Abigail Siemers
LI801 Reflective Journal
Reflective Journal Entry
In many ways, I agree with the statements made in this article. If I am going to be giving
information to someone, I need to be able to judge, not only what that person wants based on the
information he/she has given to me, but also based on what I am able to glean from what that
person has not said. I have to anticipate their needs. In many cases, an information professional
has to make a decision based on the information he/she has and hope that decision is correct.
Each situation is unique and the information that I give will be different based on the situation.
The questions may sound the same, but the information that each person needs may be
completely different. Knowledge is not the only thing you need to be an information
professional. Technology alone is not going to give you everything you need. You need to have
the wisdom to decide what is the right information to be given at the right time to the individual
that you are helping. Ethical judgments are difficult to make sometime, but they have to be
made. As an information professional, I am tasked with helping the people who need it.
Sometimes I may have all the information that I need to give the people exactly what they need.
Sometimes I may not. All I can do is give them the best possible help that I can provide and
made the best judgments possible in each situation. An information professional has to make use
of all the resources available in each situation. It’s hard to know what I would do in each
situation. I want to be able to give as much aid as I can while not neglecting the other people
who might need my help. There are times when I feel as though the patron wants something that
I cannot give. It is important to remember that I can only give them the best information that I
can. It is also important to remember that it is okay to refer the individual to someone else if I
cannot provide the information he/she needs. After that, it is important to remember that what
they do with that information is up to them.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was thinking today about what an Information Professional's place is in society. The thought
that I had was it is always changing. There is always new information to be gained and
discovered. What society needs from an information professional is changing every day, which
means that the role of the information professional is changing every day, in every situation, for
each person we encounter. Today, someone may need the information professional to provide
information on the computer. Tomorrow, that same person might need information on something
completely different. That's what makes this profession so exciting: it's always changing. It's
always evolving. This is an exciting time to be an information professional and I'm excited to see
where it will take me.
Reflective Journal Entry
One of the questions that has been on my mind recently has been “Once I graduate and I am no
longer taking classes, what will be the best way to stay caught up on the trends taking place in
the library science field?” There are so many different ways to learn about what is going on in
the library science field. How does one stay caught up on all the changes that are taking place?
Technology changes so quickly. How does one know what are the trends that are going to stick
around and which ones are going to fall by the wayside? The Library Science world is so big
with so many different types of things going on all at the same time: adult trends, youth trends,
senior citizen trends, technology trends, etc. How does one know what to focus on to keep one's
knowledge relevant? I want to be able to provide good, accurate information to the library
patrons who come in, which means that I need to know about the information in my field. As an
information professional, library patrons will expect me to be able to help them find the answers
to the questions they have. How does one know which book or database is the best in which
situation? If one doesn't stay caught up on the trends, how does one know where to go to get the
most accurate information? I have library patrons who approach me with questions at my job and
at times I don't know how to answer their questions. I have to refer them to another person
because I do not know how to find the information them to other librarians who have more
information and know how to find what they are looking for. One of the topics that was disccued
in the Rubin reading was “What does the future hold for libraries, librarians, and other LIS
professionals?” It's an uncertain time, but that makes for such an exciting time to be in this field
because it's changing and I'm learning how to maneuver in this field to become an information
professional. What does the future hold for this field? I do not know. I do know that I want to be
as prepared as I can be to face what is coming. I know that I have not yet been able to come up
with a really good answer to my questions about the best way to stay caught up in this field after
I graduate, but it's something that I will be thinking about in the future and I know that many
answers will come with more education along the way.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was reading through the Asheim article, “Not Censorship But Selection” and I had a question
going through my head: What about the situation where a library does not purchase a book
because it already has multiple other books like it? Even if the book were controversial in nature,
I do not view this as censorship because the library is not choosing the reject the book based on
its good or bad characteristics, but rather on the question of whether or not the library needs
another book on that particular topic.
One example of this would be: a library has the option to purchase a copy of a book regarding
sex which is considered by some to be controversial in nature. They already have multiple books
related to this topic. They choose not to purchase a copy of this book.
I would not consider this to be censorship. The book is not found to be wanting based on the
librarian's opinion of it. It is not being rejected based on the standards of the intent of the author.
It is not being rejected due to how well it was written. Obviously the library is not censoring the
book if it already has copies of similar materials. This would be considered selection, rather than
censorship. It simply does not need a copy of a book when it has other books that would provide
the same information.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was reading through chapter 2 in Rubin and was struck by a statement that was made on p. 39.
