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Reflective Essay

2020 was the year I was supposed to walk across the stage with my bachelor’s in biology.

However, COVID-19 changed all of our plans and shortly after graduation I joined the many

healthcare workers working in the frontlines of the pandemic as a medical laboratory scientist.

The long hours and the stress brought by the pandemic made it difficult to love what I do.

However, being part of my lab did give me a better understanding of what I was looking for and

helped guide me in the right direction. As a medical laboratory scientist, I love the sense of

community I have with my team. During stressful times, there is always a conscious effort to try

to help one another, keeping in mind who we are truly doing all of it for, the patients. After a few

years in the field, I wanted to explore a different career path and began to focus on the elements

of my career that I enjoyed. The sense of community and being able to offer service to others are

my favorite components of my job and they are major parts of what being a librarian is all about.

I grew up in a low-income household, in the southwest side of Chicago. My parents

immigrated from Mexico and did not speak English. Although my dad did not understand the

language, he helped me navigate the American educational system the best way he knew how,

through books. Trips to our local Chicago Public Branch were a staple in our weekly routine.

The accessibility and abundance of resources available transformed the library into my safety net

and showed me an array of worlds at my fingertips. I joined the MLIS program intending to

replicate my safety net for others needing extra support.

My first semester in the program I enrolled in in LIS 701 Core Values, Ethics, and Issues

in the Library & Information Profession, with Dr. Salvatore. This course required that we meet

biweekly in person. On our first day of class, Dr. Salvatore had everyone in class go around and

introduce ourselves and share why we were there. All my classmates shared fond stories
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pertaining to their own experiences with the library. I had never experienced such a strong sense

of belonging and felt such a positive surge of emotion. This was all the confirmation I needed to

validate that enrolling in the MLIS program at Dominican University was the right choice.

LIS 701 provided me with an understanding of the role libraries have in the communities

they serve. Throughout the semester we had engrossing conversations about values and issues of

the profession. My artifact for Outcome 1a explores the implications of library values and ethics.

By preparing a presentation on libraries in communities post natural disasters, I understood that

libraries are not stagnant; rather, they evolve as the needs of a community evolve. In the libraries

in Puerto Rico after Hurrican Maria, they prioritized services that would immediately benefit the

community. For example, they helped community members fill out and submit applications to

the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Due to the loss of physical inventory, libraries

worked on digitizing materials through WhatsApp so students could access them once classes

resumed. These are services that under normal circumstances would not be offered. However, the

library understood that the needs of the community had changed, in response they changed too.

In LIS 701, I was also introduced to a different perspective. I began to recognize the role

advocacy has in the profession. Sometimes the advocacy carried out is for the community and

other times it for the core beliefs of the library profession. Advocating for the core values of

librarianship was explored through the conversations we had in class. The topics would range

from censorship, intellectual freedom, and equity. Although these were conversations that I was

a part of early in my program, they had a critical part in helping me develop my professional

identity. This class made me cognizant of core values and principles of the profession. It

provided me with an idea of the types of situations I may encounter in my career. It also made

me realize that although there are values and principles in place to guide me, they are subject to

change as different needs of the community arise.

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For our final in LIS 701, Dr. Salvatore had us write a paper on the development of a core

professional value and discuss the social, cultural, economic and political factors that influence

access to information. This was a chance for me to explore the relationship between the

immigrant community and libraries. Coming from a family of immigrants who relied heavily on

the library, this is a topic personal to my own experience. It is my artifact for Outcome 2c, and it

is one of the artifacts I am most proud of.

Upon my research for this paper, I found several articles that referred to Queens Public

Library. Queens Public Library serves one of the most diverse communities in the world, and

they do it well. In my paper I highlighted how they offer materials in over 30 languages and have

The New Americans Program that is meant to help immigrants understand the way of life in

United States. They celebrate the community’s diversity and go the extra mile to ensure all their

needs are being met. Queens Public Library understands the essential nature of information and

they help ensure its diverse community has access to it. As a member of the immigrant

community, this is work that resonates deeply with me. I grew up with firsthand experience of

the impact adequate immigrant resources can have on a family.

Goal 2 requires us to understand the essential nature of information and its relevance to

our diverse society. Although a society can be diverse in many aspects, it is important not to

disregard the needs of the underserved members of that society. This artifact has become an

essential piece in helping me identify the type of library professional I want to become. There is

always work that can be done to improve the quality of service a community is receiving. I am

also aware of the resource disparity across different libraries, even those belonging to the same

library system, like the Chicago Public Library. Although there is little that can be done to

change library budgets, becoming an advocate for your community is one step in the right

direction. I want to become someone who is acutely aware of the needs of their community.
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Dominican’s MLIS program has offered me a solid foundation to make this possible by

providing me with a thorough comprehension of Goal 2.

