter how great the physical distance between libraries we are all striving to overcome the same challenges.