Develop a professional identity and philosophy within the library and information professions.
Outcome 1a: Describe the evolving nature of the core values and ethics within diverse information environments.
The association presentation from LIS 701: Core Values, Ethics and Issues in the Library and Information Professions requires the student to choose a professional association in the library and information sector and compile a presentation about that organization. This assignment allowed me to discover the commonalities between multiple associations’ ethics and the overall values of the library and information science field as a whole.
The Association to Library Service to Children (ALSC) is a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The ALSC not only follows the core values and ethics set forth by their parent organization, the ALA, but they have also set their own, more specific guidelines designed for librarians and information professionals who work with children. The ALSC has various documents, which are frequently updated, discussing values, ethics and competencies for librarians working with children.
Outcome 1b: Demonstrate how a philosophy, theory, model, and/or major perspective of the library and information profession guides practice in diverse settings.
This discussion post from LIS 805: Critical Hope and Self-Preservation in Contemporary Librarianship delves into particular concepts from the critical hope theory introduced in Dr. Kari Grain’s book, Critical Hope: How to grapple with complexity, lead with purpose, and cultivate transformative social change. The special topics course discusses how the practices of critical hope outlined in the book can be applied to potential issues within librarianship. Each student records their positionality (race, sex, class, primary language, education level, etc.) on a collective wheel to create a map of the overall positionality of the student group. The following discussion post focuses on nepantla, positionality, difficult knowledge and emotions in regard to viewing the map, which raises many questions about the implementation of ethics within the realm of library science and beyond.
Outcome 1c: Participate in professional activities and associations, such as professional conferences and meetings, internships and practicums, and professional email discussions and social media.
Through my job as a library assistant at a public library, I attended a Public Library Association (PLA) webinar, “Advancing Access for Library Customers with Sensory Needs.” The PLA webinar provided tools for making libraries more welcoming for neurodiverse individuals and helped me feel more at ease towards new approaches to library services. Through learning techniques to implement within my library, I was educated and inspired to offer Sensory Storytime programs as well as advocate for other accommodations.
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