He said that during the Roman Empire, “possessing a library became a symbol of status and
rank, as well as personal pride, for many generals and aristocracy.” That really struck me to think
that at one point in time, a personal library was considered to be something that gave one
increased status. In the modern world in which we live, especially in the area in which we live,
education, the ability to read and be educated is taken for granted. We consider an education to
be something that everyone should have. Books are readily available to the masses. Anyone in
America has the option to read at any time. Libraries open that door. To think that there was a
point in time when that was not true, when owning books was considered to give one a greater
status among one’s peers is something that truly blows me away. Also, the fact that it gave
people personal pride to be able to say that they own a library is amazing. It is a piece of
knowledge that makes me think about how fortunate I am to be living in an age when so much
information is available to me and just the push of a button or the flip of a page. He later talked
about how people would invest of their own money to help create a proprietary library or to have
a membership at a subscription library. These people would voluntarily give of their own
resources to create a place of knowledge. They would give of what they had to create something
so great and would lead to something so much greater. I know how much I love to read. The
opportunity to go to the library when I was younger was so exciting. I love to get the chance to
walk through the aisles of books and stare in wonder at all the different books I could read and
topics I could learn about. It was such a highlight to be able to go. I think that was when I started
realizing how amazing it would be to enter into that field, to be someone who had the
opportunity to work with so many books, to have access to so much information. To be in a
position in my life where I have the opportunity to move forward in that dream is amazing.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was reading further in chapter 2 of Rubin and a quote caught my attention. I bookmarked it so
that I could come back to it simply because it caught my attention. I realized later why it did. In
so many ways, it continues to reflect today’s society and how it is changing.
It said, “Modern demands upon the public school presuppose adequate library service.
Significant changes in methods of teaching require that the school library supplement the single
textbook course of instruction and provide for the enrichment of the school curriculum.” (p. 53)
When I thought about this, it seemed so much like it still applies to school libraries today. The
demands in the schools are changing. At one point in time, a single textbook would be enough to
cover the material a teacher was teaching. In today’s society, that is no longer true. There are so
many things that teachers rely upon to teach in a classroom. Libraries supplement the materials
the teachers have and allow them to help their students explore their education outside the
classroom. Technology is changing all the time. Fifteen years ago, I never would have thought
that I would be using a computer in my everyday life. Ten years ago, I never would have thought
that I would have a cell phone that would allow me to access the internet and I barely knew what
e-mail was. Who knows where technology will be in a few years? Libraries help students keep
up with the technology that they might not otherwise have access to. Some students do not have
access to computers in their everyday life outside of a library. Having access to the library allows
students to learn skills they might not have time to learn inside of a classroom.
In addition to providing the technology to help teachers, libraries also provide innumerable
resources in print form as well. My mother is a teacher and she recently came to visit the library
in which I work. When she arrived at the teacher resources area of the library, she kept
commenting over and over how much she appreciated being able to come and check out those
resources. She had located a series of videos that were very helpful for planning part of her
lessons for the year, videos which for financial reason she would not have had access to outside
of a library. While I may not work in a school library, it is amazing how much a public library
can contribute to teachers as well as the materials a teacher might have in-house in their school’s
library. Modern demands on education dictate the need for a library, both in the school and out.
I’m so glad that I work in a profession where I can help.
Reflective Journal Entry
It was interesting to read through chapter 10 of Rubin because so many of the things that were
talked about are things that I assume that everyone knows and it’s not that way. The part that
really hit me was Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science: books are for use, books are for
all, every book its reader, save the time of the reader, and the library is a growing organism.
When I think of books, I think of using them. I think of books as being something that you glean
something from. You read them. You learn from them. They stimulate your imagination. Books
are meant to be used. They aren’t meant to be locked up. They should be treated with the respect
they deserve, but they should still be put to good use. When I say they should be put to use, they
really should be used by everyone. There is not a good reason to keep someone from using a
book is there is something that can be learned from it, if that person can benefit from reading it.
I was confused originally reading when it said “Every book its reader.” I didn’t know what it
meant. When I read the explanation, I thought it made so much sense. The books should be
arranged in a way that will allow them to accessible. It doesn’t matter how good a book is, if it’s
not accessible, no one will read it. You want to books to be accessible to the person who will
benefit from it the most. It makes sense to ensure that the library is set up in a way that will allow
the library’s patrons to find the materials they are searching for. Saving the time of the reader is
also a good policy for people to think about regardless of the institution. It’s good customer
service. You want to be able to find what you are looking for when you are looking for it in a
timely manner. I know that I do not want to spend twenty minutes looking for something when
someone else has the training to find it for me in five. It makes sense to ensure that information
professionals have the information needed to help people find what they need. It is also
important to remember that libraries are growing. They are changing. New needs will come up.
