1

Layton
Personal Essay

I began my graduate studies in the School of Information Studies at Dominican

University with a loose but clear conception of what my career would look like after graduating.

In my personal essay for admission to Dominican University, I wrote of a desire to work in

school or public libraries. Indeed, I imagined myself in a very traditional, front facing librarian

role in a traditional, public-serving library. However, over the course of my two years at

Dominican University — a tenure that was, in many ways, very different from what I had

expected — I began to picture myself instead in so many roles and settings that I joked with

friends and classmates that my career goals were changing on a weekly basis. I even questioned

the one certainty I had upon entering the programming: that I resolutely did not want to continue

in academic libraries. While sometimes scary, I think this indecisiveness is in fact a testament to

the program and my course of study therein. While Dominican University is recognized for its

archival, children’s and cataloging classes, its true strength is in the breadth and diversity of its

course offerings. I know find myself in a non-traditional career path far from anything I had ever

imagined for myself while completing my application in the October of 2019, a time that feels

about as far removed from the present as the very invention of the Dewey decimal system.

Nevertheless, as I begin my new position as rights and reproductions coordinator at the Chicago

History Museum, I have found that my course of study and the learning goals have more than

adequately prepared me for a library role I did not even know existed two years ago.

Goal One asks us to develop a professional identity and philosophy within the library and

information professions. While I still don’t have a specific answer to the age old question. “what

do you want to be when you grow up?” I nevertheless feel that this goal has been accomplished.

My very first course at Dominican University, LIS 701, provided an introduction to the core
2
Layton
competencies and principles of the Library and Information science profession, and it was during

this first semester that my professional philosophy began to develop. At the core of this identity

is a commitment to equitable access and representation. My signature assessment for LIS 701

was on this value’s relationship with the treatment of houseless patrons within public libraries. I

have returned to this principle throughout my studies: my second artifact for this goal is a

discussion of the ways in which libraries can partner with communities to create more diverse

collections via community archives, and my finding aid for the Gerber Hart Library and

Archives (artifact 3) combined the two in an effort to make the collection of marginalized

LGBTQ+ voices more accessible and discoverable to researchers. I have already found this

philosophy put to the test in my professional life in ongoing conversations about archival access

and metadata language. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that my professional identity and my

professional philosophy are one-and-the-same; no matter what career path or paths I might

endeavor upon, I will carry these principles with me and apply them to my work.

The second goal is to understand the essential nature of information and its relevance to

our diverse society. While I understood that information consisted of more than just books and

records, my studies— particularly those related to metadata and digital curation—exposed me to

the nuances of information and its myriad forms. In LIS 889, I learned how to assess and

maintain various types of digital information, which has already become a part of my daily

professional life. This skill was assessed in my final project for the class, and my first artifact for

goal two, a digital curation plan. Throughout my classes at Dominican, I have also learned how

my professional choices, in the form of information policies, have a direct impact on user equity

and access. This is reflected in my second artifact, a class discussion on policy changes within

the National Archives during the Trump administration. Furthermore, LIS 707 and LIS 708 each
3
Layton
gave me the tools to make informed professional choices that meet, rather than obscure, the

information needs of user. In my final project for LIS 707, which is my third artifact for this

goal, I assessed the needs of a diverse community and created a project plan to meet those needs

in the form of a Spanish language crowd-sourced transcription project at the Smithsonian.

Although not included in the artifacts for this goal, LIS 885 was hugely instrumental in shaping

how I think about diverse communities in relation to cultural heritage sites, and all information

settings for that matter. The content of that course will continue to shape how I evaluate and

fulfill the information needs of all users.

The outcomes for Goal Three, navigate, curate and create information across the

spectrum of human records, ask us to organize and share the different types of information

discussed in the second goal and its related outcomes. The course that most directly relates to

this goal is LIS 886, in which I learned about records management and information governance.

Although I did not include any artifacts from this abbreviated course in my e-portfolio, this

course was quite transformational for me. After learning about records management, I began to

consider the possibility of work outside of a traditional library setting. The course revealed the

ways in which the skills obtained during the course of my studies could be applied to any setting

that collects or creates information. While the course itself was largely modeled off of the

Certified Records Managers exam, many of the principles and practices we discussed have a

universal applicability to information professions. For my artifacts, however, I matched each

outcome with three different tools discussed in three different classes: database management

systems (LIS 751), content management systems (LIS 889), and metadata schemas (LIS 882). In

LIS 751, I am learning how to design, maintain, and retrieve information from database

management systems. I was inspired to take this class after I noticed how many databases I
4
Layton
encountered in my daily life, both in and outside of traditional information settings. This class

has probably been the furthest outside of my comfort zone, but assignments like the entity

relationship diagram included as my first artifact helped me to think about the relationship

between information on a conceptual level. It was helpful to keep the end user in mind while

constructing the diagram, a good lesson for all future design thinking. My second artifact is a

presentation on my Omeka exhibit on mutual aid for LIS 889. This assignment was my second

opportunity to work with Omeka, and the skills I acquired through both assignments have been

easily translated into other content management systems I have encountered both in school and at

work. Likewise, the metadata schema report, included as my third artifact, taught me how to

understand and assess various metadata schemas. Although I have not had to use PREMIS or

PBCore in a professional setting, I do have to abide by my workplace’s own metadata standards,

and feel comfortable doing so for having taken LIS 882. Accessibility and discoverability are

always at the forefront of my mind.

