Christopher Rodriguez

LIS 504 Class Reflection

February 17, 2019
Professor Cheryl Knott

LIS 504 Reflection

Over the course of my time spent in LIS 504, I gained valuable knowledge about the

inner workings of libraries and how they are perceived by the community. A key aspect of my

learning in LIS 504 was to be able to relate course content to the ten M.A. LIS competencies.

The three categories which the course explored were Section A: Foundational Understandings

and Abilities, Section B: Disciplinary knowledge and its Application, and Section C: Ethics and

Values in Library and Information Science. Each category relates to specific knowledge during

my time spent enrolled in LIS 504. In this reflection, I will discuss which artifacts and lessons

pertain to the relevant competencies as well as how they enhanced my education. A few of the

highlights of the semester include interviews with library staff members at the Pima County

Public Library, the discovery of various LIS related careers, and a research paper. I was given

the opportunity to visit the library’s Mission Branch to complete a few of my assignments

throughout the semester, and I was welcomed by the staff during each visit. During my library

interview project, I was able to sit down with a librarian and ask a variety of questions. I

scheduled a meeting with Lauren Hebert and discussed who she was, why she decided to pursue

her career and how she enjoys her job so far. There are many different job positions and titles in

a library which require an understanding of the various functions behind libraries and how each

one operates each day. My interview and tour with Lauren Hebert culminated in the creation of a

digital infographic, which I would like to introduce as my first artifact along with this reflection.
 During my time spent with Lauren Hebert at the Pima County Public Library’s Mission

Branch, I gathered information that aided me in the creation of my infographic. Some of the

information displayed in the infographic represents Hebert’s responsibilities, favorite aspects of

her job, and the major issues related to her role as a professional in LIS. Many of the topics

Hebert and I discussed aligned with section C of the M.A. LIS Competencies, Ethics and Values

in Library and Information Science. Specifically, competency C9) “Students will demonstrate an

understanding of the values and service orientation of the library and information professions

and their applications in their areas of career interest” and C10) “Students will demonstrate the

ability to recognize and analyze ethical issues and dilemmas in library and information settings

and propose reasoned courses of action” were among the main topics explored in our interview.

While examining competency C9, Hebert and I discussed some of her favorite aspects of her job

which include her service to the community. Lauren Hebert enjoys working in teen services

which includes program and activity organization. Hebert’s weekly goals involve programs that

aid in teaching social skills, teamwork, active listening, and problem solving, while giving teens

a safe place to network and be themselves. Hebert also discussed her duties at her previous

library job which included outreach to local high schools. Some outreach initiatives included

getting kids library cards, providing learning resources, and networking. Hebert also participated

in Mega Mania, in which she worked to incorporate activities such as video games and board

games. With regards to competency C10, Hebert described some of the ethical challenges

associated with her career. As Hebert described some of the challenging aspects of her job, she

listed underserved communities, law enforcement and the economy as daily factors that create

challenges. One of the main ethical challenges that Hebert faced was the tendency of having to

deal with law enforcement. In terms of confidentiality, Hebert explained the difficulties of
working with law enforcement when asked to give up confidential information, or data

information of persons that police were searching for. Another instance in which ethical

dilemmas came into play, was how Hebert handled what patrons viewed on the computers, many

of whom, were from underserved communities. As a strong believer in the rights to access of

information, Hebert believed in allowing people to search for information that they needed,

while also providing them privacy options such as barricades from other patrons.

During enrollment in LIS 504, I also examined different aspects of the information

landscape, and experienced new ways in which information is stored and gathered in LIS. Some

topics changed the way I thought about different concepts such as social media, and I enjoyed

reading my classmates’ responses during discussion sessions. We were encouraged to utilize

Twitter, and although it was not a required activity, it was great to see what people were

discussing related to the daily topics. I also feel that the discussion sections in this class were

essential in broadening people’s perspectives. For a new student to the program such as myself,

it has been truly exciting to read the thoughts of other students who have been in the program for

a few years or who currently work in a library. At the time, I had not yet had any previous

experiences working within a professional library setting. While reading a few of my classmates’

responses, I began to piece together different aspects of course content and apply it to the

information they were sharing with me. I was given a look at how these students related the

content to their jobs, and this also helped me during our Job Posting Assignment. The job posting

assignment was beneficial for a number of reasons such as brainstorming interests, examining

the LIS landscape and guiding future job selection. During this portion of the course, my

learning was parallel to the competencies in section B: Disciplinary knowledge and its

Application. I would like to discuss the following competencies: B5) “Students will demonstrate
knowledge of types of library and information professions, settings, services, and roles and be

able to analyze key issues and potential approaches to these in the areas of their career interest”

and B6) “Students will demonstrate knowledge of the management of information resources,

services and organizations and apply this knowledge to their areas of career interest.” With

regards to competencies B5 and B6, I feel that this assignment was intended to expose the class

to various library and information professions that some of us may not have been aware of. I

found a total of four jobs in the LIS field: Information Technology Systems Architect, Archivist,

Digital Archivist and Digital Preservation Librarian. Many of the jobs that I found were related

to technical or digital services. At the time, most of my interests revolved around digital

information and technical services. I still have the same interests, however, after reading some of

my classmates’ job postings, I found their jobs to be great options as well. Some people listed

cataloging jobs, law library jobs, school library jobs and even museum curator jobs. This

exercise left me with a wide range of options to select from, and they gave me better insight into

which courses to take throughout the rest of my program. Since I felt my interests were geared

more towards the cataloging aspects of libraries, I selected coursework and an internship related

to cataloging. As a class, we were asked to post each job that we found and describe it in detail.

We were able to look at different job locations, salaries, requirements, as well as other related

fields, broadening our perspectives on the LIS landscape as a whole. The most helpful

information was contained in the experience and requirements sections of each job posting, as

they helped me to figure out which courses, programs or specific tools I needed before applying

to jobs in the future. I would like to include the job posting assignment as my second artifact for

this reflection.
 My final project for LIS 504 was to write a research paper regarding a major LIS topic of

my choice. My final essay was titled “The Issue of Diversity in Library and Information

Science” which focused on recruitment and retention in the field of LIS with regards to racial

and ethnic diversity. My final essay included the following competencies: A2) “Students will

demonstrate understanding of the nature of research, research methods and the role of research in

library and information science and additionally, demonstrate the ability to apply research

findings to practical problems”, A3) “Students will demonstrate understanding of the use of

information and communication technologies including social aspects of information in

providing information resources and services in libraries and other information environments”,

and C8) “Students will demonstrate an understanding of how diversity contributes to the library

and information professions and analyze information issues from diverse perspectives.” My

paper was geared towards each of these three competencies, as I was able to search various

University of Arizona library sources and databases to begin crafting my essay. I was able to find

various works centered around Hispanics, African-Americans, Retention and Employer

Expectations. An interesting aspect during my research process was how the media influences

Latinos in their job searches, and how they typically use their own social networking to find jobs.

In essence, the paper discusses how minorities were not often recruited for LIS jobs in the past,

and it had taken a few breakthrough people to effect change in the workplace. The essay also

discusses the current and future landscapes of the LIS field in terms of diversity. To conclude the

essay, I mentioned that although the current landscape is progressing, it may be necessary to

implement various cultural studies within the fields of LIS, and to raise awareness and inspire

interest in underserved communities. Due the controversial nature of the topics covered in my

final essay, I feel that it is necessary to add it as my final artifact for the reflection. This essay
helped me gain more insight into who I am as a person of Hispanic decent, as well as how I want

my career choices to impact others within the community.