Philosophy Statement
Throughout my elementary, junior high, and high school experience, I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew I enjoyed the humanities. In college, I flirted between degrees—trying my hand at sociology, then social science (a mash-up between sociology, political science, and history), and, finally, history and an English minor. While I did very well as an undergraduate and enjoyed my history studies it was not until my academic advisor, a sociology professor, sat down with me during my junior year and asked me questions about my interests. After determining that I enjoyed research and tutoring writing, he said it would be worthwhile for me to look into library school. After some preliminary research, I was convinced library studies was the right profession. Volunteering at an academic library and local museum’s archives the summer before I began my library coursework only heightened the field’s appeal. Its service orientation and diverse specializations make for worthy and exciting work, and my experience at San José State University's School of Library and Information Science has ignited a passion in me that I did not have before.
I am pleasantly surprised by how much I have grown professionally and academically in the library and information science field over the past two years. Many of my classmates had already been working in the library field in various capacities, and my only library experiences had been as a library user and library volunteer the summer before I began library school. Through the course of my studies, I had the honor of completing a prestigious fellowship at the Hispanic Division at the Library of Congress during the summer of 2010 and also experienced my first library conference, the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Meeting, which was held in Washington, D.C. the same summer. Because of that experience, and my coursework, I began working as a substitute bilingual library assistant for my local library system, the Stanislaus County Library. A very short time after I was hired, I received part-time hours as a bilingual library assistant in the children's department at the main library branch. I began my journey into librarianship with a preference for academic libraries, but my varied experiences have shaped me to appreciate the very different capacities in which information professionals work.
As a librarian, education and learning are very important to me. The ALA Code of Ethics reads,"We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills..." (2008). There is much I would like to learn regarding emergent technologies and archives, including digital archives, and I would also like to continue my interest in cataloging and information description, instructional methods, and reference resources and practices. I hope to continue my MLIS studies formally through San José State University's School of Library and Information Science's newly established post-MLIS certificate program and become much more active in the professional library associations of which I am a member, which include the ALA, California Library Association (CLA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA). I find it important to forge relationships with co-workers and other library professionals in order to learn from their experiences. There is simply no replacement for experience. I learned much from peers in my MLIS courses who had already worked in libraries, and I am continuing to learn more about real library environments from co-workers.
I also recognize the social responsibility of librarians to help all members of society solve their information needs and problems by educating and informing all those who walk in our physical and virtual doors, as well as those who have not yet made libraries part of their lives. I am deeply guided by my sensitivity for both the cultural and digital divides in our nation. Although I still have a strong interest in working with college or university students, particularly first generation students, and faculty with their research needs and teaching information literacy skills, as evidenced by my work in competencies such as I, J, and K, my work at a public library has also instilled in me a sense of responsibility to the many different groups of people who use local libraries, particularly the Spanish-speaking. The library system I currently work for receives 87 percent of its funding from a 1/8 cent sales tax. Without the support of this tax, the library system will shutdown, closing what may be the only door to knowledge for many members of this community. The ALA Policy Manual advocates for diversity: "We value our nation's diversity and strive to reflect that diversity by providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities we serve" (1999). I feel a sense of urgency to continue reaching out the the Latino community, not just because of my own cultural background, but because there are not many librarians who specialize in library services for the Spanish-speaking.
Though communities and technologies constantly change, one thing about librarianship is constant--we must always seek to serve the needs and interests of our communities above all. "To the librarian, the importance of information science lies not so much in what is done as in why it is done" (Rubin, 2004, p. 32). Many of the competencies I discuss and pieces of evidence I have incorporated draw on this philosophy. I hope to bring this sense of commitment and values of lifelong learning, social responsibility, and diversity to my future career, whether I work for students or faculty at an academic library or children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly at a public library.
References
ALA. (1999). Libraries: An American value. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/americanvalue/librariesamerican.cfm
ALA. (2008). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.ifmanual.org/codeethics
Rubin, R.E. (2004). Foundations of library and information science (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Neal-Schuman.
I am pleasantly surprised by how much I have grown professionally and academically in the library and information science field over the past two years. Many of my classmates had already been working in the library field in various capacities, and my only library experiences had been as a library user and library volunteer the summer before I began library school. Through the course of my studies, I had the honor of completing a prestigious fellowship at the Hispanic Division at the Library of Congress during the summer of 2010 and also experienced my first library conference, the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Meeting, which was held in Washington, D.C. the same summer. Because of that experience, and my coursework, I began working as a substitute bilingual library assistant for my local library system, the Stanislaus County Library. A very short time after I was hired, I received part-time hours as a bilingual library assistant in the children's department at the main library branch. I began my journey into librarianship with a preference for academic libraries, but my varied experiences have shaped me to appreciate the very different capacities in which information professionals work.
As a librarian, education and learning are very important to me. The ALA Code of Ethics reads,"We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills..." (2008). There is much I would like to learn regarding emergent technologies and archives, including digital archives, and I would also like to continue my interest in cataloging and information description, instructional methods, and reference resources and practices. I hope to continue my MLIS studies formally through San José State University's School of Library and Information Science's newly established post-MLIS certificate program and become much more active in the professional library associations of which I am a member, which include the ALA, California Library Association (CLA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA). I find it important to forge relationships with co-workers and other library professionals in order to learn from their experiences. There is simply no replacement for experience. I learned much from peers in my MLIS courses who had already worked in libraries, and I am continuing to learn more about real library environments from co-workers.
I also recognize the social responsibility of librarians to help all members of society solve their information needs and problems by educating and informing all those who walk in our physical and virtual doors, as well as those who have not yet made libraries part of their lives. I am deeply guided by my sensitivity for both the cultural and digital divides in our nation. Although I still have a strong interest in working with college or university students, particularly first generation students, and faculty with their research needs and teaching information literacy skills, as evidenced by my work in competencies such as I, J, and K, my work at a public library has also instilled in me a sense of responsibility to the many different groups of people who use local libraries, particularly the Spanish-speaking. The library system I currently work for receives 87 percent of its funding from a 1/8 cent sales tax. Without the support of this tax, the library system will shutdown, closing what may be the only door to knowledge for many members of this community. The ALA Policy Manual advocates for diversity: "We value our nation's diversity and strive to reflect that diversity by providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities we serve" (1999). I feel a sense of urgency to continue reaching out the the Latino community, not just because of my own cultural background, but because there are not many librarians who specialize in library services for the Spanish-speaking.
Though communities and technologies constantly change, one thing about librarianship is constant--we must always seek to serve the needs and interests of our communities above all. "To the librarian, the importance of information science lies not so much in what is done as in why it is done" (Rubin, 2004, p. 32). Many of the competencies I discuss and pieces of evidence I have incorporated draw on this philosophy. I hope to bring this sense of commitment and values of lifelong learning, social responsibility, and diversity to my future career, whether I work for students or faculty at an academic library or children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly at a public library.
References
ALA. (1999). Libraries: An American value. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/americanvalue/librariesamerican.cfm
ALA. (2008). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.ifmanual.org/codeethics
Rubin, R.E. (2004). Foundations of library and information science (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Neal-Schuman.