Professional Philosophy
Like many librarians, library science is my second career. I received my MLS at Emporia State University's School of Library and Information Management in December 2008. During my master's studies, I worked as a graduate assistant librarian with the Newman Division of Nursing Library, part of Emporia State University. Immediately after the assistantship position ended, I began work as the librarian at Cloud County Community College, and currently I work at Kansas Wesleyan University Memorial Library. My first career, however, was as a theatrical costumer. After earning my undergraduate degree in theatre and communications, I spent a couple of years pursuing costuming as a viable career. While I still enjoy theatre and theatre-related hobbies, I found theatre to be an unsustainable career personally. As I considered options for what to do for a second career, I thought about the places that I have enjoyed spending time during my life. Professionally, the only other place that came close to a backstage was a library.
Although theatre arts and library science seem worlds apart, I find they play off each other well. Theatre arts allowed me to explore communication, a form of information transfer, in unique ways. I see library science as another way to communicate. From my theatre studies and experience, I bring a keen interest in how people communicate. In library science, this may mean how someone looks or asks for information. I am constantly a puzzle-solver, whether this may mean figuring out how a garment fits on a person, or why a book fits in a certain place in a collection.
It is an amazing blessing that Americans have a library in almost every town and city in the United States, whether this is a public library or a college library, and that many American libraries collaborate through interlibrary loan, catalog consortiums, or professional associations. Public libraries in the US were created as a place where the common person could go to educate, enrich, and better him or herself. Libraries today are still a place where lives can be enriched. At the local library, you can find free access to information, free entertainment, and opportunities to connect with the community. I am passionate about advocating all libraries as necessary for the health of any community.
Additionally, universities and colleges in the United States have some of the most open and collaborative academic libraries in the world, and are poised to serve the student at a unique and challenging time in his or her education. Often, this is when an undergraduate student is first asked to critically evaluate his or her world view, and examine the sources of their opinions and values. The bulk of my library career has been spent in undergraduate academic libraries, and I am firm in my belief that academic libraries are vital in developing critical, well-rounded and self-sufficient members of society.
As a librarian, I hope to provide "information counseling". Often in this age of information explosion and overload, people are overwhelmed at the thought of finding the information they need, no matter their primary interest level in it. I am eager to listen to students and patrons, to discover the information they are trying to locate, what they hope to do with the information, and what they already know. I believe in the power of information. Within my profession, I have an overarching goal of my work as a librarian to be a positive impact - to improve people's lives through the best library service possible.
Although theatre arts and library science seem worlds apart, I find they play off each other well. Theatre arts allowed me to explore communication, a form of information transfer, in unique ways. I see library science as another way to communicate. From my theatre studies and experience, I bring a keen interest in how people communicate. In library science, this may mean how someone looks or asks for information. I am constantly a puzzle-solver, whether this may mean figuring out how a garment fits on a person, or why a book fits in a certain place in a collection.
It is an amazing blessing that Americans have a library in almost every town and city in the United States, whether this is a public library or a college library, and that many American libraries collaborate through interlibrary loan, catalog consortiums, or professional associations. Public libraries in the US were created as a place where the common person could go to educate, enrich, and better him or herself. Libraries today are still a place where lives can be enriched. At the local library, you can find free access to information, free entertainment, and opportunities to connect with the community. I am passionate about advocating all libraries as necessary for the health of any community.
Additionally, universities and colleges in the United States have some of the most open and collaborative academic libraries in the world, and are poised to serve the student at a unique and challenging time in his or her education. Often, this is when an undergraduate student is first asked to critically evaluate his or her world view, and examine the sources of their opinions and values. The bulk of my library career has been spent in undergraduate academic libraries, and I am firm in my belief that academic libraries are vital in developing critical, well-rounded and self-sufficient members of society.
As a librarian, I hope to provide "information counseling". Often in this age of information explosion and overload, people are overwhelmed at the thought of finding the information they need, no matter their primary interest level in it. I am eager to listen to students and patrons, to discover the information they are trying to locate, what they hope to do with the information, and what they already know. I believe in the power of information. Within my profession, I have an overarching goal of my work as a librarian to be a positive impact - to improve people's lives through the best library service possible.