USF's MLIS Program & Me
Have you ever had a “my whole life has led me to this” type of moment? Well, “my whole life has led me to this” was my exact thought when I was accepted into this MLIS program. I like to say that I was born for librarianship – so much so that my mother, to this day, likes telling the story of me as a child asking Santa for a library card. However, when it comes to academia, I am what I like to call a late bloomer. I struggled quite a bit during my undergraduate career, but when the time came to return for my graduate degree, I knew I needed to make a change. Now, I am proud to say that my MLIS academic career is one of the things I’m most proud of in my life.
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Learning Outcome I: Leadership and Innovation
One of the most surprising aspects of this program is the unexpected way I learned leadership and innovation. Through the skills I learned in this program, specifically the Introduction to Library Administration course, I was able to successfully run for the president seat of The Student Organizations of Library & Information Science (SOLIS) and have been able to lead the ALA branch of SOLIS for the majority of my time in the MLIS program. I have been able to overcome new and challenging circumstances at my library position at USFSP, and through courses like Teaching Information Literacy, I have been able to petition for and instruct workshops that I wouldn’t have had the previous opportunity to do so (which has specifically led to my job growth within the academic library field). Also, because of the work I did in Teaching Information Literacy, and together with my library position at USFSP, I was able to submit a poster proposal that was approved for presentation at the Florida Library Association's 2018 Annual Conference in Orlando.
Learning Outcome II: Systems and Services
Through courses, such as Organization of Knowledge, I was able to learn all the ways the librarianship keeps the pace with an ever evolving society – specifically within the realm of social media by using social cataloging and tagging as a way to organize information. Being able to learn about the digitization and dissemination of materials was an excellent way for me to see the back end of the databases we use, which has led to me being able to better understand them, and thusly has made me more than capable of working within them.
Learning Outcome III: Knowledge Representation
The best example of knowledge representation that comes to mind was what I came away learning in my Basic Info Source Services course. By applying what I learned in that course, I was not only able to create a LibGuide for that class that is still one of the assignments I’m most proud of (I was devastated when The Library School Sandbox was taken offline in December 2017), I was also able to make significant contributions to my library position at USFSP and have added multiple LibGuides to USFSP’s Research Guide page on a myriad of topics - ranging from Fake News, to Writing Tips, to even assisting in the USFSP Textbook Affordability initiative by creating a LibGuide on Course Reserved Textbooks. In my Web Design for Libraries course, I was able to learn coding that I was then able to apply to my job in a practical way when we rebuilt our Library website (those icons seen on the USFSP Research Guide page, I created). Because I want to go into academic librarianship, one of the most useful things I’ve learned and have been able to put into practice is the knowledge I gained in Research Methods. Because of this course, I learned the different approaches to research including tools, and techniques, for collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data – which has segued into an independent study research project that I am passionate about.
Learning Outcome IV: Theory and Praxis
Being theoretical has never been one of my strong suits; however, it is the skill I have been able to see the most improvement with. Right from the beginning of this program, assignments like the "A Day in the Life" interview with a librarian - from my Foundations of Library and Information Science course -cemented my path in academic librarianship. Through learning theory, for example, in Collection Development and Maintenance, I was able to relate what I was learning to my job in a practical way. I have been currently working on a weeding project at work, allowing me to identify items for deselection, which I would have been unable to do if not for the knowledge I learned in this course. Through Adult Services and Libraries I was able to learn all the different ways libraries can tailor their programming to their patrons' needs, which is something I had never considered before.
In Multicultural Children’s Literature, I was able to learn how important it is to provide solid representation for everyone - especially children. In Human Rights in Libraries, I was able to explore the more human aspects of librarianship that can sometimes be overlooked. Through Human Rights and Libraries, and along with my involvement in SOLIS, I have also been able to make what I believe is a solid positive impact on the library world with events such as our USF SOLIS WikiEquality Series. Both of these courses together have cemented my belief that creating a library space where patrons can feel safe and welcome and who can look at the librarians and the books they’re consuming and see themselves reflected back at them in a way that is positive and authentic is one of the most imperative aspects of librarianship.
