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When I started classes at Dominican in May 2013, I hadnt yet worked at a library,

but I knew that librarianship was right for me. It was sort of a gamble, now that I think
about it what if I started school and realized that it wasnt what I thought it would be? But
luckily, wonderfully, my experiences at Dominican and in the library world over the past
year and a half have confirmed that I have truly found the right profession for me.
When I entered library school, I felt like I might as well have had n00b written on
my forehead. Despite my lack of experience in libraries, though, I had done a lot of research
about public librarianship and the capacity for librarians to change lives. While applying to
MLIS programs, I came across this 1964 quote by librarian and activist Dr. E.J. Josey:
Information justice is a human rights issue. The public library must remain the peoples
university. That statement continues to inspire me and influence my work.
The first of the five GSLIS goals is, Develop a professional identity, including
commitment to core values of LIS. While my professional identity is still developing, the
three artifacts I presented for Goal 1 are meaningful to me and have been important parts
of that development process. The artifact I used for Outcome 1c -Identify the core values
and ethics of library and information professions focuses on the core value of social
responsibility, which is crucial to my work in the public library world and central to my
aspiration of a career of positive impact. When learning about the American Library
Associations Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) for that assignment, I discovered
that Dr. Josey, my personal Library Superhero, was a founding member of SRRT.
The artifact for 1d, the vision and mission statements I drafted for a hypothetical
school library media center for my School Libraries class, really articulates the way I see

the value of library work functioning in young peoples lives. The artifact I chose for 1e,
demonstrating some of my participation in professional activities, details my experience
attending the Bologna International Childrens Book Fair with a brilliant group of peers led
by Thom Barthelmess. I actually extended my trip so that I could first visit London and then
Paris before touching down in Bologna for the book fair. To say that this was a life-changing
trip would be an understatement, and it simply wouldnt have been a possibility for me if it
werent built around the book fair.
Goal 2 is to Understand the essential nature of information and its relevance to
society, and Goal 3 is to Navigate, curate and create information across the spectrum of
human records from local to global contexts. The program has given me a very broad
understanding of information and its functions in society. From a youth services
perspective, information comes in a multitude of packages, from picture books to young
adult novels, from blog posts to database entries. In Library Materials for Children
(LIS721), Library Materials for Young Adults (LIS722), School Libraries (LIS773), and
Reviewing Literature for Youth (LIS804.03), my instructors taught me to evaluate
information sources for young people, and to recognize the ways that fiction and nonfiction
resources can shape the world of a child or teenager. It was in Library Materials for
Children that I really recognized that childrens literature carries this weighty
responsibility in that it affects how children see the world and themselves in it. In that
course, as well as in Library Materials for Young Adults, I learned how crucial it is that
every young person be able to see themselves reflected in their librarys collection. This
means that as librarians, we have a responsibility to develop inclusive collections, which,
given the publishing industrys poor output of diverse childrens and YA books (considering

race, ethnicity, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation), requires
special attention and dedication. Even if there are diverse childrens and young adult
collections, there can be barriers to access that go unnoticed by librarians and adult
patrons.
The work I did for the Issues of Access, Advocacy and Policy in Youth Services
course relates closely to matters of those potential barriers. The artifact I submitted for 2b
represents some of what I learned about how policy can have a negative impact on access.
This is true considering the whole library community, not just youth, although having
limited control as minors makes young people more likely to confront issues of access.
Throughout the program, my classmates and I have talked through issues we were
witnessing in our own libraries and related them to the course readings and in-class
activities. My LIS701 instructor, Sheryl Nichin-Keith, told us all the time, Get to know your
classmates! They will be your colleagues for the next 50 years! With her encouragement, I
have formed supportive friendships with several smart, passionate librarians.
The past year and a half has been transformative for me. When I entered the
program, I was taking a leap of faith. I quit my job to pursue an education in library and
information science because I wanted a socially responsible career, one that would allow
me to put my people skills and out-of-the-box thinking to use. Now, as my time at
Dominican is winding down, I have been in a public library job that I absolutely love for
over a year. I completed a storytime outreach internship that solidified my interest in
working with young people. I get to help kids find their next favorite books. I have planned
and facilitated public library programs of my own. Ive attended two conferences and the
largest childrens book fair in the world. Ive visited libraries in England, France, and Italy.

Im a member of several professional associations. I met arguably the most internationally


famous YA author of all time. Ive read more books in this year and a half than in any other
period in my life. Of course there have been bumps along the way growing pains are
unavoidable in life but as Im heading towards earning my masters, I have never felt
more like myself, and thats a beautiful thing.

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