They will need to be addressed. I thought that comparing a library to an organism was brilliant.
If a library cannot grow and adapt to its surroundings, it will die. Just like any living being, a
library and the people who work there have to adjust to the people around it and the culture in
which it exists.
Reflective Journal Entry
While I was reading through Lessig’s article, I learned a lot more about copyright laws than I
thought I would. I thought that I knew a decent amount about the laws. I knew that you could
only use a certain amount of a copyrighted book or article before it infringed on these laws. I did
not know how different the laws for film vs. books was. It seems so crazy to me that
Guggenheim’s daughter couldn’t change her father’s films into DVD format because of
copyright laws. It amazes me how long it has taken her to accomplish the task she took on. I
mean, 8 years is a long time. Also, to think that after all that time she wasn’t finished at the time
the article was published is incredible.
Reflective Journal Entry
There was a statement made in the Achleitner article that intrigued me. He said on p. 138,
“Ironically, in place of mechanization, computer-assisted automation started to create
unemployment.” Reading through this statement made me think about how much libraries will
continue to change in the future. Computers are changing the face of Information Management.
Due to the number of things that computers are able to do now and the increasing number of
things they will be able to do in the future, it will be important to continue to learn about
technology in a way that will continue to remain relevant in the future. Technology improves at
such a rapid rate, keeping up will be a challenge, but it will be one that will be fun to see where it
goes.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was reading the Achleitner article and near the end it talked about the six categories of
information professionals. The 6 categories were: information theorists, information brokers,
information engineers, information intermediaries, information managers, and educators of
information professionals. When I was reading it, I stopped to think “Which of these categories
do I fit into now and which do I want to be in the future?” At the moment, I believe I most fit
into the information brokers category. In most cases, I am most concerned with giving people
information as it applies now. I want the information to be something the customer can use now.
I want to have the information be relevant now.
When I was thinking about which category/categories I want to fit into in the future, I had to
admit to myself that I’m not sure. In many ways, I think that I want to fit into each of them in
some way. I want to be able to have knowledge of the various aspects of paradigms that an
information theorist would know about. I want to be able to give library patrons the information
they can use at the time that they need it as an information broker would do. I want to have the
knowledge of hardware and software as well as maintain the knowledge bases to help patrons get
the information they need as well as the information they may not realize they need yet after
analyzing their needs as an information engineer would do. I want to be able to help the patrons
with finding the information they need as an information intermediary would. I want to be able
to provide leadership that will help people to work together to create a vibrant information
network and environment as an information manager would. I want to be able to help create new
knowledge and help others learn it as an educator of information professional would. I know I
want to fit into each of these categories in different ways. I just need to find which category will
best allow me to work on my weaknesses and build on my strengths.
Reflective Journal Entry
In Rubin Chapter 8 it says, “Information is being reconceptualized from something useful for
improving understanding to a commodity – something to be bought, sold, or controlled – a
transformation that could potentially threaten the existence and purpose of libraries. “ This made
me think back to the discussion that we had during the first class weekend when we discussed
the need for libraries. When I think of a library, I think of somewhere that has information that is
freely shared by all people who come in. If information becomes something that people seek to
control, the library will change as we know it. If libraries cannot give people the opportunity to
share in the information that is available, what use is it to the community? If information is
something to be purchased, who or what will help those who cannot afford it? Will there cease to
be somewhere they can go to obtain the help they need? Will communities still need a library?
Or will libraries be something that becomes exclusive to those who can afford to pay for the
information that is being controlled by others?
Reflective Journal Entry
There was a question that I felt was being asked throughout the Rich article: What is knowledge?
It talked about different types of knowledge throughout the article, but the question was truly
asked on p.8. He discussed how Bacon thought of science as “a distinct and critical mode of
inquiry leading to the creation or production of knowledge, as opposed to ‘the arts’ as the use of
knowledge.” Rich then stated that there is now a debate over what is knowledge? Is science “the
only true form of knowledge, a superior form of knowledge, or simply one form of knowledge
among many others (religion, art, law, philosophy, technology)”?
It is interesting to hear someone try to define what knowledge is. How does one define
knowledge? Is it simply facts that people find over the course of time? Does it include feelings?
