Susan Waldon

The demise of the book and of the library as we know it has been predicted at various times and with varying amounts of glee or chagrin since the internet really took off in the 1990’s. These predictions woke the library profession from a kind of stodgy, business-as-usual attitude to a realization that if libraries were to survive in an environment where some information, if only second-rate information, was available at the nearest digital device, librarians more than ever before were going to have to know what their community needed information-wise and service-wise and find ways for libraries to meet those needs. . Libraries are always on a limited budget and so a good amount of research (from a careful analysis of the library’s community to seeing which resources get the best reviews) goes into deciding which resources to purchase in the first place. Librarians research ways that other libraries do outreach and conduct programs and organize buildings and create online public access catalogs…nearly every aspect of our work. They began researching demographics in their communities, observing what else was available in their communities and finding ways to collaborate for the good of the community. They began to see themselves as third places and places to create information as well as find it. They began to study user experience of everything from their buildings and their websites to their programming. They began finding more ways to market their services and let their communities know the value of what they had to offer. And since nobody wants to reinvent the wheel, they published what they found.

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Additionally, from the beginning of the profession, librarians have helped people find material that answers a question that they have. To help people with research is one of our foundational reasons for being and the reason that so much careful organization goes into libraries. Librarians perform search for resources that we know will benefit our community and present the resources that we find in a LibGuide or similar container so that people have somewhere to begin to find out about a topic that interests them.

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So, of course, pursuing an MLIS degree involves a lot of research for class. For my first reflection paper in LIS 600 Foundations of Library and Information Science, I researched the history of the digital information explosion and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life. I used her willingness to go to new territory and use what could be found there to build a life as a metaphor for what I wanted my attitude to be regarding use of digital technologies to serve my community as a librarian. In LIS 620, not only did we study different sources of information to help people answer various types of questions, we also put together a LibGuide on a topic of our own choosing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I chose to put together a LibGuide about autism for parents and families of autistic children. Unfortunately, due to a platform change all that remains of my LibGuide is screenshots, but if my library administration was willing to put it out there to help the community (perhaps after I am a Certified Public Librarian), I would volunteer to redo it on our library system’s LibGuide account. While doing the research for this guide, I discovered that putting something like this together teaches you a great deal about the subject. I would enjoy doing this on the job just to learn about various subjects. In LIS 635, Media Production for Library Programs, I researched sources of story time ideas in order to put together a website about doing a story time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m hoping it will be a great help to me as I begin putting together a mini story time to present in job interviews. In LIS 610, Collection Management, we had a discussion of a scenario in the textbook involving a school librarian whose school had been given a government grant to improve achievement. We were supposed to come up with a proposal from Angie Sutton written in memorandum form for how the library would spend grant money to help students achieve. My proposal mentioned research on achievement gaps for lower SES students and I did quite a bit of research on available resources and their uses and costs in order to put together my proposal.

 

Finally, in LIS 665, Information Literacy, we did a short presentation a topic of our own choosing. I chose Information Literacy Instruction in Public Libraries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a dearth of information there is on this subject, compared to other library types! My conclusion was that public libraries do their information literacy instruction one on one when asked a question and that when they do a formal program, they don’t really write about it. It seems that despite a clear need for such instruction for the general public, public libraries are not stepping up. It could be that nobody comes to programs about information literacy. Participation in public library programs is always voluntary and an Information Literacy program just does not have the same draw as a book discussion group, a craft program, or a cultural experience.

 

This semester, for the first time, I am taking part in some formal library research through my seminar class in Community Informatics. I will be doing fieldwork in helping people learn to navigate the digital world to meet their information needs. Unfortunately, our library system’s management was unwilling to give me an opportunity to work within the library system, so I will begin to volunteer with the Raleigh Parks and Rec Digital Inclusion Initiative in October. I am excited to learn how to teach essential computer literacy better, because I do this kind of “over the shoulder” one on one teaching at the library where I work quite frequently. The class will not only take and turn in fieldwork notes but will also participate in an international study on Human Agency towards Digital Inclusion by doing one standardized interview about a person’s information networks and turning it in. I am excited by this opportunity to actually do some informatics research and to sharpen my skills at helping people with computers by observing some formal instruction and getting some concentrated practice.

 

I foresee a need to keep my research skills up on an informal basis after I graduate. The work that librarians do in our public library system is not research heavy at all, and the information landscape continues to change apace. Perhaps I should make a very informal annotated bibliography when I am trying to answer one of my own questions. There may be relevant webinars available through Web Junction or other professional development opportunities. In any case I need to remain able to help people find reliable information to answer their own questions. Librarians will always need to figure out how to best “facilitate human interaction with the human record” (Gorman, 2015, p. 27).

 

Gorman, Michael. (2015). “Revisiting Enduring Values”. JLIS.it. 6(2). p.27.