Reflective Essay, GSLIS ePortfolio

Sean Plagge

Everything happens for a reason. It is a well-known phrase and in a way it led me to

where I am today: finishing up my graduate school career here in the GSLIS at Dominican
University. I have come a long way to get to this point, and it was not always smooth sailing.
When I was a freshman I high school, I started volunteering at my hometown public library, the
Geneva Public Library. A couple of years later, I started working there as a book shelver. I did
this for 4 years, but after my sophomore year at Elmhurst College they no longer had hours
available for me during my breaks from school. My undergraduate career came to an end a
couple of years later, but it did not end according to plan. I told myself that everything happens
for a reason, but I needed to make a big decision about what I wanted to do with my life. I started
looking for jobs so that I could at least have something to do while I figured things out. One of
the available jobs that I found was for a book shelver at the Geneva Public Library, my old job.
Everything happens for a reason. I knew this was a sign, so I applied and was immediately hired.
I moved up to a job in the circulation department eventually, and one of my circulation coworkers told me about a graduate program she was doing at a school in River Forest, IL. After
looking into this program and with one final push from this co-worker, I enrolled in the GSLIS
program starting in August 2013.
Almost two and a half years later, I am working on my ePortfolio during my last semester
in the program. I guess everything really does happen for a reason, because I know that I have
found my niche. I love this program and have enjoyed every moment of every course that I have
taken. Coming into the program, I thought of the library field as the big 3: public, school, and
academic. I have learned throughout my time at Dominican that there are many other areas that
the library and information science field covers. I took a variety of courses because I wanted to
explore some of these other areas. The four core classes provided a foundation of the library and
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information profession, and I was able to develop my own professional philosophy and an
understanding of the core values of the profession. One artifact that highlights this is my
counterpoint presentation from LIS 701: Introduction to Library and Information Science. This
group project required us to analyze important issues, such as censorship and intellectual
freedom, and develop an argument for one side of the debate involved with these issues. After
the core classes, I needed to figure out what direction I wanted to take for the rest of my courses.
I started off focusing on school or public libraries, but then I started getting curious
about archiving. I took LIS 775: Introduction to Archival Principles, Practices, and Services,
which I enjoyed and found quite interesting. This course really opened my eyes to the archiving
profession, of which I had very little previous knowledge. I was able to do a field experience
opportunity for this class, which I appreciated and learned a great deal from. I worked in an
archive in Elmhurst, IL called the Theatre Historical Society of America. I was able to apply
what I learned in class directly in the field, whether it was processing a new collection, creating
finding aids, or digitizing archival materials. However, it also helped me realize that archiving
was not for me. I needed to have more interaction, and I wanted to be able to help people
directly.
So I shifted gears again, with public and academic libraries at the top of my list. I thought
I would try exploring the idea of working with children, as I had always had adult services on my
mind up to this point. I took LIS 721: Library Materials for Children, where I learned about
evaluating childrens materials and engaged in discussions about a variety of issues. These issues
included: cultural authenticity, common core, intellectual freedom and challenged books, and
reluctant readers. I enjoyed experiencing an area that I had previously not considered, but I
ultimately decided that I still wanted to focus on adult services. After this, I decided that I
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wanted to take some classes that would give me a taste of the corporate side of the LIS field too,
so I took LIS 751: Database Management. I enjoyed this class as well, but also decided that the
corporate side did not interest me as much. I appreciated learning about creating and maintaining
a database, and our final project was quite fun because we got to essentially make our own
google search tool for finding information in the web-based databases we created. I still had
similar reasons for moving away from the corporate side of things, just like when I ruled out
archiving.
Knowing that I wanted more interaction with people and that I was passionate about
helping others, I took some classes that would help me with these areas. One class that I took
was LIS 763: Readers Advisory Services. I absolutely LOVED this class! I enjoyed analyzing
the different genres and doing book talks for several of the genres. The book talks were a blast
because I could let my personality shine through them and have fun capturing the audiences
attention in creative, engaging ways to get them hooked on my books. I also appreciated learning
how to lead book discussion groups because I had always felt that doing so would be fun to do,
but I was always nervous about forming good, engaging discussion questions. I have definitely
gotten more comfortable in this area though, and I may even get an opportunity to lead a book
discussion group at my current library. This course also gave me the skills and knowledge to
interact with patrons who are looking for help finding books to read, which definitely aligned
with the areas that I mentioned earlier.
Another course that I took was LIS 748: Collection Management. I learned about
weeding collections, and even got to weed a chunk of the sociology collection in the Rebecca
Crown Library. The other big project for this class, and what I feel is one of my best artifacts,
was the community analysis project. I chose my current library, the Geneva Public Library, and I
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had to analyze the community that it serves by looking at the demographics, education,
economics, and culture of that community. I then had to identify a gap somewhere within the
librarys collection and create a list of materials to add to fill that gap based on my analysis of
the community of Geneva, IL. I also had to write a mock proposal to the director of the library
requesting the funding for filling the gap and using my analysis to show the importance of filling
that gap. I learned many extremely important skills in this course that can be used in a variety of
areas within the library field. I also learned how developing library collections is an extremely
important way to help my community, because the librarys collection should meet the needs of
the community so that they can access the exact information that they are looking for.
