Graduation Address by Amber Conger, May 12, 2010
University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences Hooding and Awards Ceremony
What is information? Information is “knowledge communicated concerning some particular fact,
subject, or event; that of which one is apprised or told.” Hmmmm. How about … information “is not a
property of documents or bibliographic records, but the relationship between data and the recipient”.
Ehhhhhhhhh, maybe. Let’s try another one! Information “is power. People will act if they are informed”.
Is anyone confused yet? Welcome to our first semester in the SIS program! Yes, this was our
introduction to the field of information sciences… a debate about the definitions of information,
knowledge, and data. These important conversations laid the groundwork for our understanding of our
roles in the field. And if you’re wondering about the “correct” answer to my initial question, you can
quiz a grad later!
We began our first semester in the SIS program with coursework to learn the history,
philosophy, and current issues in the field of librarianship and information sciences, as well as with
coursework about information organization, access, and retrieval. We were baptized by fire in all things
information sciences. However, beyond the coursework, beginning the SIS program actually caused a bit
of culture shock for some of us. If you haven’t been a college student during the last ten years or so, you
will discover a few differences in college education now and the way it operated in your previous
program. In particular, if you are a technophobe or consider yourself to be technically challenged, you
will have to get over it very, very quickly! For example, UT uses a course management software called
Blackboard which serves as a hub to share information needed in your course. If the professor has
handouts to distribute, students can download them from Blackboard and read them online or print
them at home. Students can participate in discussion forums with other students, check their grades,
and even submit all of their assignments to their professor by using the Blackboard system. No more
hauling around a giant binder of handouts, or worrying about getting to campus to turn in your paper
when you’re sick with the flu. Paper doesn’t change hands at all. Contrasting it with my own
undergraduate experience, to me these changes are quite amazing!
As SIS students, we became intimately familiar with another technological wonder: Centra.
Centra is the software which allows our classes to be delivered online, and the majority of our classroom
experiences took place through a computer screen and an internet connection. If you haven’t seen
Centra in action, it’s an impressively interactive program. Classes are delivered in real time. You listen to
your professor give lectures, and you can raise your virtual hand and ask questions through your
microphone, talk with your classmates on text chat, and give presentations using Powerpoint. Sure,
there were a few drawbacks. Going to class online meant that we couldn’t drool over the fabulous shoes
Dr. Bilal was wearing, or see Dr. Wang’s face light up when you catch on to the solution of a complicated
database problem, or enjoy the benefits of Dr. Welch’s culinary talents – ESPECIALLY her chocolate-chip
cookie bars. However, we could accomplish almost everything virtually that we could do in a brick and
mortar classroom. Centra expands the accessibility of graduate education to a wider group of people,
since many students work full-time and attend classes in the evenings or on weekends. Online courses
also allow students to attend from any location, as our graduates here from other states can attest.
That’s what going to class was like for us as SIS students. You may be wondering: if we only met
for class online, and occasionally saw each other face-to-face, then how did we get to know each other?
All I have to say is, thank goodness for Facebook! So maybe Betty White thinks it’s a waste of time, but
Facebook enabled us to build friendships with people who we’d enjoyed collaborating with in class but
may have never had the opportunity to meet otherwise. Facebook also saved some of us many times.
For example, when Centra occasionally decided to misbehave and not allow us to log in for class –post a
quick SOS message on Facebook, and a classmate could pass the word about our technological woes to
our instructor. We could create discussions to seek advice from other students about challenging
assignments, or even pledge your admiration to a beloved professor via a Facebook fan club. Indeedy
do, Facebook served a truly useful purpose as well as offered an entertaining diversion, and its role in
SIS culture proved to be an important one.
In spite of the technological emphasis of the SIS program, we weren’t exactly tied to our desks!
We attended lectures presented by noted authors such as Walter Dean Myers and Gary Paulsen. We’ve
toured libraries and archives, such as the Knox County Archives, Tennessee State Library and Archives,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Scripps Networks. We’ve presented research and traveled to
conferences in cities including Nashville, Memphis, Chicago, Charlotte, and Houston. We’ve organized
picnics, potlucks, workshops, cohort events, lectures, and brainstorming sessions. And let us not forget
about our practicum experiences: SIS students could be found in every type of information agency
imaginable, serving alongside professionals and developing valuable practical knowledge and skills.
We have many fellow graduates who could not attend today, but I’d like to share with you some
characteristics about the graduates who are present. I think you’ll agree with me that this is an
impressive and accomplished group. Of these thirteen graduates, five have already earned master’s
degrees, in the areas of education, history, English, and Appalachian studies. Our graduates have
earned internships at institutions such as the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology
Laboratory in WV, and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. One graduate spent many
years serving as a missionary before coming to library school; I think that she’s simply entering a
different kind of mission field now! In this group, we have a wildly talented knitter, a brilliant banjo
picker, a champion soup-maker, and so much karaoke talent that you’d simply have to hear it to believe
it!
Some of our graduates have received a headstart in making an impact in the field of
librarianship. One graduate already serves as the director of the library and archives for the Woodrow
Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, VA. Another has been changing the culture at her
Chattanooga elementary school by improving school-wide literacy and creating a library experience that
her students have fallen in love with. Another graduate works in collection development for a content
distribution company, and she chooses materials for school libraries. Ladies, I hope that the completion
of your degree means that a hefty raise is in your future!
While enrolled in the SIS program, some graduates celebrated new marriages and new
parenthood, and some raised three kids and worked full-time while completing coursework. I’m sure I’m
not the only student who has felt like my spouse and I were ships passing in the night. And I was one of
the lucky ones… two of our married graduates have been missing their spouses and living apart due to
school and work commitments!
Without a doubt, many people have sacrificed so that we could have this opportunity to reach
our goal which has come to fruition today. Our spouses, children, parents, and those we love have
supported us financially, spent many lonely evenings without us while we attended class or wrote
papers, tackled household chores on our behalf, prayed for us, patiently listened to us moan and
complain, and cheered us on when we were at the end of our rope. To our families and friends, we
realize that we didn’t reach this day on our own; you sacrificed too. Thank you so much for everything
you’ve given!
On behalf of our graduating class, I would also like to thank the faculty and staff of the School of
Information Sciences. We entered the SIS program expecting to learn and to be challenged, and in that
sense, our expectations were met. However, we received so much more from you! You answered
panicked e-mails at midnight, showed genuine concern during unexpected hardships, made us laugh,
built our confidence, extended the hand of friendship, and went above and beyond, time and time
again. We know that we were never just a number to you. We are very grateful to you for your support
and encouragement!
To the class of 2010: We’ve fought hard for our degrees. We’ve built websites, databases, and
digital libraries; created podcasts, developed RSS feeds, and built computers from the ground up.
We’ve learned graphic design, developed library collections, written policies, analyzed databases,
created catalog records, learned the art of the reference interview, and designed surveys. We’ve
learned to tell stories, created teen programs, mined the web, taught students, indexed articles, and
learned the tricks of records management. We can compete, and we’re ready. Let’s continue to grow,
continue to serve, and move forward with confidence. Thank you.