Does it include art? Or music? It seemed to me that Bacon was defining knowledge as being very
cut and dry. It was knowledge = information. I don’t know if I agree with that. I have always
thought of knowledge as being more than simply information. I think that knowledge also has to
do with experiences. Those cannot be defined. I can learn a lot of information, but that does not
mean that I have a lot of knowledge necessarily. I believe that part of knowledge is knowing how
to apply the information you have. I think that I agree with argument that science is simply one
form of knowledge among others. I don’t think there will ever be a definition of what knowledge
is, but it does make for an interesting debate.
Reflective Journal Entry
I really enjoyed the Bell article. I like how he compared librarians to gatekeepers and gateopeners. It is a good metaphor for what this profession is. We could continue to simply control
access to information, which would lead to the profession becoming obsolete. Or we could form
relationships with the members of the community and help them find the access to what they
truly need. It’s not enough to simply have the information. It’s about helping them find what they
need when they need it. If one has the information, but does nothing with it, what benefit is that
to anyone? No one is able to learn from it. Instead, if one person has the information and shares
it, everyone benefits from it. It’s like a body. What good is it to eat if only the stomach benefitted
from it? Instead, it is better that when one eats, the entire body is nourished and benefits from it.
It is the same in libraries. It is better for everyone to be able to find the information that one
needs, rather than keeping the information from someone who may really need it, but not know
how to find it. It’s better to be a gate-opener than a gatekeeper.
Reflective Journal Entry
I watched Mona Lisa Smile and I thought it was a beautiful movie. I thought it showed how
information can be transferred through more than simply reading it in a book. The movie talked
about how Katherine taught through her life, how she led by example. As an information
professional, she went to great lengths to impart that information to her students. She showed
them how to view things in a way they had never considered before. In our readings recently, it
talked about how information professionals need to be gate-openers rather than gatekeepers. In
many ways, Katherine exemplified this. She opened the gates to a world of knowledge these
students had never known. She did not simply teach the way others thought it should be taught.
She taught in a way that the students would learn, that the students would think. She didn’t just
give the lesson out of the book. She gave the lesson from her life.
I learned from this movie because it is different seeing something, rather than reading it in a
book. Sometimes you need to see something before you can really understand it. I think that is
how I feel about this movie. Someone could tell me all the things that are depicted in this movie,
but likely I would not remember it. I would simply forget. But seeing it, even if it is fiction,
shows me something that words alone could not express. This movie shows how much of an
impact one person can have. It also shows that just because something is different does not mean
that it can’t work. This movie had so many different messages. It was beautiful.
Reflective Journal Entry
I really liked the statement in Rubin that “Information Science comprises a library without
walls.” That is such an amazing way of explaining IS. IS has the information of a library but is
not constrained by the walls of a building. You can take the information to where it is needed
and provide it to anyone, not simply the people who are able to come into the library at a given
point in time. Information does not have to be contained. It can be shared with anyone,
anywhere, at any time. THAT is an amazing thought.
Reflective Journal Entry
In Rubin, it talked about how in the general population, the primary reason for seeking
information. It said that 52% sought information to solve day-to-day problems and nearly threequarters described their information need as personal. This surprised me, not because I thought
the numbers were too high, but because that actually seemed low to me. Why wouldn’t someone
seek information to solve their problems? The three-quarters who said that their need for
information as personal seemed closer, but it still seemed lower than I would have thought.
Given that I work at a service desk at a library, I know that most of the questions are to help their
personal needs. Most of the time, I do not receive questions that would be to help someone else.
In fact, it is pretty rare that someone asks something on someone else’s behalf. I wonder what
people thought when they were describing their information needs as personal and what kind of
information the people who said that their information need was not personal were looking for
and if there is a way to determine that in an efficient manner?
Reflective Journal Entry
I was intrigued by the statement in Rubin that “People seldom see librarians as a source of
information.” This is something that was a little troubling because there is so much information
that people are able to obtain from librarians, yet they do not seem to realize this. Even as
someone in this profession, I confess that I do not always think of librarians when I need
information. However, I do not know how to change this. Rubin said that “emphasizing the
librarian rather than the library might increase library use.” How to change the perception of a
community is a hard thing to do. This is something that can only be changed over time. I can’t
force people to see things from my perspective. However, I can start with small things, like
providing the best, most comprehensive service to the library patrons that I possibly can.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was intrigued by the Thompson article, particularly with Chatman’s statement that “our
membership within a particular group contributes to information poverty.” Reading about how
we communicate information to those around us was an interesting insight into that particular
topic. I had never thought about not receiving information from someone in my social group. I
have heard that people tend to associate with other people who are in a similar social status with
them, but I had never thought about how that would affect the flow of information from one
person to another. There might be information that I would have received if I had associated with
someone else, or I might have given information to someone else that I might not have given it to
otherwise. Have there been times when I did not disseminate information to someone because
that person was not in my normal social group? Reading this article has opened my eyes to the
fact that just because I think that someone might not need a piece of information because they
may be in a different social group does not mean that person could not benefit from it.
