I am excited to be able to share my academic ePortfolio that I have created in preparation for my
May, 2013 graduation from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) program at
Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. In addition to earning my Master’s in Library and
Information Science degree, I am also completing a Graduate Certificate in Archives and Cultural
Heritage Resources and Services at Dominican University. While I have gained numerous classroomlearning experiences related to libraries and several other kinds of information centers, the course related
research papers and projects that I have selected for this ePortfolio reflect my particular interests in public
and academic librarianship, and archival work in a cultural heritage institution such as a library or
museum. Some of my work also represents the hands-on learning experiences I have had as a student
intern in the Special Collections department of a university library, in the archives of a local historical
society, and in a public library. As I near the completion of my graduate studies, I look forward to a
professional career as a librarian and/or as an archivist in which I can foster the scholarly and recreational
interests of others. I hope to share my passion of lifelong learning with future patrons and colleagues
alike.
In my ePortfolio, I have included at least one artifact from each of the eleven classes that I
completed at Dominican University. The one exception is a library practicum that I am currently enrolled
in. As well, I have included an Illinois Humanities Council mock grant application from my NIU
Museum Administration class; and a family focused archaeological project that I had created while
working on a library bookmobile. I have written an abstract for each project that ties the work together
with the student learning goal that I posted it under and that explains what class I created the work for. In
general, each of the twenty-two projects in my ePortfolio (most of these projects have multiple
components which I have labeled as “Articles”) reflect my personal/professional interests and my
philosophy that no matter what the setting is, my service role is to provide access to information and to
facilitate learning.
During my first course in the GSLIS program, I had the privilege of listening to a guest speaker,
Ms. Cleo Pappas from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Pappas had never expected that her public
librarianship focus at Dominican U. in the GSLIS program would lead her toward a career as a medical
librarian. The life lesson that she shared that day in my Introduction to Library Science class was that
each student should be less concerned about what kind of a library or information center he or she will
work in and instead should focus on what services that person would most like to provide. That lesson is
forever etched in my mind. I entered the GSLIS program, because I believed it would allow me to explore
and learn about the various information providing settings that I could help people in without having to
become overly specialized in one kind of setting at the cost of ignoring all others. I was also attracted to
Dominican’s Library and Information Science program, because the administrators and faculty at the
orientation meeting were clearly centered on the idea that libraries and other cultural heritage institutions
are primarily places about people, more than they are about books, or any other material resources.
Keeping Pappas’ words in mind, I began to articulate my various interests and concluded that I would
most like to help connect people with their present day community and with their cultural heritage. In
other words, my dream job involves helping people with their information needs whether that involves
connecting them with books, historical manuscripts, online resources, worthwhile programming, useful
instructional sessions, and/or other people who share their interests. "Knowledge is Power," and as an
information provider I embrace the opportunity to work in partnership with patrons in building a stronger
community.
Through my student work experiences and other employment, I am also able to say that I
thoroughly enjoy working with people of various ages and backgrounds. For instance, during the course
of my studies in the GSLIS program, I was employed as a temporary library clerk on a bookmobile. As a
bookmobile clerk my responsibilities and duties included: Providing basic reference and readers' advisory
services, circulation duties, and shelving. I also assisted the manager in collection management. I had the
opportunity to create an Illinois Archaeological Awareness Month September 2010 program, which
included designing children's activity, brochure, and pathfinders in various formats. I was a storyteller for
preschoolers and at local schools. I assisted children with crafts and activities. I worked on displays and
promotional activities. In a nutshell, this work that was mostly focused on children’s literacy and
informational needs. My next employment position was as an adjunct anthropology instructor at a
community college where my work entailed: Creating formal instructional lessons, presentations, exams,
and assignments. I assisted students with their research needs. I encouraged critical thinking, discussions,
and respectful debates. As well, I maintained a class website, organized related internal and external
classroom activities, and arranged for guest speakers that specialize in the various anthropological
subfields. Most importantly, I fostered the scholarly interests of students through interpersonal and group
interactions. And I can honestly say that whether I was facilitating the learning interests of children or
adults, the experiences were equally fulfilling and I knew that the services I was providing were of equal
value.
While historically speaking, most formal and informal American learning institutions began as
more exclusive than inclusive; today most places of learning encourage researchers and patrons of all
ages to visit and to make use of their organizations’ services and resources. This is another reason why
library and archive settings appeal to me. In addition to wanting to work with people of all ages, I am a
strong proponent of outreach services and believe that librarians and archivists alike have a responsibility
to offer equal access to their institutions and to the resources that they are the stewards of, especially in
terms of serving people who have traditionally been, or who continue to be, marginalized by society,
because of age, language barriers, socio-economic status, disabilities, etc.
From my GSLIS coursework and from field experiences, I have been trained in the principles and
practices of archival accession, arrangement, description, preservation, and access. Classes I have taken
that are perhaps most relevant to archival employment opportunities include: Archival Systems and
Management, Advanced Archival Management, Archival Fieldwork, Archives and Collective Memory,
Preservation and Conservation, Reference and Online Services, Organization of Knowledge (Cataloging),
and User Instruction. The following list is of some materials from these classes that are included in my
ePortfolio: finding aids, container lists, critiques of information management software that online archives
use, an oral history, and research papers/presentations on current archival issues, especially those related
to ethics, outreach, theories, and methods.
Classes I have taken that are perhaps most relevant to public and academic library employment
opportunities, especially in an adult reference position, include: Introduction to Library and Information
Science, Organization of Knowledge (Cataloging), Reference and Online Services, Management of
Libraries and Information Centers, Readers’ Advisory, User Instruction, Preservation and Conservation,
Archives and Collective Memory, and Museum Administration. Three particular projects that I created
and believe are extremely relevant to skills that are needed as a librarian are: an online annotated
pathfinder of books, journals, Web resources, and professional organizations related to a single theme that
is accessible to students, faculty, and to librarians (as a collections development guide); a Library
Information Session, in which I taught online database research skills in order to find two journal articles
relevant to a research topic; and an online reading map to resources thematically related to Isabel
Wilkerson’s book “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration.” An
underpinning, valuable lesson that I learned from designing these three projects is that a common
language is necessary between instructors and learners. For instance, bibliographic pathfinders, databases,
and reading maps are terms that librarians are familiar with, but patrons may not be.
There is overlap in each of my classes, and in several of my projects, as to what physical
environment I can best apply what I have learned, but I have included artifacts in my ePortfolio that I will
mostly likely refer to when employed in my field. Many of the artifacts that I have created serve as a
reminder to me that being an information provider of any kind requires constant vigilance to the fact that
it is a position of power and that the role requires appreciating diversity and multiple perspectives.
When I applied to the GSLIS program at Dominican University, I wrote the following in my
letter of application: “ . . . A multicultural perspective in addition to the lessons learned in critical thinking
and the value of critical discussions have been of great value to me as a concerned citizen of the world.
Now it is time for me to take the next step and attain a M.A. in Library and Information Science. I will
embark on this program to satisfy my desire for intellectual growth and to strengthen my ties to a larger
community of people who share my appreciation for the value of learning and personal growth. I am
acutely aware of how much I have to learn and am looking forward to classes and future interactions with
other members within the Dominican University community. In collaboration with fellow librarians it
will be my privilege to someday provide an infinite array of services for others.”
The time has now come for me to apply the knowledge and practices that I have gained as a
student to my role as a professional information provider, to contribute to the library and information
field, and most importantly to help people with their various learning needs by connecting with them in a
friendly, trustworthy, encouraging, and informative way.