Emma Norris Reflective Essay 1

Im curled up next to the hearth in my living room, my toes soaking up the warmth from the soft,

crackling fire in the fireplace. Just two years ago, I sat in this very spot drafting my personal

statement for my application to Dominican Universitys School of Library and Information Science.

Now, here I sit in the same spot with my toes still stretched towards the fire, drafting an e-portfolio of

my work during graduate school. A lot has changed since then - firstly, a name change to the School

of Information Studies, and second, an immense growth period in terms of my personal and

professional development. Here I reflect on my time at SOIS and how my coursework has impacted

my learning.

My journey began in 2015 when I graduated from the University of Illinois Springfield with a Bachelor

of Science in Biology. For most biology majors, the next logical step in their academic careers is

attending medical school - so imagine everyones surprise when I announced plans to pursue a

masters degree in Library and Information Science. I loved my time in the biology laboratory - but I

loved my time in the library more. I had worked at the campus library throughout my undergraduate

studies and at my local public library prior to college, so I was already familiar with the library world.

However, I was unsure if a biology major like myself had any place in the field of librarianship.

My uncertainty diminished when I began classes at SOIS in the fall of 2015. I enrolled in three

courses, LIS 701 - Introduction to Library and Information Science, LIS 703 - Organization of

Knowledge, and LIS 704 - Reference and Online Services. Throughout these courses, I began to

draw parallels between course concepts and my background in biology. For example, I studied the

reference interview in LIS 704. The reference interview is an ordered process that uses cycles of

refining questions to arrive at an answer to a question - not unlike the scientific method I utilized

during my biology labs. Furthermore, in LIS 703 I learned about classification standards and their

importance to library materials - similar to classification standards we used to organize and categorize

specimens in my biology labs. As I advanced through my coursework, I began to understand the

science in library science.

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After I completed my core classes, I needed to devise a strategy for my remaining course of study. I

decided to select my courses as if I were constructing a librarian toolkit. But what tools would a

librarian need? To find out, I paid attention to required and desired skills in library job postings. I found

that familiarity with LibGuides software, experience with technology, and library instruction were

among the top skills sought after by employers. Thus, I focused my remaining courses on obtaining

these skills. By doing so, my coursework would not only meet the five-learning goals of the program,

but also demonstrate my skills for future potential employers.

I created numerous LibGuides for my courses at SOIS. A sampling of these LibGuides include a

subject guide for LIS 704, a weeding list and community analysis for LIS 748 - Collection

Management. Of the above LibGuides, Im most proud of my community analysis guide. I used the

LibGuides software to organize information about the community of Joliet, IL. I utilized databases,

web resources, and census information to gather statistics and data about the community and the

librarys holdings. Then I used my findings to propose a potential collection for the Joliet Public

Library. This exercise was more than a tutorial on using LibGuides - it gave me practical experience

analyzing a communitys demographics and identifying gaps in library collections to meet the needs of

community members, which directly supports outcome 2b from SOIS list of learning goals. I utilized

collection development concepts, as well as budgeting skills, to propose and build a collection to meet

user needs. My experience with LibGuides carried over to my work life as well. As a reference

assistant at the Rebecca Crown Library, I was tasked with creating a LibGuide for the XVII Biennial

International Ernest Hemingway Conference (outcome 3b). What started out as a group effort quickly

became my sole responsibility as the other reference assistants graduated from the program. I

transformed the empty template we had previously established into a one-stop hub for conference

attendees. Additionally, I used my collection management skills to suggest Hemingway materials for

the library to purchase. This project was intimidating and time-consuming for one person to complete -

but I was able to rely on my skills from LIS 748 to identify information needs and create a guide to
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meet those needs. It was incredibly rewarding to apply theories from my courses to create a resource

guide for real-world usage.

Now that Id developed sufficient skills with LibGuides software, it was time to direct my attention to

technology. Instead of focusing on one aspect of technology to earn a certificate, I decided to spread

my knowledge over a wide variety of technology-related topics. My technology courses included LIS

745 - Searching Electronic Databases, LIS 753 - Internet Fundamentals and Design, and LIS 759 -

Digital Libraries. My technology courses proved to be the most challenging but also the most

rewarding courses of my degree. In fact, the two projects resulting from these courses are the artifacts

Im most proud of: my website for LIS 753 (outcome 4b) and my digital library for LIS 759 (outcome

3a). I went into LIS 753 with no prior knowledge of HTML or CSS. Learning to code introduced a

brand new way of thinking and I quickly realized it required hours of writing and revising code for a

basic website. Each assignment took immense focus and time commitment, more than anything Ive

ever worked on before, but it was rewarding to see my finished product on the web. Perhaps the most

important component of this course was learning about accessibility. I was introduced to various tools

to make my website more accessible to users with disabilities. I also began to consider how my

website was designed to make it more convenient and user-friendly for users with screen readers.

