ePortfolio Reflective Essay

Genna Mickey

Before entering library school, I loved books. Now after completing the program, I love
connecting people with books (and information). Thats really the main difference and shift of
perspective that I have found throughout my time in the program. I found out how to be the
intermediary person between people and information - whether through in person interactions
and instruction, through presentations to large groups, or by using design principles to construct
lists or materials that inform. Adding to the experience of the classes was my work experience at
River Forest Public Library, where I could try out many of the concepts I was learning in the
classroom.

Finding My Niche
With my creative writing and communications background, as well as experience as a
writer tutor and working with college students, I really gravitated to the areas of user instruction
and readers advisory services. In my coursework and fieldwork, I find that these areas allow for
a lot of creativity, whether in the form of a blog, book display, poster, presentation, or in person
instruction.
I also have a background in recruiting - which involved strategic internet search
techniques and queries. I discovered the value of having great tools to find information outside of
Google through my experience in GLSIS classes that covered the topics of databases and
journals. I found that I really enjoyed the research and discovery of information and applied these
discovery methods to different projects requiring strategic understanding and analysis. For
instance, the fact that collection development requires paying close attention to trends in the
media as well as using appropriate book review sources. Additionally, the practice of researching
a communitys population or a librarys budget or goals helped me to understand the methods
used to deliver information strategically.
Overall I see myself as a very adaptable library professional, but the field that I would find
most rewarding would be customer-focused positions that involve teaching or creativity.
Therefore, I could see myself most likely working for a public library where I could develop
programs, teach instruction lessons, and build strategic plans for how to improve service.
However, I do feel that a community college environment might also be a place that I would thrive
in, as it involves working with a diverse group of people and also involves instructional classes.

Goals
The first goal of GLSIS is to develop a professional identity that reflects a commitment to
the values of the library field. Creating my research paper in Don Hamerlys Research Methods
class was extremely rewarding and valuable. First of all, completing the Research Methods
paper provided me with a small peek at what it would be like to work towards a PhD, and it is
now something I might consider, whereas before that educational path would have not really
been an option in my mind. My paper asked How are ALA accredited library programs preparing
graduates to provide readers advisory service to adults? For the background information on the
history of readers advisory services, I received some materials from Bill Crowley that provided
great depth and context for the importance of this library skill. For my research, I collected data
from all of the ALA accredited MLIS programs, which required scanning into each programs
website to find syllabi and course offering information. This process gave me a lot of context
about how library school programs operate and the similarities in the profession. The results
showed that only a third of programs are offering this class. Aside from the paper, the class
really helped me to understand the politics of journals and how the process of submitting an
article for review works. I am not sure that I will try to submit this paper to a journal, but I now
know how to do it and what the process of creating a journal-worthy research paper is like. I very
likely will publish something in my library career.
I also chose to include an opinion paper from Collection Management that discusses the
difficulties librarians face trying not to be censors of materials. I feel very empowered by the
knowledge I have learned about censorship and freedom to information, and feel that a part of
my professional identity is really to be a proponent of showing everyone that they are worthy of
information, and shouldnt be afraid or embarrassed by information needs. Libraries provide the
knowledge to their communities and I really feel that I will continue to be a strong proponent of
freedom to all information throughout my library career.
GSLISs second goal is to understand the essential nature of information and its
relevance to society. The most significant learning experience for me in this area came from a
paper I wrote for Serving Diverse Populations. Working for River Forest did not provide me with a
lot of knowledge about how to serve diverse populations because the majority of the patrons are
white and wealthy. For the artifact I chose to include, I profiled the Hispanic community of Aurora,
IL. This project required that I first use census information to discover information about
demographics, language spoken at home, education level, etc. I also was required to get in
touch with a community organization. I researched about a dozen different places in the
community and attempted to contact many, but did not receive any call backs. This was not
surprising in a way because my research about Hispanic populations indicated that outsiders are
not trusted by this community, which I would imagine is why they were unwilling to respond to
me. I did end up speaking to a Spanish Services Librarian at Aurora Public Library who provided
a bit of context and understanding. However, my research into organizations and the events that
they offered showed that the Aurora library could have been doing more to partner with these
communities in order to better serve the population. That whole experience really taught me the
importance of outreach and community partnerships. I really feel strongly about being an
advocate for libraries and know that I will be a library professional who steps outside of the library
to find out what the community needs.
The third goal of the program is to navigate, curate, and create information across the
spectrum of human records from local to global contexts. In this area I included my LIS 753
webpage which shows how I designed a tool to provide information. This was a difficult task, but
I felt rewarded knowing the importance and value of creating ways to share information. I also
published a blog for teens which allowed me to focus on a specific population and produce a
resource for this group. I really enjoyed comparing databases and figuring out the best ways to
use them in my paper for Searching Electronic databases. Furthermore, my discussion post
about the academic journal JASIST really provided context into the architecture and brand of a
journal. Before I evaluated the journal, I really didnt even think about journals as separate entities.
I thought more about the database results. As an undergraduate, I would have never thought to
look for a specific journal to find the information I need, so I feel that this piece of information will
help me to better serve the communities who need specific information - I know more about the
structure of academic databases and journals.
For the fourth goal of GSLIS, it was hard to choose a few things because I feel that so
often, the theories that I learn in class are then grounded in my experiences working at the River
Forest Public library. However, I did enjoy creating the presentation about the romance collection
because I am also in charge of this collection at my library. Creating a resource guide and
pathway for other librarians through an informal presentation helped me to better understand my
own selection methods. I also included an artifact from my LIS 753 class that required creating a
visually appealing web page from the instructor provided block of text. Understanding ways to
make a webpage accessible and implementing those best practices helped me to be mindful of
how information is created and the best way to serve peoples information needs.
The final goal of GLSISs program, which is to effectively communicate and collaborate to
deliver, market, and advocate for library and information services, was the goal that resonated
with me the most. I really love all things related to this goal of the program. One of my
breakthrough moments of my program was in my Library User Instruction class, when I realized
that I really loved both public speaking and instruction. I included an artifact about a presentation I
did that is geared towards helping others maintain a professional image in the field. I consider
my presentation and teaching skills to be very good, and during my Library User Instruction
class, I received a lot of feedback from Molly Beestrum and my classmates that my
presentations were engaging and that my style of teaching looked effortless and showed my
confidence. I agreed with those comments.
Other artifacts I included show a lot of my creativity, like the flyer I created for teens that
is visually appealing and can be easily delivered to that population. The blog that I manage at
River Forest Public library demonstrates that I can market and deliver collections for an online
audience, to better serve those patrons who may not be coming into the library often but still use
our resources, such as ebooks or online databases.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Before the program began, I really had no idea what it meant to serve a population or
what it means to provide information to users. There is much more strategic research and
planning, library outreach and marketing, than I ever would have expected. Having taken a few
classes towards an MBA program prior to this degree, I had some understanding of business
concepts and was surprised to find so many of them alive in the GSLIS program. There are
many parallels between the fields. The exposure and understanding to issues like diverse
populations and censorship really opened my eyes to the complexities of the field. I feel very
confident that I can serve communities, and I know that I will use my experiences in the GSLIS
program to creatively reach, connect, and inform individuals and communities.