Reflective Journal Entry
When I was reading through the Thompson article, it talked about how opinion leaders would not
always disseminate information they received because they did now want to hurt their own
chances for getting a job by giving that information to someone else. This statement intrigued me
because it made me think about how I might not want to give information to someone because I
do not want to hurt my own chances for something because I thought that person might be more
qualified for the position and might get the position over me if I have them the information.
Other times, I might not consider the information important enough to give to someone.
However, that information might have been very important to the person that I would have given
it to. It made me think about how I may have contributed to information poverty in some ways. I
wonder how I might use the information I have to help others and how to determine what
information will be helpful to people and what information will be irrelevant to their inquiries.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was really intrigued by the Pierce article and how it said that we need a “dead Germans”
course. The discussion of how LIS needs a course about the origins of libraries, about the
classics, and things of that nature was interesting because I hadn’t thought about it before. The
idea of going into a field without having the foundations of what that field is built upon seems
like lunacy. It also made me realize just how little I know of the classics. How much have I read
about this field? How much have I prepared for it and taken the time to gain those foundations?
Truthfully, I would have to say not nearly enough. This article is a good one for opening my eyes
to the realization that I need to pay more attention to the “dead Germans” of the LIS field. Also,
what could I contribute to this discussion? What information do I have that I could contribute to
the LIS field?
Reflective Journal Entry
How can we move IS research outside the field of IS? So much of the research that goes into IS
theory comes from other fields like science, humanities, social sciences, etc., but how often do
these other fields cite IS research in their research? In Pettigrew and McKechnie’s article, they
said, “The results from the citation analysis suggest that IS theory is not well cited outside the
field, except by IS authors who publish in non-IS journals.” The question that begs to be asked
from this is how do we move these other fields to be interested in IS theory and citing it in their
research? I don’t believe that there is any one simple answer to that question. It makes sense to
believe that the more work that is put into IS research and development of new theories will lead
to more interest in IS research from other fields. How does someone interest an author who is not
in this field to cite this information in another field?
Reflective Journal Entry
There was a quote in the Pettigrew and McKechnie article that was interesting to me: “Questions
even arose regarding whether the author to whom a theory was credited would him or herself
consider his or her work as theory.” It made me wonder if there is any proper definition to what
is considered theory in IS or if that definition is left open to interpretation? The way that it
sounds in this article makes me think that there is no actual definition of theory in IS. In which
case, how does IS expect more research to be undertaken in IS theory if people aren’t even sure
of what IS there is? The title of the article was “The Use of Theory in Information Science
Research,” but how do you measure how much theory is being used if there is not one definition
of what theory is? The use of theory in research would differ depending on the article and
research because their definition of “theory” would be different depending on the author of the
article.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was reading through Rubin and came across a passage that talked about the different
technologies that were incorporated in libraries in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the
Dewey Decimal system and the card catalog. It made me wonder what technologies or
inventions are we creating today that will continue to be used in 100 years? Will any of them still
be used? What will the descendants of the current technology look like? How will technology
evolve from where it is right now? Microphotography was such an important creation and
microfilm/microform is still in use today in many libraries. Is there something that I am using
today that librarians in the future will consider special or will they consider it all to be obsolete?
Reflective Journal Entry
There was a statement made in Rubin that struck me and I kept coming back to it over and over
again. It said, “The rationale for using these technologies was simple: computerization would
increase efficiency, produce costs savings, and reduce the size of staff.” The question that I kept
coming back to was whether there will be a time when library staff becomes obsolete? Will there
be a time when staff are simply not needed? Will computers be able to answer the questions that
had formerly been asked of real, live people? My thought was that I don’t think that there will be
a time when people stop wanting that personal interaction. It’s really easy to say that it would be
cheaper to simply let computers do the work, but many people that I talk to get really frustrated
when they call in to a business and get a computerized recording. I think that so many people
want that interaction with other people that I don’t think that staff will become obsolete. I think
that librarians will always be needed. I think there will always be a call for them. However, the
requirements of their jobs will continue to change.
