Four years ago, as I approached completion of my undergraduate degree from St. Cloud State University, I began to contemplate the future and how I wanted my career to move forward. Through school projects and work I discovered I enjoyed working with people and I enjoyed information. This eventually led me to the iSchool at the University of Washington.
My experiences at the iSchool have only cemented my desire to work with people, to help them find the information they need, and to expand their own knowledge and abilities in information. Fortunately the iSchool had given me numerous opportunities to learn new abilities in both finding information and sharing it.
Perhaps the most fundamental change in my thinking was the discovery that libraries are a major part of a community and are a community in and of themselves. Prior to this, I saw customer service as a one on one experience. I now see customer or patron service as a part of a broader ideal. In order to understand the patron, you must understand the community. By making the effort to understand both, not just the information I am sharing, I can make a far greater contribution to both the individual and community.
Beyond community and service the iSchool has given me the opportunity to learn the theories behind library science and create projects that lead to a greater understanding of the theories. Both my undergraduate degree and graduate work have helped me better understand the need for information literacy among all people. The work I have done at the iSchool expended on the work I did in undergraduate instructional design so that I can help fulfill the need of people to grow and understand information.
Information literacy today cannot be separated from technology. I believe teaching people the usage and advantages of technology can create greater opportunities for them in their own lives, whether professionally or personally. At the same time, there needs to be an awareness of the limits of technology. Access to technology is not guaranteed in this country, though libraries help fulfill that need. Keeping in mind the needs and access of the users helps create a better educational experience for all involved.
My long term goal is to become a librarian within a public library system. My education and personal observations have shown me that there are many positions within a public library that I would enjoy holding. Working through a public library gives me the opportunity to help individuals and to help grow the community of library users.
I enjoy working with the public. Whether that is as a reference librarian, doing readers’ advisory, or creating and running library sponsored events, I look forward to reaching out into the community of adult readers and helping them as the iSchool has taught. I expect the learning to go both ways though. The community will teach me as much as I can help them.