The Greek myth of Icarus imparts the story of a young man filled with great potential who allowed

his ambition and lack of discipline to undermine his future. When I was admitted to the University of Oklahomas School of Library and Information Studies and awarded a full scholarship via the IMLS funded "Partnering to Build a 21st Century Community of Oklahoma Academic Librarians grant project, there was nothing in the world that could bring my spirits down! Then my classes started that was when I realized that just like Icarus before me; I had flown too close to the sun, my wings had melted, and I had begun the harsh decent towards reality. The time for exuberance had passed, the short-sighted victory of being accepted into graduate school faded, and the ultimate goal of surviving graduate school had only just started. I realized that while hard work and intelligence would not guaranty success, that combined with proper planning and good luck, they would provide the necessary tools required to secure my masters degree. In order to do well in this program, I must contend with the fact that several years have passed since I was last in an academic environment, and that like most graduate students, I have a limited window of time in which to fit my employment, education, and personal life. These factors must be balanced carefully and will lead to stressful situations if not carefully handled. On August 25th, 2010, during my first class session of LIS 5053 Knowledge Users in the Information Society; Dr. Kelvin L. White stated: Students can be presented with too much support and not enough challenge, and thus, they tend to become arrogant in their abilities and filled with a false
1

sense of security. This lack of preparation proves to be the downfall of the unprepared student in the face of a genuinely difficult challenge. I have become concerned that coming from a small rural school system, and then a small regional university, that I might be unprepared for the rigors of this graduate program. I do however have the benefit of a properly balanced support system provided by my spouse, fellow students and professors that counters the challenges of a higher education at the correct ratio for personal growth. I do not feel alone in this endeavor as I face the challenges that present themselves. There are several key areas I will need to work on to truly excel in this program; the most critical of these is time management. I will need to focus on my objectives and keep clear and obtainable goals by scheduling each task, and following through on them. The second area I need to improve on is academic writing; I need to get in the practice of writing properly constructed papers that have proper grammar, punctuation and citations. I plan to get assistance from the writing center on the OU campus, to work on these issues. I am confident that with their advice, I can hone my writing skills to become a polished writer who can excel at this level of scholarship.

The third issue I must work on is the culture shock of attending classes at the University of Oklahoma. Ive lived and worked in smaller communities my entire life, and the actual process of attending school at such a large university
2

overwhelms me on occasion. The faculty and staff of the OU SLIS program have been extremely outgoing, I have enjoyed my interaction with each individual professor and I feel as if my academic development is a real priority for them. I still dread dealing with the bureaucracy inherent in a large university system, but it is just another challenge to overcome, one to which I must inevitably become accustomed.

It is comforting to know that the career options afforded to those who earn a MLIS degree are varied and can work in concert with each persons own particular set of interests and personal strengths. Focusing on the future, I wish to concentrate on the aspects of academic librarianship that truly interest me: digital curation and systems librarianship. While I do enjoy the process of directly assisting patrons, I feel my particular arena is behind the scenes providing users access to digital collections and assisting them by maintaining and improving technological support for the library as a whole. I have a number of positive skills from which to draw upon without yet having gone through the program: I have an aptitude for working with technology and interacting with people. While I may lack a number of necessary skills and cognitive development required to be a librarian as of now, I am confident in my ability to learn and grow as a professional will enable me to rise to the challenges ahead. It is my hope that upon graduation from OU SLIS and having gained five years of continuous experience as a library paraprofessional, that I will have

actively positioned myself to enter the job market in a role that conforms to my preferred niche of digital curation.