Frederick 1 Julia Frederick ePortfolio Reflective Essay Before I started the library and information science program at Dominican

University, I was a marketing intern at Milner Library at Illinois State University, and I also worked with the Social Sciences Librarian on a special database project. I loved working at the library and being in a creative environment, which is why I decided to go to graduate school for library and information science. However, I was unsure of what all was expected of librarians, and I was unsure of what I wanted to focus on as a future librarian. What I did know is that I wanted to encourage people to love reading, I wanted to help children become life-long readers, and I wanted to help people find answers. All of these things are included in librarianship, and I still want to do all of these things, but I now realize that these are just a small part of what we learn and do as librarians. In the planning and development of my ePortfolio, I have really been able to reflect on all that I have experienced and learned in library school, especially in relation to the GSLIS learning goals and outcomes. I was so pleased to be able to fit in almost all of my best and favorite assignments from the program that demonstrate my knowledge of the goals and outcomes. For the first learning goal, Develop a professional identity, including commitment to core values of LIS, I was able to choose three assignments which I feel best exhibit my development of a professional identity. Like I stated earlier, before I started graduate school I did not know exactly what I wanted to do with my degree. However, now that I am nearing graduation and have taken a number of diverse classes, I now feel as though I have developed a clear professional identity. The three artifacts that I chose to include are: a paper on censorship in public libraries from LIS 701 in my first semester of graduate school, a presentation on gender and the young adult reader from LIS 722, and my application essay for the Bologna Childrens

Frederick 2 Book Fair. These three assignments shaped my professional identity greatly. From in depth research in the first two artifacts, I can firmly state that I believe in intellectual freedom for all people, and I am against giving gender to books and slotting readers into reading books that are based on traditional gender roles. I also realize the importance of participating in professional activities and associations, as I am a student member of the American Library Association, and I am ecstatic to be attending the Bologna Childrens Book Fair this March 2014 with Thom Barthelmess and a number of other students. I know as I graduate and further my library career, my professional ideals will continue to change and grow as I learn new information. For the second learning goal, Understand the essential nature of information and its relevance to society, I have chosen to include the following artifacts: my final cataloging exam from LIS 703, a qualitative and quantitative analysis of a librarys juvenile and young adult sections from LIS 777, and another assignment from LIS 777 proposing library policy revisions. Understanding information and its relevance to society is a crucial part of librarianship because if we did not hold information in such high esteem, we would not have a need for libraries. Cataloging is an important and specific type of organization for information and it is important that this is a required course for the MLIS degree so that all librarians have at least a basic understanding of this process. Cataloging standards are constantly changing and it is important to stay up to date on these changes because if we understand what we are doing, we can provide the best information to library users. The other two assignments included in the second learning goal focus on the outcomes of assessing community information needs and developing appropriate responses to information needs. In my analysis of the Oak Brook Public Librarys children and young adult sections, I found that there were ways in which they could better utilize their space in order to circulate

Frederick 3 more materials. In my group project on proposing revisions to a library policy, I learned how to write an appropriate and professional letter to a library board, in order to persuade them to listen to and potentially follow our suggestions. The ability to assess community needs and develop appropriate and professional responses is important, as most of our work as librarians is figuring out the best ways to meet the needs of the community and library patrons. For the third learning goal, Navigate, curate, and create information across the spectrum of human records from local to global contexts, I included the following artifacts: the Crown Project from LIS 704, a nonfiction program and handout from LIS 723, and an online database tutorial from LIS 724. As noted in goal number two, information is an essential part of librarianship, and understanding how to navigate, curate and create information is something librarians do every day. At work I am constantly connected with information from answering reference questions, to suggesting books to children and young adults, to creating bibliographies, displays, and programs information is being used and disseminated in some way. The artifacts I chose to display utilize information in different ways. The Crown Project was the major project for Reference and Online Services, in which I used a number of resources including Dominicans online catalog, databases, class descriptions, and other appropriate websites to create an online platform to suggest new resources for Crown Library to purchase. I utilized resources in order to manage and create an informative web resource. In LIS 723, I created a nonfiction program and designed a handout with the theme Be an Einstein! Information included on the handout consists of basic information on Einstein, an experiment to try at home, and pertinent resources for further research on Einstein. Based on the information included, the handout can be used as a tool that facilitates access to information. By distributing this handout at the end of the program, I am offering even more information to take

