Emily Porta

Education
Master of Information, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto

Candidate (2013)

Pursuing the Library and Information Science path with a focus on Academic Librarianship

Honours Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto

September 2006 April 2011

Graduated with Distinction Major in Fine Art History and minor in English and Book and Media Studies New College Council In-Course Scholarship (2009 2010)

Information Services Work Experience

Interlibrary Loans Student Assistant, Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre (UTM Library)

September 2011 - Present

Demonstrated the ability to complete all tasks with a high degree of accuracy, consistently ahead of schedule Assisted students in the stacks (directional questions, finding books, help understanding the classification system) Processed patron requests using SIRSI Workflows, Ariel, and Racer Demonstrated good working knowledge of monograph and serials classification via the ability to locate requested materials in the stacks under tight time constraints Participated in collaborative problem solving with staff to determine the status of difficult to locate materials

Research Assistant, Religion Department, University of Toronto

October 2009 April 2011

Documented, scanned, and organized a unique digital library of thousands of documents Gained extensive familiarity with Endnote reference software and data entry Organized physical documents for storage Assisted faculty with appointments and schedules, requiring careful research Composed and edited instruction materials for other students Planned and led numerous meetings and information sessions with colleagues, including technology training

Digital Scanner, The Internet Archive (Robarts Library)

March 2009 September 2009

Trained on Scribe 2 digital scanning software and Scribe scanners Responsible for scanning and editing scans of several hundred books to be put into the Archives digital, open-source library Handled dozens of delicate and rare books from libraries around the world, including Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Additional Work Experience

Mentor, First in the Family Program, University of Toronto

September 2011 Present

Advised students in frequent one on one meetings regarding academic, social, and family related concerns, including research methods and library information Educated students on the most useful resources on campus for their needs, including various library services Led academic skills development classes for groups of students Created detailed lesson plans for each class Gained leadership skills training, including training in active listening, creative problem solving, and teamwork skills

Sales Associate, COBS Bread Bakery

April 2011 September 2011

Maintained exemplary service standards, including under high stress situations Consistently ranked highest in performance among all staff Responsible for daily inventory and cleaning duties, keeping storefront highly organized, and receiving and recording orders

Recent Volunteer Experience

Technology Fund Committee Member, Master of Information Student Council (MISC)

September 2011 Present

Served as the Student Liaison, responsible for soliciting, responding to, and submitting student suggestions to the committee Spearheaded creation of Technology Fund Purchase guidelines to aid in the improvement of technology at the school Collaborated with other committee members on an ongoing basis, resulting in a greatly improved use of funds

President and Founding Member, The Freethought Association of Canada

September 2006 March 2011

Helped organize large free thought themed library with over ten thousand books Served on Board of Directors as Vice President during major national campaign grossing almost fifty thousand dollars in donations Secured legal counsel for the charity regarding copyright issues Designed and championed a new online community campaign Responsible for all Board meeting organization, and management of all board members tasks Spearheaded use of cloud-based programs for all Board communications and planning

Other Experience and Interests

Retail Sales Associate, various locations, 2003 2008 Member, Ontario Library Association Ontario Library Association volunteer, OLA Superconference 2012 Strong interest in, and practical knowledge of consumer electronics and social media Software skills: Proficient - Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft Visio and Omnigraffle, Endnote, Yahoo! Pipes, all Google SaaS. Knowledge of - Adobe Fireworks, RACER, Ariel, and SIRSI Workflows