Intellectual Growth
I began this Masters program with no
library experience except, of course, as a patron. I had graduated from Texas
State University with my Bachelor's degree in 1987--twenty years ago. Many
changes had taken place in those twenty years. The most dramatic change was the
advent of the widespread use of personal computers and the Internet.
Information Seeking Behavior
Accordingly, the
iSchool began my
education by making sure I understood the workings and idiosyncrasies of search
engines (The Life Cycle of Information--LIS 500). I learned to question whether the way a search engine is designed
actually matches the way people seek information
(Information Behavior--LIS 510). The iSchool emphasizes a user-centered approach to information retrieval
systems' design. Furthermore, as my group and I learned from our first major
project, not all users have the same needs. Our topic was the information
seeking behavior of older adults. We developed a Microsoft
PowerPoint presentation and narrated it using Microsoft Producer. None of us had used
Producer before; we had a steep learning curve to navigate. Buoyed by our
success, we gained in confidence and felt ready to tackle new challenges.
Learning about the psychology of
seeking information helped a great deal when I took LIS 521 (Principles of
Information Services). I learned how to conduct a reference interview and to do
online reference help through the Internet Public
Library.
Research Methods
In my Research Methods course (LIS 570) I
began investigating the services that libraries offer. Our
group project involved sending surveys out
to 26 librarians in four library systems. We wanted to find out how libraries
were expanding their services to retain and attract patrons. In addition, each
member of our group conducted an in-depth interview with one librarian from each
system.
I spoke with the reference librarian at
the Sequim branch library--a part of the North Olympic Library System. (She
later retired.) This
interview was a pivotal event for me though I did not
know it at the time. (I later began volunteering at the Sequim library and then
became a paid substitute public service assistant.)
Our research project taught
us about innovations that libraries are making such as having a retail
partnership with either a coffee house or used book store within the same
building, offering more foreign language materials, and offering wireless
Internet access. In addition, of course, we learned the valuable skill of
conducting research, an ability that I will return to in the course of my
library career.
Policy Development
Two of my courses taught me how to
write library policies. My 550 group project
(Information in Social Context) involved
writing a policy so that patrons are aware of their rights to privacy
(especially considering the changes brought about by the
USA Patriot Act). This course taught me about how the legal landscape
affects libraries across the country--from how they receive funding (for
example, because of the
Children's Internet Protection Act [CIPA]) to whether libraries are places
where citizens can expect their speech to be protected (Miller
v. California).
As I learned how to acquire materials
and electronic resources for a library in 522 (Collection Development), I also
learned the components of a well crafted collection development policy. Having such a policy is imperative for the
health of the library's collection and its continued relevance to the community
it serves.
Planning
My management course (Management for
Information Organizations--LIS 580) gave me a
toolbox to use for strategic planning for libraries. My group incorporated these
tools into our plan for new staff training
at the Sandy Public Library in Sandy, Oregon. (One of the members of our group
is the director of this library.) The Library Technology Systems course (587) taught me how
to plan for and implement an integrated library system. I learned how to write a
request for proposals from ILS vendors and interviewed the systems manager at
the North Olympic Library System.
I consider these courses to be the
underpinning for my development of a vision for how a library system should
work. Libraries need employees and directors who are aware of the "big picture":
a vision of how the library should grow to meet the changing needs of its
community, an ability to write plans and policies and manage projects that
reflect these changes, an awareness of the ever shifting political landscape and
its effect on libraries, and a knowledge of the information seeking needs and
behaviors of the people the library serves.
This foundation allowed me next to
focus on developing the technical skills I would need for our information age.
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