Goal 1: Leadership and Innovation
Students are innovative, ethical problem-solvers able to lead and manage through communication, collaboration, and reflection.
Goal 1.A
Students are able to evaluate critically, reflect, and problem-solve individually as well as collaboratively.
LIS5937 R Programming - Spring 2018, USF
I will state up front: programming has always been something I have considered to be very daunting - lines upon lines of text that looks like common English but is not.
My course work in R Programming is currently the best representation of this criteria as it demonstrates critical evaluation, reflection, and problem-solving in a subject that I took specifically to challenge myself. Each week we were provided with code we had to debug or a task for which we had to write the code; we then had to run the code and reflect upon the process. With each assignment, I had to consider the problem at hand, identify the problem and/or best approach, and then implement the solution. Along with each assignment, I completed a "weekly journal" where I described the main task I had learned/completed that week, documenting my progress throughout the course. The culminating project consisted of each student having to come up with an R package that we would figure out how to translate into code and implement. I decided on an R package that would allow one to analyze word occurrence in text (e.g., frequency and mean, and graph results). The reason I chose this topic was I will be working a lot with text documents (e.g., articles, papers, web pages) as an information professional, and one important thing to be able to do is identify key words that can be used in keyword searches. The text analyzer identifies which words are used the most frequently in a text (excluding stop words), which in turn helps to identify key themes. In order to create this package, I needed to break the goal down into smaller, more manageable tasks, and then write the code to complete each task. Throughout the entire process, debugging was important as it helped identify unforeseen complications and evaluate the different states of the code.
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Goal 1.C
Students participate in professional and community engagement activities in the field.
Archives Assistant Summer 2018 - Hoover Institution, Stanford, California
I had a 13-week internship during the summer of 2018 at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Mornings consisted of processing series in the Martin Anderson Collection at the folder level. During my internship, I finished processing six series at an average MPLP rate of 14 minutes per folder. Afternoons consisted of two parts: cleaning up collection records in Archivist Toolkit, and managing the archive circulation desk (using Aeon). Cleaning up collection records required attention to detail as it included: converting paper finding aids to digital finding aids, converting box/folder and file types to the appropriate representation, and in one case creating a rough folder-level finding aid for an unprocessed collection. When managing the circulation desk, I was responsible for providing researchers with boxes they requested as well as the material they would need to view the collection safely (e.g., gloves, cradles).
This internship provided me with hands-on experience as well as insight into the inner workings of an archive, for both day-to-day operations and special events (e.g., workshops, exhibit openings, future planning meetings).
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Goal 1.B
Students demonstrate effective communication skills.
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LIS6303 Preparing Instructional Media - Fall 2019, USF
While there are a number of examples of my communication skills (this portfolio being the most obvious), my work done for the Preparing Instructional Media course is another practical representation.
In an information resource profession, the ability to effectively convey information and instructions is necessary to help others gain access to and locate their own information. The project provided as an example here is an informational media tool created to teach people about the key policies and guidelines of Wikipedia. This lesson is intended to provide potential Wikipedia editors with a foundational understanding of Wikipedia policies and guidelines without overwhelming them. At the end of the lesson, I provide a short quiz to test the student's knowledge and encourage them to consider other important guidelines for online communities.
Note: The sound for the .pptx file will not work unless you:
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Download the file.
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Right-click on the file and click "Properties."
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Go to the "Security" section on the "General" tab.
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Check the "Unblock" box.
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Apply changes.
Goal 1.D
Students demonstrate leadership skills and innovation in a diverse and global environment.
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Archives Assistant Summer 2019 - Hoover Institution, Stanford, California
Wikipedia holds potential for the information resource profession. Whether it be through hosting edit-a-thons where participants use materials from the library/archives or hiring an in-house Wikipedian who is tasked with updating Wikipedia articles using the institution's resources, Wikipedia provides a unique platform for disseminating a plethora of information.
During my summer 2019 internship, one of the tasks assigned to me was to provide an updated draft article on a former Hoover Institution Fellow using the information found in the collection as a foundation. Before writing the article, my goal was to become familiar with Wikipedia, which I did by creating an "Introduction to Wikipedia" article. This document was designed as a reference for those who would like to use archival resources to update Wikipedia articles. Once the Wikipedia article was written, I wrote up a separate article for publication in the Society of California Archivists Newsletter to share my experience with other archivists.
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Link to the Introduction to Wikipedia Guide
Link to Wikipedia Article (page 11)
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LIS6409 Introduction to Library Administration - Fall 2019, USF
In addition to being able to demonstrate leadership, it is important to have an understanding of various management styles. While there are certain management styles more popular nowadays, having knowledge of various types allows one to be able to pick and choose the best method of human resource management for the situation.
After being introduced to the five major management theories, I identified Mary Parker Follett's management theory as a theory I would like to explore in greater depth. Follett's focus on group dynamics and the sharing of power proves to be a practical, constructive method for libraries and archives, where each person is in charge of and often best knows their own section. While there are times when other management theories would be better suited (e.g., when dealing with contractors which might require a more rigid hierarchical structure), for everyday library management Follett's theory provides a solid basis.