Reflective Journal Entry
When I was reading through the section in Rubin in chapter 11 about the MARC records, it said
that “there remained considerable skepticism that automation could be applied practically to
most library functions and services.” I thought about which technologies are being implemented
today that are being implemented today that people are skeptical about, but will be considered
important in the future? I remember thinking about so many technologies, “That will never
work.” Then I would turn around and find out that it not only worked, but it was popular. I
remember hearing about Twitter a few years ago and thinking that it would never catch on. I
thought that it sounded like a bad idea and that no one would ever want to use it. Fast forward a
few years to the present and it is now a really popular site and many people and businesses are
using it to communicate. It doesn’t seem so silly anymore. So what are we thinking about now
that seems still, but in a few years will be used by people all over the world?
Reflective Journal Entry
Rubin said, “It becomes clear that the future holds not one all-encompassing digital library, but
thousands of distributed digital libraries linked together by metadata and mined by federated
search engines.” There was not a clear explanation as to why he said this. When he talked about
how it was clear that all things are going digital for the library, I felt compelled to disagree. In
other parts of the chapter, it talked about how fragile digital information is. I find it hard to
believe that there will be a point in the future when there are no physical materials. I believe that
there will likely be a time when there are fewer libraries with fewer physical materials, but I
don’t believe that physical materials will disappear completely. Information stored digitally is
too fragile to rely on completely. If a server is damaged or something like that, large quantities of
information could be lost forever. It makes more sense to believe that there would be fewer
libraries using physical materials, instead they would use an increasing amount of digital
versions of physical materials, but I don’t think the physical materials will disappear entirely.
Reflective Journal Entry
When Rubin was talking about the security concerns about RFID, I wondered if there was
another technology in development in case RFID doesn’t work out. If so, I wonder what it is? I
know that I had heard about other problems that RFID has had. One such concern is the ability
for RFID transactions to be confused. If a patron returns materials to the circulation desk at the
same time as another patron who is checking out, that material could accidentally be checked out
on the account of someone who does not want it. I wonder if that glitch has been worked out, or
if that is something that will continue to be a problem. Is RFID as good as it is being advertised
or is it something that will not work out in the end? Also, how are libraries dealing with the
questions about its security? Is there a way to lcok unauthorized people from viewing the
information contained on RFID tags? How hard is it to minimize the information stored on an
RFID tag?
Reflective Journal Entry
Rubin talked about how ALA created “Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual
Reference Systems.” He later stated that “Although these standards are useful, there is little
evidence that the guidelines are actually being used to evaluate DRS in libraries. My question is:
how would you monitor something like this? How does an organization as large as the ALA
determine whether these guidelines are being put to good use? Is there a way to implement them
in every library that uses DRS? If not, is there a way to make libraries begin using them or to
find a type of guidelines that would be easier to monitor to ensure that DRS is properly
evaluated?
Reflective Journal Entry
When I think about the philosophical foundations of information services, I think about
providing the best possible services to anyone who walks through the doors of the library. Not
everyone who walks through the doors of the library will be contributing to the collection. Not
everyone will want to give money. Not everyone will be checking out materials. However,
everyone who comes into the library deserves to have the best services possible. As an
information professional, I want to be able to provide the best services to each and every person I
help at the library.
Reflective Journal Entry
When I think about my strengths, it’s hard to write them down simply because it makes me feel
strange, like I’m coming across as being full of myself. I think that one of my strengths is my
ability to be a quiet leader. The stereotypical leader is the person who steps out in front of
everyone, is really vocal, and all those kinds of things. I don’t feel like that fits me. I think that in
order to be a leader, you have to know how to follow as well. I can’t lead somewhere that I
haven’t been. I can’t expect people to follow me if I don’t know how to follow as well. That
knowledge gives me the ability to put myself in someone else’s shoes and think about how that
person would feel. I think that I also have a strength in that I am confident in my own abilities
and know that when I commit to something, for better or for worse, I will get it done. I enjoy
working with a goal in mind, simply because accomplishing that goal is so motivating. I enjoy
listening to others. I like to be able to help others, not just assuming that I know what the
problem is. Part of helping other people is really listening to what they are trying to say and
helping them to find the best solution for their problem.
Reflective Journal Entry
I believe that it is important to think about your thinking because you are examining yourself and
what you really feel, rather than simply taking something at face value. It allows you to reflect
on what you have thought. I have kept a journal since I was 16 and it is so interesting to go back
and reflect on what I thought and felt as a younger person. It helps me to realize that I feel very
different about some things now than I did when all those years ago. When I think about all of
those things, it helps me to remember what my life was like at that age and it helps me to relate
better to teenagers when they come in to the library. To be able to think about my thinking,
whether it was the thoughts I had as a 16 year old or the thoughts of my 26 year old self. Even
going back over the thoughts I had at the beginning of this semester feels different based on the
things I have learned in my classes this semester.
