My portfolio is organized in four main blocks- one for each main category of Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). Some artifacts are located in more than one category within this portfolio.
During this program, I was exposed to a wide variety of ideas and people, all of which helped me achieve the four competencies demonstrated in this portfolio. The first, Leadership and Innovation, was a particularly important one to me. While I have held leadership roles in my other jobs, in my library career my roles have all been entry-level. Also, leadership and innovation are vital in this industry, because libraries cannot live in the past if we want to meet the needs of our community. We must be bold and try new things- in a way that makes sense here. This isn’t corporate America, so traditional leadership and innovation, while helpful to know, aren’t always the proper fit. I found that the first class I took in this program, Foundations of Library and Information Science, was one that thrust me into the innovation mindset- it was here that I did a paper on the perceptions of homeless patrons in public libraries and interviewed Leah Esguerra about her work as the world’s first library social worker. For leadership, the Introduction to Library Administration class was essential. In this course, one of the standout assignments for me was the interview question breakdown. I had been in several interviews that used behavioral interview questions, but as an interviewee, I didn’t really understand why they were structured in that way. Doing this assignment helped me to see the questions from both sides to give me more insight into the desired response.
The second core competency, Systems and Services, represents the core nature of librarianship- helping others with information. The courses that most strongly focused on these competencies were Basic Information Source and Services and one of my electives, Genealogical Research. Basic Information ended with each of us completing a LibGuide, and that was a brand new experience for me. The process of compiling all of these resources, vetting them for value, and ensuring good coverage of all aspects taught me a great deal about the resources librarians put together. The Genealogical Research class was remarkably similar, but it taught me those same things as they relate to helping OTHERS find that information.
Knowledge Representation, the third competency, has much to do with the way that libraries keep up with the technology changes our world experiences. Organization of Knowledge and Microcomputer Applications in Libraries and Information Centers were both integral in helping me achieve this competency. In Organization of Knowledge, we covered a lot- including MARC records, metadata, and in the end, my final paper was about BIBFRAME which I had not even heard of before this class. The Microcomputer Applications course was one that I avoided for awhile because it sounded intimidating, but that is precisely WHY I think it should remain a required class. We do not grow inside our comfort zones, and I found this course to be a fantastic step into new ways of thinking about how a library can go beyond what it’s doing now. My presentation on Augmented Reality was a product of all those discussions and readings and I feel that I will be a better librarian for being open to new technologies.
Of the competencies here, Theory and Praxis was probably the competency I most expected from this program. To learn about the methods of research and how/when they should be applied, I took Research Methods in Library and Information Science and Collection Development and Maintenance. I obviously expected research in a course so named, but I was surprised at the depth of research our group did in Collection Development. My Research Methods class taught me that all research is definitely not the same, and Collection Development really showed me how much you can DO with the research- and how it can influence decisions.
One class I took that I was surprised was not a core class was History of Libraries. If thoughts were ever given toward expanding the core classes, this is the one I would recommend. It was so intense and I think could have been lightened a smidge by adding a second half and expanding, because there was so much that we simply could not get to in one semester. While not “needed” for working in a library today, knowing our past helps us avoid mistakes we’ve already made and also gives us a deeper appreciation for what it means to be in service to our community.
In the process of selecting artifacts to represent my experience and learning in this MLIS program, I had so many to choose from, and ended up removing several possible items because I wanted to curate this collection to be the best representation, instead of the most exhaustive. The items contained herein are all things I am very proud of.
While I was already working in a library system upon entering this MLIS program, I can easily see how the knowledge and skills I learned here will help me continue in my library path. There is a lot of “behind the scenes” type of work that I wasn’t really aware of because I have not worked in those departments, and the information in many of my core classes gave me a greater understanding of the many factors that go in to making a successful library.
This MLIS program was a new adventure for me in many ways. The last time I was in college was 20 years ago and every class was in person. In fact, I got my first email address at college and honestly wondered if I would ever even use it. So to jump headfirst into classes that were completely online threw me for a loop in the beginning. But I am a Gen X adult who grew up learning by doing and by stepping out of my comfort zone, I learned a lot- making my first ever PowerPoint presentation, for instance. (And when my boss at work asked me to put together a short PowerPoint for a presentation to the Board of Trustees just a few months later, I was able to confidently say that yes, I could do that easily.)
My strengths were not necessarily revealed during this program, as I am in my 40s and have had many years to discover my strengths. They were, however, enhanced through the various classes and projects that I encountered in the program. For instance, in my genealogy class, my attention to detail came in handy, and I learned how to discern when slight variations might not equate to a mismatch. Similarly, in that class I was able to enhance my research skills because of the knowledge I gained.
At my current library job, I have been asked frequently what I would like to do next- do I have my sights on a certain position in the system? I have always answered that I do not have a specific goal in mind, because the position I end up in might not even exist right now. This job is changing so much every day and sometimes it feels like a totally new industry. But I stumbled into librarianship and it has been life changing for me- so I don’t want to be so focused on a goal that I can’t see the opportunities that are calling to me.
When I graduated with my Anthropology degree, I could not imagine wanting to go right back in to school, and never considered pursuing a higher degree. But when I came to the library as an employee (instead of just the lifelong patron I had been) I found my calling and the thought of spending years learning more about it was too enticing to not give it a try. In fact, the thought that this is all coming to an end makes me a bit sad, but I know that the learning never really stops in a library. There is always a new technology to learn or a new skill to try and master- things are changing constantly as we keep up with everything else in the world and try to better serve the needs of the community.
Maggie Finley Portfolio 