Self-Assessment
Initial Assessment
After working at an academic college and going back to school in 2008 for a BA in history, I realized I was more capable and intelligent than what I had ever given myself credit for. Course by course as time allowed, I earned my BA and graduated magna cum laude in December of 2015. I had done this while raising a young family and working full-time. I wasn’t done with my academic career, but was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do next. I took a year and really thought about what I wanted. I had been working in library information services as the executive assistant to the director at Saint Michael’s College and in doing so, I took on support roles in different areas of the library as needed. It was then that I knew that I wanted to become an archivist and that I wanted to further my education, specifically earn a Master’s in Library Information Science.
Being in Vermont, most of my colleagues had told me to look at schools in Massachusetts or New York. I wanted to go to a school either in the Midwest or South to complement my future move to Georgia. I applied and was accepted to four schools; however, the University of Oklahoma was the best fit for me. I was impressed by its presentation of the program online, and being a distance learner, this was important for me because it spoke of its ability to communicate with potential students. I also felt that the program’s presentation capitalized on the student’s interests. I chose OU for these reasons over the other schools.
In my very first class with Dr. Ellen Rubenstein, Information and Knowledge Society, I conducted a SWOT analysis on myself and it became clear to me that I could do this. By looking at this analysis and really thinking about what I might be able to offer in a new career, I felt anchored. I knew I had a solid and reputable 29-year career. I had experience working in library and archival settings, and I also recognized that I had strong interpersonal and writing skills too.
I worried, however, that I was approaching an age where most people would be looking at the twilight years of their careers and contemplating retirement. Would my age limit my job opportunities? Did I belong here? I also knew that my academic writing needed improvement. I could write very well from a narrative perspective, but I had never been in a science program that required a more direct analytical academic style. These were issues I needed to work on as well as adjusting my thinking.
My initial goals include becoming more self-confident, improve my academic writing, become more comfortable on discussion boards, and get as many of the archival track courses that I can. I have found since beginning classes that there are so many fascinating areas of librarianship that would be of great interest to me! I want to explore as many areas of the field that I can through my employment and in the classroom.
Description/Definition of Area of Specialization
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Archives
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Document and Records Management
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Public Librarianship
I initially went into the program focusing on making myself as marketable as possible. At the same time, I wanted to pursue my passion for archival work. The University of Oklahoma archival track offers several key courses, but some of them would not allow for distance learning. To fill that void, I took electives that would outfit me with general and well-rounded experiences. I gained knowledge in collection management, document and records management, and cataloging and indexing. This further serves me in the archival field since many of the principles apply in not only the library setting, but the archival setting as well.
I am confident with the selection of core courses, electives, and field experiences, that I will be able to enter the work force whether it is in the field of archives or public librarianship in several roles. My experiences in the classroom and field allowed for me to draw from the ALA Code of Ethics and ALA Core Values of Librarianship. These two documents solidified for me the lessons learned in every course through the program. The very idea that my job would be to bring information to people and do it in an ethical manner, based on the pillars that promote inclusion, diversity, professionalism, preservation, education, life-long learning, and intellectual freedom, inspires me and I am excited to be a part of this.
Furthermore, the SAA Core Values and Code of Ethics also promotes these same values through the protection and preservation of archives for the purposes of sharing information in an ethical, trustworthy and professional manner. These simple truths are the codes that I want to uphold for the good of the public in my future career.
Every experience I had in this program allowed for me to build on this foundation. From whatever perspective or area of the field I was instructed in, I kept in mind the Five Laws proposed by S.R. Ranganathan in 1931. These laws in my opinion define our purpose. It was underscored in every course; especially my two favorites: Every person his or her book and every book its reader. I also have a mantra that I refer to often. No matter which role I am in, either as archivist at my historical society/museum, as a volunteer at a state university, or as a cataloging assistant in my academic library, I repeat often: Know the community you are serving.
General Statement of Achievement in the Program
After a bit of a nervous start with some moments where I questioned what I was doing and if I belonged in this program, I finished my first semester successfully and I forgot about my initial insecurities and focused on my fascination with all that was being presented to me.
I am so proud to say that I have maintained a 4.0 throughout the MLIS program and I have achieved the goals that I had originally set for myself at the beginning. Through classwork and field experiences, I have achieved an understanding and have gained a skillset that will allow me to seek employment in the area of the LIS field that I choose.