Reflective Journal Entry
It’s important to never stop learning about yourself. As I go through the semesters here at ESU, I
know I will continue to learn about myself, my abilities, my skills, my strengths and my
weaknesses. I also know that learning is not confined to the four walls of a classroom. I continue
to learn about myself through my everyday experiences. The more I learn about myself, the more
it shapes my professional philosophy. As I learn, I have to think about how that knowledge
affects me and how it affects the world around me. If I discover that I have a new skill that I did
not know about before, I need to stop and think about what would be the best way to use this
skill. It would be easy to brush it aside and think that it only affects me, but it doesn’t. My
thoughts and my actions rarely affect only me. Every time I make a decision, there are
consequences. Those consequences may be positive, they may be negative, but they are always
present. These experiences shape who I am. I continue to learn. I continue to grow. I continue to
strive toward higher goals. The more I discover about myself, the more I am able to develop a
professional philosophy that I will be able to walk out in the future.
Reflective Journal Entry
There are so many different things that an information professional needs to know about society.
When I think of an information professional, I think of that person who is able to connect you
with whatever information you are searching for. If they don’t know the answer off the top of
their heads, they will find someone or something that will provide that answer. Therefore,
information professionals need to know about the history of society, but they also need to know
about the trends that are occurring at that time. Keeping up with trends can be hard. Just as soon
as a trend hits, it can be gone. Keeping up with new technology, with new theories, with new
research can be simply exhausting, but it is also worth it because it keeps the information
professional current and relevant in a world that is constantly changing.
Reflective Journal Entry
Information agencies are so important in a global society and there are many different types:
libraries, the internet, schools, etc. People go to these places to learn, to experience, to gain from
what others have learned and experienced. Information agencies provide something invaluable:
knowledge. They provide the ability to grow and further someone toward reaching their ultimate
goal. Information agencies allow people to have somewhere they can go to find what they need
when they need it. They are essential in the world today when so many people go into
information overload. Information is easily accessible, however, it is not always easy to find. I
could go online and way that I wanted to find the phone number for McDonald’s. The problem is
that there are so many McDonald’s in the world. I would need to make sure that I find the correct
number or I could end up wasting a lot of time dialing wrong numbers. Instead of spending a lot
of time searching, I could ask an information professional who would be able to find that
number, rather than me searching for a needle in a haystack.
Reflective Journal Entry
Thinking about the question, “How do information professionals contribute to the quality of life
in society?” I came back to the Achleitner article from early in the semester. I t talked about the
different categories of information professionals. In so many ways, that article gives the
definition of how information professionals contribute to the quality of life. Information
professionals connect people with the information they seek in a timely manner and, at times,
locating materials that the people would not have been able to find any other way. Information
professionals connect people with information in a way that is comfortable and in a way that the
library’s patrons feel that they have been given a service rather than simply someone grudgingly
doing research because it’s what they are paid to do. I believe that part of my role as an
information professional is to provide a service to the library’s patrons, simply because I love
doing it, not just because it’s my job, but because it is one of the best jobs in the world. Getting
to see people’s faces light up when they are connected with the information they seek is
amazing. That is how information professionals contribute to the quality of life in society. They
provide connections.
Reflective Journal Entry
I was really glad when Dr. Perley added the book This Book is Overdue to the recommended
reading list during the second class weekend. I had been looking at that book and thinking how
much I wanted read it, but hadn’t had the time. How I have the perfect reason! I love how the
author, Marilyn Johnson, is able to break through the stereotype of librarians and show how
applicable this profession is in today’s world. I LOVE the idea of the second-life librarian! It
reaches out to an entirely new group of people who might never step a foot inside the doors of a
physical library, but would be willing to go to a virtual library to get their information. That’s
such a great idea!
I really enjoyed how Ms. Johnson didn’t focus solely on the bad things or the good things that
happen in libraries today. She paints a realistic picture of what libraries are like. She talks about
finding materials in a vault in one chapter. In another, she talks about how a librarian lost all his
e-mail correspondence due to a software migration. I agree with this author’s description of
libraries: that libraries are valuable and should be around for many, many years to come, in some
form or another.
I felt that this book was really interesting because it did not simply talk about librarians in the
context of the reference librarian. It talked about all different kinds of people who work in
libraries, not just the ones that most people would think of. Overall, I really, really enjoyed this
book!
