Personal Statement of Library Values

Transcription

1 Lauren Pressley April 15, 2007 Personal Statement of Library Values When I began in the Masters of Library and Information Studies program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I wrote a personal philosophy paper for my foundations of library and information studies class. This paper discussed the values I brought into the program and the reasons I chose to pursue a library and information studies degree. These reasons were: (1) that all patrons have inherent dignity and worth, (2) intellectual freedom is critical to a democratic society, (3) the right to read needs to be supported, (4) patrons should be enabled to have a free search for information, and (5) as a professional I will need to continually learn and grow. During the past three years I have learned that though a lot can change, a lot can stay the same. I still hold these core values, but I have added on to them as well. I have changed focus and plan to do mainly blended librarian work rather than reference, as I had expected when I entered the program. However, I am interested in this blended work for many of the same reasons I was interested in reference when I entered the program. I have added some new values and reprioritized my existing ones. This paper is meant to explain where I stand today, as a candidate for a MLIS degree in May Core Library Values Ethical Foundations In LIS 600, Foundations in Library and Information Studies, I learned the history of librarianship and was socialized to the library culture. We learned about the American

2 Library Association and discussed the Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics for the American Library Association. We discussed the importance of privacy and why we should stand up against censorship. These matters resonated with me, as they were some of the issues that lead me to librarianship. I was thrilled to find out that I was, indeed, entering a profession of like-minded people who shared these same values and beliefs. These professional ethics resonated with a number of my existing values. Standing against censorship helps protect intellectual freedom. By focusing on opposing censorship, I am able to work towards protecting intellectual freedom. Fighting censorship also supports users rights to read and enables their free search for information. Also, by protecting patrons privacy, librarians are creating an environment where patrons can feel safe reading and searching for information, so that they will not feel threatened if their information is made public. LIS 600 resonated with the principles that I brought into the program, and reassured me that I had found the field that I should be working in. Cataloging I took Organizing Library Collections, or LIS 640, fairly early my program. In this class we performed basic cataloging of several different items and completed examinations. I also wrote a paper for my LIS 600 class on postmodern criticisms of classification, which colored my participation in this class. Cataloging only indirectly impacts my original value statement. I believe that cataloging does impact people s ability to find information. If the subject headings applied to a book or article are not accurate or thorough enough, the material will be challenging to find. If the call number assigned to a book places the book in one area of

3 the library, when it should really be located with more similar books elsewhere, a browsing patron will not find it. For these reasons, cataloging can limit or enhance patrons ability to find materials, limiting or enhancing their intellectual freedom. The quality of cataloging also impacts the users ability to find the material they need, or would like to, read. Since I believe strongly that we need to protect intellectual freedom and the right to read, I also believe that quality cataloging is a critical part of librarianship. Management In LIS 650, Library Administration and Management, we learned general management theory that is applicable in all library settings. The management theory we learned dealt with communication, negotiation, and issues that arise when working in small groups and in complicated systems. We were presented with case studies to apply our skills and attempt to find the root of negative issues in different work place settings. In these activities, we worked in small groups, and had to learn how to work with people who approached work differently than we might. These activities gave us real world examples of how to determine the root cause of a problem as well as how to work together with people of different personality types and professional goals. In this class, we also constructed curriculum vitas and professional development plans. These assignments were extremely practical, as they were grounded in our real-world experience. We learned how to write resumes, as well as what to look for when evaluating them. Our professional growth plans were based on where we were at that point in the program and provided real guidance for our professional life. Finally, I concluded the semester with a literature review that focused on the use of social software

4 in business settings. This assignment gave me the opportunity to learn about the current state of an issue that I find personally and professionally interesting, and helped me when we adapted some of these technologies at my own library. This class resonated with a few of the values that I brought into the program. For example, in the case studies, we often would focus on how communication was practiced and the relationships between people. By empathizing and understanding the other person, one can become a better manager. This helps us recognize the inherent dignity and worth of the people that you work with. Also, the class reiterated how important it will be to continually learn and grow as a professional. Not only do different work experiences challenge us personally and ethically, causing us to grow, but my paper showed that there are vast areas of information that spring up suddenly, that will require sudden expertise. Social software is challenging existing business practices, and by learning about how people are successfully using it, businesses can improve their processes. When I wrote my paper, the ideas were all very new, but now, just a year later, there are some established practices for using these technologies, and there are new ones to contend with. Just a few months later I cannot claim expert status based on the paper that I wrote. I have had to stay plugged in to the online world to make sure that I know what people are doing. To be a cutting-edge employee, I will need to be able to focus on how to stay current and gain expertise status quickly in emerging areas of the field. Reference Information Sources and Services, LIS 620, was particularly challenging for me. I learned how to answer many types of questions I never expected to get at the desk. I learned about new resources I had not considered using before, and became comfortable