I knew I was heading in the right direction with my courses now. I was honing in on adult
services in a public library as my definite top choice for what I wanted to go in to. I finally found
the area for me, though, when I found out about the new Technology Specialist certificate this
past spring. I then knew that I for sure wanted to work in adult services in a public library, but
with a focus in technology (i.e. Technology Resources librarian, Digital Services librarian). A
similar position in an academic library is still on my list too. This led me to take classes like LIS
724: Media Services and Production and LIS 768: Social Media and Emerging Technology
where I learned a great deal about how technology is used in the library field and how it is
extremely important for librarians to be well-versed in these technologies in order to better serve
their patrons.
LIS 724 introduced me to many different technological tools that librarians can use in a
variety of ways. For example: video editing tools to make book trailers, or screen capture tools to
create tutorials, or even curation sites to create pathfinders. One of the best projects from this
class, and another top artifact of mine, was the makerspace proposal and equipment inventory.
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We worked in groups and we had to choose a type of library and an age group and then create a
makerspace that would fit with those choices. We had to decide what kinds of things we wanted
to have available in our makerspace given a budget of $3000.00 and write up an inventory of the
equipment we chose. We then had to give a presentation explaining why we chose the equipment
we chose by listing pros and cons and by providing SMART outcomes that the users of the
makerspace can achieve through the use of the equipment we have chosen. I appreciated this
assignment because not only did we practice budgeting skills, but we also got a taste of
designing a physical space. I definitely learned about many new ways to apply technology in the
field and how important these technologies can be for patrons.
I am currently enrolled in LIS 768, and I have been learning a great deal about how
libraries can use social media in an effective way to reach a large number of community
members at once. Many factors are involved with this, such as optimization (posting on certain
days and at certain times to get the most activity on your page), analytics (analyzing the data to
help determine the best way to optimize your page), and crisis management. One assignment we
have done so far is to pick a library and examine their social media presence. I chose my current
library once again and reported on the types of social media used and how they are using it.
Eventually we will be looking at how the library can improve their social media use and how
they can use social media to provide services for a certain group of the community: the senior
citizens. I had never really been into social media all that much, but this class has opened my
eyes to it because there is so much more to it than I originally realized. I learned how useful
social media can be, so I have much more of an appreciation for it now.
Since I decided on the technology route in adult services, and possibly academic, I knew
that instruction would be a big component of this area. Because of this, I decided to take LIS
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764: Library User Instruction with Dr. Fallon. I am currently enrolled in this course as well, and I
am thoroughly enjoying it. I studied secondary education during my undergraduate career, so I
already have some experience in instruction. I was excited to refresh my memory on instruction,
and to learn new things as well. We have taught 2 lessons so far, one lesson about a topic from a
core GSLIS class of our choosing, and one lesson about an electronic database of our choosing
available through the Rebecca Crown Library. I included lesson 2 as an artifact because there
was something extra about it that made it special. I taught the lesson to my classmates, but then
Dr. Fallon offered us the opportunity to teach our databases to her LIS 704 class because she has
been teaching them about different databases throughout the semester. I jumped at this chance
because I knew it would be an incredibly rewarding experience. My lesson went very well in the
regular class and in her LIS 704 class. It was great to teach again and it further solidified in my
mind that I have chosen the right area in the library field for my career.
The MLIS program has opened my eyes in so many ways and has shaped me into
someone who can be a library leader in the field. Working in a public library made my
experiences at Dominican even more rewarding because I could apply the things I was learning
in class at work and see the importance of all of the knowledge I was gaining firsthand. One
instance of this was that in July 2013 I was asked to be a part of a committee that would be
reviewing a challenged audiobook. We needed to study the patrons concerns and listen to the
book to better understand where the patron is coming from and to form our own thoughts and
perspectives on the issues that have been raised. We also had to analyze the librarys collection
development policy and determine if the audiobook properly aligns with it. I was able to apply
concepts from my classes and think about discussions we had on issues like censorship and
intellectual freedom. Another example was that from July 2014 to July 2015 I was part of a
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committee that worked on creating technology competencies for the library staff and exploring
different types of technology training to offer to staff. I was able to apply many concepts from
my technology classes, and the competencies highlighted the idea that staff needs to keep up
with the technological changes in the world in order to better serve their patrons.
I know that the MLIS program has changed my understanding of the library profession
and my perspective on many of the issues that arise in the library field. I now know that there is
more to the library field than the big 3 of school, public, and academic libraries and all of these
areas relate to each other and share many of the same issues. I learned more about censorship,
intellectual freedom, literacy, and many other issues and have become much more open minded
about all perspectives and points of view of these issues. I have grown so much as a student and
as a professional, stepping out of my comfort zone and participating in new things at work and
beyond to gain even more experience in the field. The many presentations, instruction sessions,
and other public speaking related projects have made more comfortable in being a leader and
sharing my voice and my ideas. I will always cherish my time at Dominican, the GSLIS
professors and all of their knowledge and support, and my classmates for making each course
more enjoyable and rewarding by enriching the learning experience. I know I will do well in the
field and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead for me.