Portfolio

Although my experience at the iSchool has been nothing if not a journey, I always knew my general destination. I have to say “general” because my interests range from the health sciences to Slavic studies and from information literacy to cataloging. My experiences in the past two years have broadened rather than narrowed these interests, but my reason for working towards my MLIS has remained the same: I want to be in a library for as long as I can. The word “library” can be as loosely defined as we all know it actually is; no longer does it have to be a physical space, nor does a physical space have to have books to be considered a library. But wherever the library is, it’s where I want to be, and I want others to want to be there as well.

The significant experiences on these pages have all helped me get closer to my destination, step by step. And from my first introduction to the information lifecycle to my last cataloging exercise, my schoolwork has supported every stride. Occasionally, my schoolwork posed more than the normal challenge, and I’ve included some of those experiences in my portfolio as well. I know I’m probably taking Bradbury’s quote out of context, but I can now think of several reasons why there is plenty of use in going to library school even if the library is not the final destination (working towards better systems design, for example). These reasons include all the connections I’ve made with the people here in the iSchool and in various professional organizations, the writing practice I’ve had, and the libraries I’ve been in along the way. Yet still I can think of nowhere I’d rather be than in a library and I’m looking forward to getting there soon, thanks to my time at the iSchool.