Building a website from the ground up not only introduced me to valuable technology skills, but also

brought accessibility issues to my attention. Before this assignment, I hadn't considered how users

with disabilities use the internet, but now I know ways to make it more accessible (application of

theory to practice, outcome 4b) Going forward, I will incorporate this knowledge into the resources I

create so theyre accessible to all users.

The other project Im immensely proud of is my digital library for LIS 759. I had little knowledge of

digital libraries prior to taking this course - so constructing my own digital library from the ground-up

was quite an undertaking. I used a multitude of resources (outcome 3a) for each stage of the project -

scanning equipment, software, and online repositories to digitize and store the images for my
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collection; a content management system to display the collection and make it accessible to users;

and multiple metadata generators to make my collection searchable to users. I also relied on concepts

I learned from LIS 753 to make my final product user friendly to view, use, and navigate. One aspect

Ive appreciated throughout my coursework is that the skills I learn in one class complement what Im

learning in another class - even if its a completely different topic within librarianship.

The third skill I focused on was library instruction. I had instruction experience prior to starting the

program - I was an instruction assistant at my campus library during my undergraduate studies.

However, after starting LIS 764 - Teaching in the Information Profession, I soon realized that I had

much to learn about providing library instruction. I consider myself fortunate that I entered library

school around the release of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework

for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The frames put forth by ACRL lay the groundwork for

library instruction sessions. Every lesson should support the framework in some capacity so that

users learn the core components of information literacy. I had to learn to keep the framework in mind

when developing lesson plans for my assignments. But perhaps the most important thing I learned in

LIS 764 was how to couple ACRL frames with active learning activities. The concept of active learning

changed my perception of teaching and learning. Before LIS 764, my concept of teaching was

synonymous with lecturing - but students dont learn from lectures, they learn from engaging with the

material. Throughout my coursework, I became familiar with strategies and methods to incorporate in

my own teaching style to engage students and motivate them to become invested in their learning. By

doing so, I realized that teachers facilitate information, rather than preach it. I used these concepts to

design my own lesson plans (outcome 2d, outcome 4d). I tend to favor an informal, conversational

approach to teaching so that students feel more comfortable approaching complex topics. For

example, with my Science Direct database, I used a series of conversational questions to lead the

students through a guided discovery of the resource. Instead of going through the motions of a

mundane database demonstration, we were discovering the database together as co-investigators.

After finishing LIS 764, I wished I could rewind time back to my instruction assistant position so I could
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revamp my sessions with my newfound instruction skills. I would establish expected learning

outcomes and use active learning activities to help students reach those objectives. Im eager to use

my instruction skills in any sort of capacity in my future career.

So how has my view of librarianship changed as I acquired new skills throughout the completion of my

coursework? My perception of librarians has shifted to emphasize a teaching role. Librarians dont just

organize information, they facilitate the learning of said information. Every interaction with library

users is a potential teaching moment - from showing someone how to use the library catalog, to

helping someone gain information literacy skills while sifting through fake news sources, and beyond.

Librarians are not keepers of information - we are teachers, facilitators, co-investigators, and allies in

a world drowning in a sea of information.

This is where my career goals come into focus. My goals for employment dont discriminate between

academic, public, or special libraries - wherever I end up, Ill have the skills to back me up. Looking

back through the artifacts presented in my portfolio, Im surprised with how varied they are. The

variety in my work demonstrates my flexibility and my willingness to learn new types of skills - skills

which are transferrable between different types of libraries. Ideally, Id like to be teaching in some

capacity - whether formally or informally through instruction sessions, computer classes, interactions

at the reference desk, and more.

Ive gone beyond my comfort zone when choosing courses and Ive grown more because of it. Im

amazed at how far Ive come - I feel as though my personal and professional growth has developed

more in the past 4 semesters at SOIS than in the entirely of my undergraduate career. Perhaps the

biggest change is my willingness to make verbal contributions in a classroom and workplace setting.

When I entered the program, the thought of speaking in front of a group made my heart race and my

palms sweat. Now Ive come into my own, gaining confidence in my skills as a librarian. Although I still

get nervous before formal speaking engagements - I feel like Im beginning to find my voice within the
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profession. Im proud of what Ive accomplished here at SOIS and my artifacts speak to the

knowledge and competencies Ive developed along my journey. Im excited and eager to use what Ive

learned in a professional capacity.

Its nearing the end of my reflective essay. The fire at the hearth is dwindling down to a quiet flicker. I

reach forward to snuff out the fire - and although the flame in the fireplace has been extinguished, I

know the flame of potential still burns bright within me. Thank you to Dominican University for instilling

me with the values, knowledge and skills to help me develop into the young professional I am today.