I began my journey in graduate studies at Wayne State University four years ago. I decided that I wanted to dedicate myself to the study of library information science and become an information professional. My original goal in applying for admissions was to embark on a career change. I wanted, for the remainder of my working years, to be in a profession that I felt passionately about, and one in which I could make a positive contribution to my community. At the time, I had a vague idea of what that would look like, I knew that librarianship can take many forms and I have broad interests. The only thing that I was certain of is that this career path was one I felt strongly drawn toward. As my education progressed, and the more I learned about librarianship, and the responsibilities that are entailed with being an information professional I became more resolved in my goal to dedicate my future career to the principles of librarianship that have been taught through the coursework at Wayne State University. The first principle is a foundation for all other responsibilities in librarianship; intellectual freedom. Information professionals have an ethical responsibility to ensure their communities have the ability to access information without hindrance or inhibition. This ideal has an impact on all libraries, and simply means that libraries are gateways to information, not obstacles. Librarians are to provide information and materials, not censor or restrict. In a lecture for the course LIS 6210, Organization of Knowledge we discussed the importance of objectivity. The professor stated “ethically, librarians and other information professionals are bound to provide access to information no matter how we feel about the item b... ... middle of paper ... ...f whom were already working in libraries. I had been seeking to a change in careers and I ended up changing in so many more ways than expected. Now that my studies are coming to a close, I am resolved to make a difference in the information professional field by providing a positive impact in library administration. My years of experience as an administrative professional combined with the knowledge and dedication that I have to libraries and librarians makes me uniquely qualified for this responsibility. It is my intention to enter this field ready and prepared to continue learning, to continue seeking information, and to continue seeking opportunities where I might make a positive difference in the lives of my colleagues, clients, and community. I have stayed the course through much adversity, and I am ready to take up the mantle of information professional.
Librarians are defined as “a person, typically with a degree in library science, who administers or assists in a library.” In truth, they are much more than that. In a recent interview with Traci Glass, the Teen Librarian at the Eugene Public library, we explored her personal story with becoming a librarian, including how it has benefitted and affected her life.
Media. The main means of mass communication regarded collectively. It comes in the form of t.v., radio, newspapers, magazines etc. The media has a way of portraying a story in a way that they want it to be seen by audiences. In other words, the media only tells us only what they want us to hear; which, may or may not be the truth or include the entire story. The media is always looking for the next best story and the competition to be the first one on the scene can be intense. A documentary by 9.14 Productions tells the story of a man and his art collection; The Barnes Foundation.
From my perspective as a library graduate student, however, my attention was drawn to the section titled "Library School is Revolting." This collection of essays explores questions such as "Are we really learning the practical skills necessary to be librarians, such as public relations and professional writing?" and "Is accreditation really a big deal?" While I felt fortunate that some of the not-so-subtle digs at library schools didn't really apply too heavily to SIRLS, some of it is familiar enough to make you laugh (or cry).
The focus of this paper is research that has been done in a number of articles about the problem patron specifically the homeless patron. One of the questions that this article is trying to answer is what the needs of the homeless patron are and how libraries can fill those needs. Even though this study is primarily focused on the homeless patron it also examines the emotional labor that librarians go through when they deal with problem patrons. Librarians like other employees who work with the public must put on a professional face when at work. This face was created to hide the more negative reactions that librarians experience when being confronted by an aggressive or annoying ...
Tice, Beth. “Two Hats, One Heart: Confessions of a Split Position Librarian,” Technicalities, Volume 18 Issue 7 (July/August 1998): 4-6.
I hope that by sharing my personal statement, I have been able to give you an insight into the person I am and what I hope to achieve. I have included what I have felt to be the most significant influences on my career choice. I expect undergraduate school to continue to be a journey which I embark upon with great
what I wanted to become. So after graduation I decided to explore my options at
The King County Library System is the fifth largest library system in circulation in the United States. The current director of the KCLS, Bill Ptacek, started with the organization three years ago and is in the process of working towards a new strategic plan titled "The Year 2000 Plan, which has a long-term goal of integrating all the resources of the library system equally and to coordinate all the efforts to ensure it was providing the best possible service to the community. In the three years, Ptacek worked to expand the mission to cover services for the community to include children, life-long learning, career development, and literacy (Chell, 1996, pg.2). The reworking of the mission and services of KCLS was in full swing, but there were
Hudak, Tina. (2008). Are Librarians reading teachers, too? Library Media Connection, 26(5). (Hudak, Tina, 2008)
While inherently drawn to English, I was concerned about my career options if I chose it as my major. My desire going into college from a rural town in Iowa was to expand my mind and focus on bettering myself. As I was preparing to leave my small town, everyone told me I would do so well. They told me I would find myself. I spent my first two semesters pursuing two different majors that did not engage me the way I was naturally inclined. After those two semesters, I felt more lost than ever. So with steadfast faith in myself, I chose English. A path that proved authentic to my inner core.
A library or information unit must have a dedicated plan on having an organized Collection Development Policy, represents the guideposts of all types of library institutions. Collection development is the process of planning, selecting, acquiring and evaluating the library collections’ convenience to print and electronic collection developments. Thus, it is essential to have a written collection development policy, a statement of general collection building principles with desalinating the purpose and content of a collection in terms of relevance and internal audiences (Clayton and Gorman 2007). Broadly, the international and local libraries have sketched written collection development policies which they are aware of its uses. Recently, the written policies consistently renewed with the rise of digital collections. However, the value of the written collection development plan shakes with the complexity of managing electronic resources, funding and time considerations, criticism on how it written and also its inflexibility. This essay will examine the arguments for having the advantages of the written collection development policy (CDP) and the issues evolve which against the latter.
I began, initially at CSM, as a volunteer archives assistant, learning how best to organise, accession and catalogue items in the collection. I have proven myself to be a committed, capable and reliable intern, and am responsible for assisting the curator and senior members of staff with their activities and
... to the Library and that have generally been underused resources. B. Greater use of the Library's Capitol Hill facilities by scholars for the kind of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, multimedia, multilingual, and synthetic writing that is important to Congressional deliberation and national policy-making, but inadequately encouraged both by special interest groups and by advocacy-oriented think tanks; and C. Greater use by the general public through programs that stimulate interest, increase knowledge, and encourage more citizens to use the collections on-site and electronically.”The Library employees will add their position as information guides by “helping more people find appropriate materials in a swelling sea of unsorted information” and directing them to services and resources exclusive to the Library of Congress. This requires not only more growth of employees that the Library has formerly had, but also making it easier in new ways more wide-ranging and “systematic use by researchers of the distinctive materials that only the Library of Congress has.” Courses for the common public, such as displays or publications, must display the importance and value of the collections.
Many things have lead up to my decision to choose a career in Information Systems. It started at my first semester at my local community college. I was enrolled in their graphic design program and most of the classes I was taking consisted of art classes. My first computer class was working in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. They are graphic programs that many graphic designerÕs use to make their design work. While working with these programs I was very intrigued by the power of computers and how they work. While going to school at the local community college I soon got a job at CitiMortgage working at the computer help desk. I was learning more about computers and networking which helped lead to my decision to change my degree of study to information systems.
Library managers should organize technology-based training for librarians in order to make them comfortable with new technologies and more aware of their dangers. Since technology skills are important part of most library and information jobs, librarians should make sure they acquire technological skills continuously. University libraries should employed qualified information and technology specialist and troubleshooters to maximize system accessibility and provide a level of comfort to the librarians.