5 interacting with patrons needing answers quickly or needing answers to difficult questions. For this class I wrote a pathfinder on social epistemology and feminist critiques of science. It was a fascinating topic to study, and a wonderful way to learn to do extremely thorough research. Though this was not a thesis, it did give me an understanding of how to gather resources in all areas dealing with a topic, and gather a representative group of the best resources on a given topic. This class did not obviously resonate with my values statement from LIS 600, but it did in some nonlinear ways. This class is about helping people find information that they need no matter what the information they need is or who the patrons are. This directly supports that all patrons have inherent dignity and worth, intellectual freedom is critical to a democratic society, the right to read needs to be supported, and that patrons should be enabled to have a free search for information. The class also showed me that as a professional I will need to continually learn and grow. There are many reference resources out there, and new reference sources are published regularly. Clearly, staying current with new reference resources will be necessary to answer a variety of questions. Many reference sources are moving online as well. It will become even more important for me to learn how to navigate the various online databases in order to help with research in all areas, especially business and science, as those are not my natural areas of expertise. Collection Development Collection Management, LIS 615, helped me learn how to develop an existing collection, or begin a new one. We learned to use needs assessments to determine what materials should be in the collection, how different purchasing agreements work, and we

6 discussed censorship. Through an exam and online discussion forums, we talked about collection development in different types of libraries, and the specific issues that might arise in each environment. My final paper for the class discussed the impact of the Google Books Project on collection management. It is too early to know anything definite about this topic, but there are potential collection, reference, and instruction issues that might arise due to the Google s involvement in the library world. Like reference and management, this class only reiterated the need to continually learn and grow. The Google Books Project is only one example of digital works that change people s expectations of their collections. The main lesson I took from my paper is that we will need to continue learning about products like the Google Books Project to understand the total information environment that our patrons turn to when they have information needs. Understanding this environment helps us to understand how we can best develop our collections to compliment it. The opposition to censorship is closely tied with collection management. Every decision to weed or not purchase a specific resource could be construed as censorship. Clearly, developing a thorough collection management policy helps librarians avoid censorship, and the charge of censorship from the community. By carefully constructing a collection management policy, librarians are supporting intellectual freedom, the right to read, and patrons ability to have a free search for information. Technology Over the past three years I have learned a lot about technology in my personal and professional life, but I also took LIS 647, the seminar on Emerging Technological Trends in Libraries. This class taught us how to do a evaluations of new technologies and learn

7 to determine their usefulness in library settings. We did a few small case studies, and concluded with our own examinations of new technologies. I wrote a paper on folksonomies and tagging, as I feel that there is some relevance in these new social technologies to cataloging practices, and there are possible implications for online public access catalogs. I have some pretty strong beliefs about technology, which I will explore in the last section of this paper, but my technology experience in LIS 647 resonated with my original value statement in a number of ways. Primarily, it supports my belief that I will need to continue to learn and grow as a professional to stay current with these technologies. But also, as evident in my focusing on the Google Books Project for my collection management class, I believe that providing information digitally will grow in importance over time. Some people can not come into the library due to disability, family circumstances, scheduling, or distance. By providing information online, people can have access to the information housed in the library no matter their location. This supports my original values that all patrons have inherent dignity and worth, intellectual freedom is critical to a democratic society, the right to read needs to be supported, and that we should enable patrons free search for information. Other Coursework In addition to these core classes, I have taken a number of classes dealing with education including LIS 672 Instructional Design, LIS 688 Library Instruction and Information Literacy, and CUI 688 Exploring Media Literacy. In these classes we discussed an emerging interest of mine: educating users. I have come to believe in the value of education through my library and information studies degree. These classes have

8 taught me how to approach designing information literacy classes and library instruction programs. Personal Statement of Values I have grown through my coursework in the Library and Information Studies program at UNC-G. While working on this degree I have also worked full time as a paraprofessional in an academic library, participated in national level committee work, presented at a number of conferences, and become active in the biblioblogosphere. Through these endeavors I have developed core areas of interest focusing on instruction, emerging technologies, adapting for the newest generation of users, and the social nature of knowledge. These areas have are guiding principles for my participation in librarianship and information studies. As information continues to grow and become more accessible we need to teach users how to navigate their media landscape, find information, and critique the information that they discover. I believe this will be the case both in libraries and on the Internet. Librarians should play a role in online information literacy in addition to traditional print and library resources. Technology changes from cutting-edge to part-of-life over time. Because of this, it is important for librarians to understand emerging technology so that our students and faculty can have an environment where they can play, experiment, ask questions, and stay current. Librarians need to have a current knowledge of the technologies our community are using or will use. We also need to have the hardware and software available so that our patrons will have access to these new technologies.

9 It is imperative that librarians know their local demographics. Local demographics include both the people who use our materials and services, but also the people who rarely or never use the library. Knowing these users can help us tailor services to draw in new patrons. Knowing the whole population s information seeking behaviors, learning styles, and motivation for learning and research helps us offer better services. Librarianship is an exciting field. There is such a strong history of supporting timeless values such as intellectual freedom and fighting censorship but there is also an exciting future. As we navigate the complex world of a social Internet, mass digitized collections, and information available twenty-four hours a day online, librarians have to reposition ourselves to remain relevant while providing traditional services. This is a challenge that I do not take lightly, but it is one that I am looking forward to working on!