The fourth goal of the program is to be able to synthesize theory and practice within a

dynamic, evolving, and diverse information environment. The most rewarding assignments that I

completed during my time at Dominican allowed me to do just that: make a practical application

of my studies. This was done most literally during my practicum at the Gerber Hart Library and

Archives, during which I was able to execute the archival skills learned in LIS 775. This in turn

made me more confident with the course concepts. This internship was informative in another

way as well; while I enjoyed the work immensely, I found myself missing the customer facing

element. I will continue to keep this in mind as I consider job changes in the future. Other

assignments allowed for a more imaginative, hypothetical synthesis of theory and practice. In

LIS 708, I created an action research proposal for the book bundle program at the New Orleans
5
Layton
Public Library. In my report, I was able to combine the class’s emphasis on evaluation with my

interest in the principles of access and equity by devising a plan which would assess the program

for its implications for both values. For my second artifact, I again considered the improvement

of access when evaluating OnCell for LIS 885. With this application, cultural heritage

institutions can create walking tours and exhibit interactives. I particularly like the implications

this has for the visually impaired, but I remain hesitant about products that rely on the users to

provide their own technology, due to the digital divide. The third artifact illustrates my ability to

apply teaching and learning principles to professional practice. This artifact takes the quite literal

form of a lesson plan, but even if I do not find myself teaching in a literal capacity, I believe

these skills will continue to prove useful when I inevitably need to present and train colleagues

or users.

The final of the five listed goals for the LIS program at Dominican University is to

effectively communicate and collaborate to deliver, market, and advocate for library and

information services. Admittedly, one of my main reasons for choosing Dominican’s program

for my MLIS was because, as a Chicago resident, it was the only ALA accredited program for

which I could feasibly attend in-person classes. I was excited by the opportunity to socialize and

collaborate with my peers in a classroom setting. The year 2020 had different plans in mind.

While my brief few months on campus allowed me to meet professors and classmates, and start

to build relationships, I was very disappointed when the pandemic forced us all into a remote

learning environment. That being said, I believe that the SOIS was well positioned to make a

graceful transition into a fully virtually schedule because of its experience as a hybrid program.

Even after the classroom became limited to Zoom meetings and Canvas discussion posts, I was

still presented with plenty of opportunities to strengthen my communication and collaborative

6
Layton
skills. Through independent projects, such as the first artifact in the fifth set, I learned how to

market and advocate for library services. This was something that was touched upon in every

class I took and understandably so. I have been met with more than one skeptical response upon

sharing my career goals; despite how essential libraries continue to be, some question their

relevance. For LIS 889, I created a poster both to educate users about personal archiving and to

also promote library services. Any resulting increased attendance or website hits would provide

valuable metrics to present to key stakeholders. The third artifact was also an independent

project. For LIS 707, I interviewed two librarians at Columbia University about diversity and

inclusion in leadership. As my professional philosophy emphasizes access and representation, I

believe it is important for that to extend beyond the collections; library staff and library policy

should also reflect these principles. The CUL librarians provided me with concrete examples of

Diversity and Inclusion leadership in practice, examples I hope to emulate in my own career.

Finally, the last artifact for this goal is a group assignment for LIS 882. This metadata project

and report required group planning and communication in order to create a successful and truly

collaborative final product. I believe the work reflects an equal effort on each of our parts that is

stronger for our individual strengths and ideas. While group projects are not always my favorite

type of assignment, it was nice to have an opportunity to connect with my classmates outside of a

Zoom session and work together towards a common goal.

In the span of just over two years and twelve courses, I have completed the requirements

of a digital curation certificate and an archival internship. Neither of these were a goal when I

started the program, but I am thankful that my studies pointed me in new and interesting

directions. With only two courses left to complete my Certificate in Archives and Cultural

Heritage resources, I might find myself returning to a Dominican classroom in the future to
7
Layton
complete the requirements. Likewise, I may find myself leaving the cultural heritage sector to try

my hand in a public library, where I imagined myself at the start of my studies. Maybe I have

found my corner of the LIS profession in my new position at the Chicago History Museum.

Regardless of setting and job description, I will bring the knowledge, principles, and

professionalism I developed during my time at Dominican University. I remain open and flexible

to the exciting opportunities of this career path. No matter where I end up, I feel confident in

myself as an information professional because of the quality of my education at Dominican

University and the effort I put into my studies.