Although Goal 2 had an important role in helping me understand the importance of

information, Goal 3 highlights the ways in which information is manipulated across human

records. The artifacts that I selected for Outcome 3a and Outcome 3b forced me to consider

information navigation and curation in a manner that I hadn’t before. Artifact 3a was a curated

book review of children's books that I presented for LIS 721 Library Materials for Children. My

professor, Dr. Huggins, guided the class through the library martials of different age groups. My

final project had me consider writing style, illustration, media type, reading level, among other

factors. My artifact for Outcome 3a demonstrated the creation of information catered towards a

younger audience. I took this course during my first year in the MLIS program. Prior to this

course, I had strongly considered working as a children’s librarian after graduation. Although I

enjoyed the course and gained a lot from it. It helped me realize this was not the route I wanted

to take. Ultimetly, this course also had a role in helping me identify the type of library

professional I want to become.

My artifact for Outcome 3b represents my utilization of tools to manage information. In

LIS 753 Internet Fundamentals, Professor Fitzpatrick provided us with a basic understanding of

coding in CSS/HTML. We used different coding platforms throughout the semester to build our

own webpage. One of the platforms contained our weekly assignments that required us to add

new components as we learned them. When navigating through the website, you can see the

growth in my CSS/HTML skills. I had no prior experience with coding, and I am extremely

proud of my artifact for Outcome 3b. LIS 753 was one of the most challenging courses I took

throughout my MLIS program. Coding is a skill that demonstrates my grasp on Goal 3.

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CSS/HTML can be used to build webpages that aid in the navigation, curation, and creation of

information.

My competency in Goal 4 has changed the perspective I have of libraries and information

centers. Goal 4 and its three outcomes have helped me recognize the library as the growing and

evolving organism that it is. Prior to the MLIS program, I failed to realize all the different

aspects in which the library is constantly evolving. For example, my artifact for Outcome 4a

demonstrates my understanding of library and information science theories through my

cataloging portfolio. Cataloging requires the cataloger to follow sets of standards and

regulations. However, improved best practices are frequently being developed that require the

cataloger to keep up to date and evolve. The cataloging portfolio is a strong example of how I

might apply theory into practice while still facing an evolving information environment.

Another example of how libraries are an evolving organism is evident through my artifact

for Outcome 4b, an evaluation of social media involvement across different libraries. New

technology trends are constantly emerging, and this artifact is an example of what libraries are

doing to keep up with the trends. Social media serves as a mode of communication for

institutions. This artifact also illustrates how it can be used to help promote the services and

programs offered at a library. One of the libraries even used it as a form of reader’s advisory.

Technology trends and tools are continuously evolving; it is in the best interest of libraries to

keep up with trends to adequately fulfill the evolving needs of their community. One of the

emerging technologies is artificial intelligence and tools such as Chat GPT, it is interesting to

consider how libraries will respond to this trend.

Goal 5 of the MLIS goals, highlights the essence of effective communication as a library

professional. This is a necessary skill to be the best advocate for the library and its community.
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Advocacy was a reoccurring topic of conversation throughout my program. Building and

maintaining a strong network is required if advocating is meant to have a positive impact.

Throughout the courses, the various types of networking needed as a library professional became

evident. My artifact for Outcome 5a called for me to interview two different library professionals

for a research paper. One of them happened to be the branch manager of a Chicago Public

Library branch, Guillermina Duarte. She shared with me all the different people and

organizations that she works with on a daily basis. Not to mention everyone that must work

together to effectively plan and carry out larger events like concerts.

Networking is one of the most substantial parts of her job. When I asked her what skill

she would like to improve she said networking, further emphasizing its importance. This gave

me taste of the relationships and communication I will need to indulge in to effectively advocate

for the community. Collaboration and successful communication are skills that I can build now.

My artifact for Outcome 5b made me reflect on the relationships I have built with my peers

throughout my MLIS program. It made me realize that my first circle of network can come from

my classmates. Although we may all have different end goals and interests, we can each benefit

from one another. Not all my instructional content came solely from my professors. I also

benefitted from the interactions and conversations I had with my peers along the way.

Dominican University introduced me to wonderful individuals throughout my program,

professors and classmates, that I would really like to maintain in touch with.

When I applied to the MLIS program at Dominican University, I had no prior experience

working in a library. My childhood memories in the library and my relationship with my local

librarian were my main guiding forces. I had a vague idea of what it meant to become a librarian,

but even then, the idea of possibly becoming a librarian enthralled me. All it took was 30

minutes into Dr. Salvatore’s LIS 701 class to know I was in the right place. The MLIS learning
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goals and outcomes illustrate the repertoire of skills and knowledge that I have gained these last

two years to help me in the work field post-graduation. I will walk away from this program with

an understanding of the ethics and values of librarianship. Although I have not had any

experience working in a library, I have had plenty of instances that have allowed me to apply

these principles into practice.

Dominican’s MLIS program has also helped me develop my professional identity within

the profession. After graduation, I would like to pursue a career in the public library sector

working with adults. Ideally, I’d like to be in a more public-facing position that would allow me

to interact with the community. I understand now that a library is much more than its books and

its resources, it is truly all about the community. Through strong relationships and effective

communication with the community, I’d like to help in making the library a safe and welcoming

place. Like it has been for me.