I also found that although I enjoy academic libraries and have worked in one for several years, I learned that through working with the public through my historical society and public library in Essex, VT, that I am more suited for that role. I witnessed the close ties between the aforementioned, the school system, commerce, and other stakeholders that created better ways to serve our community. I was fortunate enough to have worked with our library through my historical society role to bring history to the public via a library program which took place at our annual opening of the museum. Attendance was at an all-time high and it gave the museum more exposure.
With each course I took, I gained tools that I applied to the settings I was working or volunteering in at the time. The synthesis of classroom and field gave me a well-rounded picture of what librarianship is. I know our community well, I know where we need to improve in terms of outreach, what budget dollars are being used and where. I also understand and have worked with collection management, cataloging and indexing, circulation, public-engagement, and more. I consider these major successes because I was able to bring to life the lessons taught in the classroom and take advantage of my employment, volunteer organizations, and field assignments to do so.
I was most surprised at how much flexibility there is in the field. I also enjoyed the fact that I could apply almost all of what I learned into the archival field as well. Although I was not able to take all the archival courses at OU, I feel that I gained a fantastic base in which I can build upon with continuing education through the SAA and on-the-job experience.
Through relationships with other students and faculty, I developed even stronger communication skills. I am more comfortable offering my opinion and ideas without second-guessing myself. Through discussions and group projects and assignments, I improved upon and developed a style of my own that I feel works for me and within different types of dialogue needed. I am now confident that I can rely on my skills to navigate in any type of dialogue in order to find success in achieving a task or goal. I never would have thought that would be the case for me.
Lastly, I now know myself better. I know what I am capable of. I no longer worry about my age and starting a new career. I feel empowered to set a goal, which in my case is to gain employment within an archival or public library setting, doing what I love. OU and this program changed my life as a person. I am not just a support person in the background. I am a future archivist, librarian, or whatever I choose to be.
Statement of Goals for Continuing Education
In the last two years, I took advantage of my position in Durick Library as the assistant to the director. Although I was employed as an administrative support person for the library and Academic Affairs, I looked for opportunities to learn about the different roles in the library. As mentioned before, I volunteered in cataloging, circulation, archives, inter-library loan, acquisitions, and collection development. I realized how quickly procedures and protocols can change, and as I was taught in the classroom, I need to be ready for change always. My director allowed me to partake in conferences for my professional development. These included the Vermont Library Association conference, the Society for American Archivists Annual Conference, and many workshops on campus that he invited me to attend. I will continue to attend conferences, classes, and workshops to build upon the education I have received from OU. I will do this by implementing the following objectives:
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Maintain my Society of American Archivists membership and continue attending conferences and workshops that are of interest or needed for my employment.
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Maintain my Society of Georgia Archivists membership and becoming a more active member once I am employed in Georgia. This includes continuing education through their workshops and programs, and volunteering for committees, boards, or programming as needed.
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Obtain membership with the American Library Association to gain access to continuing education; attend conferences and workshops as needed for a position in public librarianship.
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Be aware of the always changing technology and how it affects the field and seek education to be prepared for those changes and to implement them.
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Seek out membership with the local historical society in Barnesville, GA where I have relocated to become involved in the community so that I can learn and serve. I would like to potentially join their board and work with their collections.
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Take any opportunity to learn through my volunteer work that I have performed so far, and future endeavors.
Participation in Professional, Organizational, and Other Service Activities
Through OU and other information institutions, I have been given a wonderful set of opportunities in which I have gained practical experience, and at the same time served my communities.
Professional Activities:
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Member of Society of American Archivists 2019 -
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Member of Society of Georgia Archivists 2018 -
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Committee Member for Strategic Planning of Durick Library, 2016
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UX design project team member for Durick Library webpage redesign, 2019
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Assistant: circulation, cataloging, archives, and student engagement for Durick Library, 2018 - 2019
Organizational Activities:
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Board member Essex Community Historical Society, 2014 – 2019
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Archivist and committee chair for collections of Harriet Farnsworth Powell Historical Museum, 2016 – 2019
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Volunteer for Gordon State College processing archival collections, 2019 –
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OU Internship processing the Dick T Morgan digital collection, 2019 –
Statement of Professional Goals
History and information management are my two passions. Throughout this journey at OU, I have always kept in mind these two areas and my dream is to combine them. I have also learned that I have a love of public librarianship. Whether I serve my community in the role of archivist or librarian, I want to be able to serve in terms of meeting their information needs. I have never forgotten how one case-study I read changed the view I had on libraries and their focus. In a community that doesn’t have all the resources that others do, because of the socioeconomic conditions, the library served as a community center, taking on roles that I had not noticed or maybe hadn’t seen before. I love that the library, although its dynamics have changed, still is in the same business of bringing information to its users. New purposes that I realized included offerings such as classes to learn how to write resumes or teach about Medicaid or Medicare, and after school programs for kids that need help with homework. The library might also be the only place that a community member is able to get internet and Wi-Fi access. That scenario is what I want to be a part of! I now live in a town that faces some of these problems and whether I work in their historical society, their library, or Gordon State College, I can help make those connections and improve on meeting the needs of this population.