Frederick 4 home. The final artifact for the third goal pertains to outcome 3C: evaluate tools that facilitate access to information. In LIS 724 Media Services and Production, one assignment was to evaluate and explore a database through an online tutorial. I used Screencast to walk through the database and give some comments about the different features for my classmates. My exploration of this database has helped me to understand how to evaluate resources which is important for my future professional career. From these three artifacts, and other experiences in graduate school, I feel that I can better navigate, curate, and create information across the spectrum of human records from local to global contexts. For the fourth learning goal, Synthesize theory and practice within a dynamic and evolving information environment, I included some very diverse assignments, from a paper analyzing a strategic plan of a library, to a storytime program, to a teaching final which included a lesson plan, brochure, and Prezi presentation. Although these are quite different assignments, they all helped me understand different areas of librarianship, as well as follow through with demonstrating the fourth learning goal. The strategic plan analysis for Management of Libraries and Information Centers allowed me to articulate theories and concepts in relation to professional practice by having me explore a strategic plan and explain the different aspects involved in the creation of this document. The storytime program allowed me to learn about literacy and the importance of storytime for babies, toddlers, and kindergarteners. I was also able to demonstrate application of theory to practice, by designing this program for class, as well as facilitating a three and four year old storytime at the library I work at, which is something I have continued to do since Fall 2013. Through storytime at my library I am also able to facilitate informal learning, and in LIS 724, I was able to facilitate formal and informal learning by planning a lesson in which I taught

Frederick 5 the class how to use KerPoof, an online creative platform. Through all of these artifacts, I was able to see many different sides of librarianship, from the business side, to the youth services side, to the programming side. I am confident that I can continue to learn new information and utilize the things I learn in my professional life. For the fifth learning goal, Effectively communicate and collaborate to deliver, market, and advocate for library and information services, I included a statement which addressed an issue of advocacy for children and young adults, a book talk program I designed and presented, and a literature-based web resource I created for Library Materials for Children. In LIS 777 Issues of Access, Advocacy and Policy in Youth Services, our assignments really taught me how to handle more professional aspects of librarianship. Specifically, this assignment taught me how to write a professional statement to try to change a library policy. This helped me to better understand how to properly and professionally be an advocate for the library. The book talk assignment from LIS 723 helped me understand how to get children and young adults interested in books, especially reluctant readers, by just figuring out what aspects of a book to discuss. Finally, I was able to connect, communicate, and collaborate through the creation of my child abduction, literaturebased, web resource. After finding the need for a resource of this kind, I brought together some of the more important and needed aspects on this topic and put them all together in an easy-tonavigate Google Site. Through these three artifacts, I show that I am able to use different resources and platforms to market and advocate for the library. Although I learned a great amount from all of the assignments and artifacts I included, the assignments that I feel best about, and feel best represent me are: the Censorship in Public Libraries paper I wrote for Introduction to Library and Information Science, the analysis of the Champaign Public Library strategic plan I wrote for Management of Libraries and Information

Frederick 6 Centers, the storytime program I designed and presented for Services for Children and Young Adults, the advocacy statement I wrote for Issues of Access, Advocacy, and Policy in Youth Services, and the literature-based web resource I created for Library Materials for Children. Each of these assignments is incredibly different from the others, and all have taught me valuable lessons about the different aspects of librarianship. Librarianship is more than just books; it is getting the right information to people, offering the best resources possible, and helping people become life-long lovers of the library. As I reach my last few months in library school, I realize just how far I have come and how much I have learned in a span of just two years. I have gone from not really knowing what I was going to do as a librarian, to developing a professional identity. I currently work as a youth services library assistant at a library, but I hope to become a youth services librarian and continue my work with children and young adults. I love working with children and young adults, from birth to age 18, because they are newly learning all of these things about life, and the way they get excited about information and different programs is something really special to be a part of and see. I want to continue to learn and grow in this profession, and I want to never stop being excited about my work. I love librarianship and I love helping people. Putting all of these assignments together in this ePortfolio has really shown me how much I have learned and how much I want to continue to learn. Helping people has always been a passion of mine, and through librarianship I know I will be able to help patrons every single day. From this program and from working in a library, I know that helping and teaching people is one of the most rewarding things I can do as a librarian. Along with the artifacts in my ePortfolio, I would not be where I am today without the great relationships I have built with some of my professors. Through their help, their courses, and

Frederick 7 assignments, I feel ready to be the librarian I want to be. Overall, I am confident in my abilities as a soon-to-be-graduate and future librarian due to Dominican Universitys library and information science program, especially with the help of some incredible professors, and cultivating invaluable classroom and library experiences.