USF MLIS ePortfolio
Academic Narrative.
I began my e-Portfolio a bit later in my academic career than I would have liked. Finding artifacts after the fact was difficult but manageable. I lucked out in the fact that I had gotten Microsoft OneDrive just before starting school, so all of the work I did for school was in online cloud storage in one folder, making it easy to overview and sort by date to match to classes, and is why many artifacts are available as OneDrive links.
In order to paint a clearer picture of my time in this program, the Academic Narrative and Artifacts have separate pages. Every goal and objective of the program is outlined in the link "in the CLASSROOM," with a brief discussion of each artifact. These range from past homework, to reflections on classes, to knowledge gleaned from attending professional conferences, to activities done within the library I have worked for over the past five years. The link "in the LIBRARY" focuses on several of these artifacts, plus several projects special to me that did not fit into a goal, that have been done entirely "in-house" at my library. The link "my vision INTERPLAY" goes into depth of a concept dear to me that I plan to use in all of my years with libraries. Finally, there is a link to my CV, which I first created when applying for scholarships for the Masters' program and that I continue to keep up-to-date, even with my love of my current library, in order to have an easier time connecting with other professionals and paraprofessionals.
I never really expected to work in libraries, let alone pursue a Master's degree. For a long time, I was under an impression I think many have that libraries are the domain of volunteers. I had a happy career with Waldenbooks - and then Borders closed. After a period of unemployment and then working with little satisfaction at a Panera Bread, someone told me to look into library work. I got the first job I applied for - part-time Library Assistant II, mainly working with young adults, at the Palm Harbor Library. This is still where I work, though now I am a full-time Library Assistant IV, and still work heavily with young adults, though I technically work in "Adult Services." After two years of work, my best friend and I decided to get our Masters' degrees and become librarians together.
Just like librarians are often jacks-of-all-trades, the Master of Library and Information Sciences degree feels very much like a multi-angled degree, teaching students how to apply their knowledge to school, public, academic, law, medical, and other professional library settings. The core classes had to make sure to cover knowledge that could be used in all types of libraries. During these points, I did enjoy learning about how other types of libraries operated, but I always focused on public libraries, and often brought in outside knowledge from a working environment into online discussion. I am so attached to what can be done in public libraries that I do not think I could bring myself to leave them for a different type of library, though I have a greater appreciation of them now.
I think the most important outcomes of this extensive course are the ability to problem-solve alone and in a team as well as understanding on how to network among one's peers. These outcomes very much fall under the first listed goal of leadership and innovation, which is the goal that resonated the most with me. I discuss the goals much more in-depth on my page for my artifacts, but they define the more practical component of competency. These goals create benchmarks to strive for, and starting points for the professors creating lessons. Certain goals, however, feel less appropriate to different types of librarianship. The goal for theory and praxis seems like one I will make less use of outside of creating needs assessments in my library, while there is no goal that speaks to the "customer service" aspect that is so prevalent on the public floor of a public library. But I also imagine that such focus on serving members of various ages would be less important to those working in other types of libraries. One program trying to teach to so many different types of people and locations might stretch itself too thin, but this program managed to stay relevant no matter what I was learning.
I appreciated the MLIS program alongside my work in a library very much. I know I would have had a very different academic experience if I did not have my work experience mingled in with my homework. There were often differences in opinion between those with practical knowledge working in a library and those with theoretical knowledge. But there were also new solutions from those without the "practical knowledge," since their experiences were colored differently and they were more easily able to think outside of the box. Having equal numbers of both types of people made sure everyone got a good deal out of these classes and our online discussions, which made me appreciate classes with more discussions more than I did those with more quizzes.
I now currently hold a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing (which I use to teach my teens how to write more effectively) and will hopefully soon hold a master's degree in Library and Information Sciences. I may consider returning to school one last time for a degree in social work with youth, as I think that would be the most beneficial additional step in education for where I see myself in the fields of libraries.
This program helped hone my skills and teach me how to direct my focus for skills I already had. I sometimes had to cobble several lessons together across classes - YA programs are easily my favorite parts of my job, but as no class was offered to more fully explore them academically, I had to pick up some extra text books about young adult library use and apply that to knowledge I learned in my Adult Services class for programs. Meshing together various lessons and adding in knowledge from extra research has always been my favorite way to learn, however, and how I have been able to maintain varied skills. The MLIS program has made me even more effective in building my library's YA collection, problem-solving with teens, and running programs for library members of all ages. I will continue to practice - hopefully even more effectively now that I will be able to apply for Librarian jobs - and create more unique offerings for my library's teens and tweens through collaborating with others.
I plan to continue to turn in activities in the YALSA Hub and answer questions. The exchange of information is important to me, and I love sharing ideas. When we are creative, sharing is incredibly rewarding, and when we are burnt out, borrowing these shared ideas allow them to grow further, which becomes a winning scenario for everyone involved. I also intend to continue to spread the word about interactive theater in libraries. For further information, see the link for "my vision." I want to ensure that I can bring the best programs possible to whoever I work with, wherever I work with, while also always letting myself grow and share my knowledge.
Statement of Integrity.
o All artifacts, reflections, narratives, and examples are mine alone (except where indicated as a group or team project), and have been prepared solely by me.
o I am protecting the privacy of the contents of my e-Portfolio by password protecting it, submitting it through Canvas, or by sharing the URL only with my e-portfolio advisor.
o Any publicly accessible pages have been deliberately designed and approved by me and by my advisor so that they may be used for potential job searches or other public access to my professional portfolio or web page.
o Before making my e-portfolio public I will respect the privacy of others by removing or modifying information that could lead to the identity of individuals (team members in group projects, internship supervisors, interviewees, etc.) and institutions, except when permission to share this information has been obtained.
Signed March 09, 2017, Samantha Lynne Fagan