One of the most surprising aspects of this program is the unexpected way I learned leadership and innovation. Through the skills I learned in this program, specifically the Introduction to Library Administration course, I was able to successfully run for the president seat of The Student Organizations of Library & Information Science (SOLIS) and have been able to lead the ALA branch of SOLIS for the majority of my time in the MLIS program. I have been able to overcome new and challenging circumstances at my library position at USFSP, and through courses like Teaching Information Literacy, I have been able to petition for and instruct workshops that I wouldn’t have had the previous opportunity to do so (which has specifically led to my job growth within the academic library field). Also, because of the work I did in Teaching Information Literacy, and together with my library position at USFSP, I was able to submit a poster proposal that was approved for presentation at the Florida Library Association's 2018 Annual Conference in Orlando.
Learning Outcome II: Systems and Services
Through courses, such as Organization of Knowledge, I was able to learn all the ways the librarianship keeps the pace with an ever evolving society – specifically within the realm of social media by using social cataloging and tagging as a way to organize information. Being able to learn about the digitization and dissemination of materials was an excellent way for me to see the back end of the databases we use, which has led to me being able to better understand them, and thusly has made me more than capable of working within them.
Learning Outcome III: Knowledge Representation
The best example of knowledge representation that comes to mind was what I came away learning in my Basic Info Source Services course. By applying what I learned in that course, I was not only able to create a LibGuide for that class that is still one of the assignments I’m most proud of (I was devastated when The Library School Sandbox was taken offline in December 2017), I was also able to make significant contributions to my library position at USFSP and have added multiple LibGuides to USFSP’s Research Guide page on a myriad of topics - ranging from Fake News, to Writing Tips, to even assisting in the USFSP Textbook Affordability initiative by creating a LibGuide on Course Reserved Textbooks. In my Web Design for Libraries course, I was able to learn coding that I was then able to apply to my job in a practical way when we rebuilt our Library website (those icons seen on the USFSP Research Guide page, I created). Because I want to go into academic librarianship, one of the most useful things I’ve learned and have been able to put into practice is the knowledge I gained in Research Methods. Because of this course, I learned the different approaches to research including tools, and techniques, for collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data – which has segued into an independent study research project that I am passionate about.
Learning Outcome IV: Theory and Praxis
Being theoretical has never been one of my strong suits; however, it is the skill I have been able to see the most improvement with. Right from the beginning of this program, assignments like the "A Day in the Life" interview with a librarian - from my Foundations of Library and Information Science course -cemented my path in academic librarianship. Through learning theory, for example, in Collection Development and Maintenance, I was able to relate what I was learning to my job in a practical way. I have been currently working on a weeding project at work, allowing me to identify items for deselection, which I would have been unable to do if not for the knowledge I learned in this course. Through Adult Services and Libraries I was able to learn all the different ways libraries can tailor their programming to their patrons' needs, which is something I had never considered before.
In Multicultural Children’s Literature, I was able to learn how important it is to provide solid representation for everyone - especially children. In Human Rights in Libraries, I was able to explore the more human aspects of librarianship that can sometimes be overlooked. Through Human Rights and Libraries, and along with my involvement in SOLIS, I have also been able to make what I believe is a solid positive impact on the library world with events such as our USF SOLIS WikiEquality Series. Both of these courses together have cemented my belief that creating a library space where patrons can feel safe and welcome and who can look at the librarians and the books they’re consuming and see themselves reflected back at them in a way that is positive and authentic is one of the most imperative aspects of librarianship.
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I’d like to say that I chose librarianship but the fact of the matter is, librarianship chose me and because of this MLIS program, I now have the practical understanding of why and how I perform the role of Librarian - I also have the tools to do so.