Goal 3

Outcome 3a: Design resources or tools that facilitate access to information.

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Our final project in LIS 707 (Leadership, Marketing, and Strategic Communication) involved assuming the role of a job candidate for a particular academic, public, school, or special library or an archive, museum, or similar organization and proposing a solution to an issue or problem at this institution via a program, initiative, or new strategic direction. 

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I chose to assume the role of a reference librarian job candidate at the Sterling Morton Library, located in one of my very favorite places in Illinois, the Morton Arboretum. In order to raise the profile of the library and increase use of its resources, I designed a program that would create a partnership between the Sterling Morton Library and an undergraduate biology class at North Central College in Naperville, IL. The semester-long program would include a presentation on the library's oldest and rarest resources; placing items on course reserve, if necessary; and providing reference and circulation assistance to students throughout the semester. In the assigned PowerPoint presentation, I described the steps required to implement the program and how to evaluate its success.

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This program was intended to make a targeted group of users (undergraduate students at a local college) aware of the library's unique resources and facilitate access to the information they needed for their class.

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Artifact: LIS 707 Final Video Presentation: Sterling Morton Library Program Proposal

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Outcome 3b: Utilize resources or tools to manage information.

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Without catalogers, libraries would be disorganized warehouses and of very little use to anyone. Catalogers and the systems/tools they use make it possible for us to find the right resources for every user. Cataloging requires an understanding of accepted metadata standards, which can sometimes feel like learning a new language, and meticulous attention to detail.

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An early assignment in LIS 703 (Organization of Information) required us to create a Simple Dublin Core record for a vintage photograph. Using this cataloging system would allow users to find and learn more about this single photograph within the entire collection.

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Artifact: LIS 703 Assessment A Simple Dublin Core Worksheet

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Outcome 3c: Evaluate resources or tools that manage and facilitate access to information.

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In LIS 709 (Foundations of Technology for the Library and Information Profession), our final project built upon previous assignments. Earlier in the semester, we were required to visit a library and/or interview a librarian at that location to evaluate the technology used by that library and identify their possible technological needs. At the end of the semester, we were required to develop both a written project proposal for one or more technologies to be implemented at that library accompanied by a narrated PowerPoint presentation. 

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I selected the Newberry Library and interviewed two members of staff on the technologies that they currently employ as well as their technology "wish lists." I used this information to create a proposal from the point of view of a current staff member who is communicating with the Board of Trustees and advocating for investment in certain equipment to facilitate users' access to the library's rare and historic collections.

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Artifact: LIS 709 Final Technology Proposal

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