I also could see myself in a role of working in the National Archives in Atlanta, or in at one of the state universities. Although it is not as engaged in community, I see its job as no less important. As an archivist, the main goal is just like that of the library. That is to bring information to its users. In this case it is making history more accessible. Just imagine not having anything to draw upon as a researcher because a collection is sitting somewhere and has not been processed because of the backlog or the lack of resources to do so. I would gladly take on a role where I can assist in that.
In order to achieve employment in either of these areas of LIS, I plan to continue to use my networking skills that have so far brought me volunteer experiences. I also will take the opportunity to investigate working with our local historical society and Friends of the Library to make community connections. Already through running in a local 10k, I have met several teachers, a librarian, business owners, and more. I purposely brought up what I was doing and am hoping that I can find some opportunities here to serve this community as I seek employment. Many have suggested to me some local museums and institutions that might need archive or records management assistance.
I believe that doing these things along with maintaining my educational goals, will assist in my ultimate goal to start a position where I can serve community in the role of archivist, librarian, or document and records manager.
Leadership Assessment
Leadership has always been a word that scared me and had me running for the closest exit I could find. I have always been a task person. I was the person who was assigned the work and carried it out. I am self-motivated and a team player. It was not until I worked in higher education that I became empowered to take the dare and see what I was capable of.
After a few years of working at Saint Michael’s College, my history adviser and mentor encouraged me to accept an invitation to serve as a board member of The Essex Community Historical Society. I had never done anything like this before, and deciding to jump in with both feet, I joined them. My self-confidence grew, I listened, I learned, and I felt comfortable enough to start offering my thoughts and ideas. Through classes at OU such as Information and the Knowledge Society, Management, and Information Users in the Knowledge Society, I was able to witness and interact while keeping in mind the skills that I learned in school. I was an observer and a participant and by being able to do this, I ascertained that I would be able to take on leadership roles.
I became the chair of the collections committee and took the initiative to execute a very much needed inventory of the museum’s collection. I assigned other board members and volunteers support roles, and I designed the inventory procedures based on what I learned at OU. This gave me a taste of being a leader and I enjoyed it. It was exciting to see the fruits of our labor turn into a valuable tool that we could use to assess the collection and improve procedures in order to maintain, grow, and protect as needed.
I gained even more self-confidence from the historical society and applied that to projects at Durick Library. I assisted in leading a UX study in order to improve the main web page to the library. Two librarians, a circulation supervisor, and I researched, created, and implemented a user study experience in which students were recruited to participate. We were able to gain valuable insight to the ways in which students access our page and services and that information will be used to redesign the page. I was able to not only participate, but take on a leadership role and used the skills gained from Research Methods to carry out our initiative.
I believe these experiences allowed me not only to gain greatly needed self-confidence, but also to build upon my strong self-motivation skills. I don’t ever want to be caught unprepared, and studying and learning from these experiences, ultimately gave me the drive to be in a leadership role in order to meet a goal.
Final Assessment
There are no adequate words to describe what the MLIS degree program at OU did for me. I had always self-identified as first a mother of two young adult children, a wife, and as a support person in whatever position I held at Saint Michael’s College and other institutions throughout my career. After going back to school in 2008 at 41 years old and earning my BA, I thought that I should see what else I could accomplish. I never dreamed that I would be able to do this and do it well. I am proud of my 4.0 throughout the entirety of this program. I am proud to have been able to balance work, school, two kids, a household, and the illness and death of my mother in spring of 2019.
I now view myself as a young fifty-something who will go on to be what I should have been thirty years ago. I plan on taking this degree and making my dreams come true in the role that I land in. Whether it be that dream job at the National Archives in Atlanta, GA, or as a public librarian right down the street from my new home in Barnesville, GA, I am prepared, and I am excited to be where I am meant to be. OU has given me not only the skills, but the experience through the classroom, field, and relationships that I built through this journey. I am thankful to have been at OU with these students, professors, and mentors. Although we connected for only a brief time in my life, the impact is profoundly felt.