Reflective Journal Entry
I chose to examine the Core Competencies of Librarianship from the ALA. I am leaning toward
working in an academic library, so I was interested in what the ALA felt were the things that I
should know. I have worked in one before as a student worker, so I felt that the information from
the ALA would help me be better prepared, knowing what is expected.
The requirements included knowledge of 8 different areas: Foundations of the Profession,
Information Resources, Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information, Technological
Knowledge and Skills, Reference and User Services, Research, Continuing Education and
Lifelong Learning, and Administration and Management.
I feel confident in some areas of these competencies. I am comfortable working with people of
various ages, knowledge, and skill levels. I love to learn and believe that it is important to be a
lifelong learner. I am excited to continue to learn more and more about my field. Following this
course, I feel that I have a better foundation of this profession and a better understanding of
where it has been, which leads to a better idea of where it can go in the future.
There were some things that were mentioned that I know I still have to learn, but probably the
competency that I feel the least confident in, at least at this point in time, is the Technological
Knowledge and Skills. There are so many different kinds of technology out there and there are
so many different ways of using them that I feel like I am constantly learning a new way of
doing things. I know that this is something that I can work on and become more confident. I also
know that I will need to work on Administration and Management. I have a little experience in
this area, but I am far from feeling confident at this time in this area.
I feel that I am making great strides, but I know I still have a long way to go. I’m looking
forward to the future in my classes and in this field as a whole. This is an exciting time for this
profession.
Reflective Journal Entry
“Sharp adopted Dewey’s view that librarians were powerful because they could influence
people’s access to ideas.” I thought that this was such an interesting quote from Rubin. In a
world where people consider libraries and librarians to be obsolete, it was interesting to read that
someone considers librarians powerful, even though the reference for it places the statement in
1966. The idea that librarians influence people access to ideas is something that I had not thought
much about. However, librarians have access to such great amounts of information that it should
not be surprising to me at all, but it is. The thought that this brings to mind is that I wonder how I
can help people’s access to ideas. How can I help them in this way? How?
Reflective Journal Entry
“Unlike teaching where licensure often requires it, most library positions have to CE
requirements, not do employers offer monetary rewards as incentives.” I read that sentence and
put a big sticky note on it with the word “WHY?” Why aren’t librarians required to have
continuing education? In a world where information professionals need to keep caught up on
trends, why are librarians not required to continually update their education, so as to know what
the latest trends are? I have talked with some people who have said that they get so frustrated
when they are dealing with people who do not seem to know what is going on. What is the
easiest way to avoid that perception? EDUCATION! In a profession where information is key, it
boggles my mind that continuing education is not considered a necessity. It also makes me
wonder if this is something that will change in the future. Will there be a time when librarians
have the requirement that they must take classes to maintain their ability to do their jobs?
Reflective Journal Entry
Agre made the statement: “The skills that the leader exercises in building a critical mass of
opinion around emerging issues are the same skills that every professional needs to stay
employed at all.” When you look at job requirements in today’s world, employers aren’t simply
looking for someone who simply has knowledge. They are looking for people who have skills as
well. They are looking for someone with that X factor. They want someone who has a special
dynamic, someone who can lead, but also knows how to follow. Some of the best people that I
have worked with are people who have the ability to lead when they need to, to take over a
project when someone is needed to do so.
Later in the same article, Agre mentions drawing on your own experiences to bring up an issue
that other people haven’t necessarily started talking about. He said, “Maybe you are simply
anticipating concerns that everybody else will be discovering independently in a few years, or
maybe you are building something new that wouldn’t have happened without you.” It’s
important to reflect on your own experiences because you never know when you may stumble
upon the next great issue. This article was so interesting because it gave such great methods for
how to start on being a leader.
Reflective Journal Entry
I really liked the Circle article. I enjoyed how it talked about different cultural ideas that libraries
can be working on to help them grow. The idea of using video marketing is such a good one. The
library I work in uses videos to show different things, like how to get a library card, how the
DVD dispenser works, etc. It shows people how to do something in a visual way and there are
many people who respond far better to a visual medium. I also loved the idea of mobile
marketing. Smart phones are becoming more and more popular and the idea of a library having
an app sounds so good to me! Just this summer, I got a smart phone and I have loved being able
to use it to do even very basic things, like requesting a book from my library. I was also
fascinated by the portion of the article titled “Death of Email.” Reading what the average time to
view an e-mail vs. a text message was amazing. I had never thought about something like that. I
guess it makes sense, but it still blows my mind because I remember back to high school when it
was so cool just to have an e-mail address and now people are saying that e-mail is dying. This
article was fascinating to me and I’m really glad that I read it.