Initially because I love books, and could think of nothing better than sharing stories with people. However, as I begun to understand the scope of an MLIS, I realized that access to information can truly make a difference in the lives of people, especially when weighing in the complexities of censorship and the power of misinformation in today's social environment. As a librarian, I understand now we play a key part in providing ALL people with the ability to find their own answers, satisfying their personal curiosity, and perhaps even to create their own solutions to a problem by providing access to free and reliable information. Whether we are supporting literacy efforts for all ages, showing young people (and adults) how to identify fake news, showing an elderly person how to find reliable sources of information online, and even by hosting STEM programs using equipment that a few years ago would not have been readily available (a tablet, a telescope, a VR set). I wanted to earn a Master's degree to share my love of reading. I did instead found that I can provide people with access to... whatever they want.
While earning my degree, my greatest supporters were:
My family, who cheered me on from the beginning, and my library co-workers, who listened to my ideas and offered a word of encouragement (and Tylenol) when I felt my head would explode. They were there every step of these journey, and I am truly grateful.
While in the program, I met classmates from:
Alaska! and all over the continental United States.
What I liked best about online learning was:
The opportunity to do things at my own pace (within limits), but still be able to communicate with professors and classmates, thereby being able to build a classroom community. I really enjoyed exchanging ideas with people outside of my own state, and appreciated the ability to connect across boundaries via online access.
What I enjoyed most about my experience at the SJSU School of Information was:
The challenge. Some things were difficult for me, as school has changed a lot since obtaining my B.A. in 2002. However, I had a lot of support from both my classmates and teachers. I even went as far a taking a coding class, which although challenging taught me that I can indeed wrap my brain around completely new (but somehow fun?) concepts and technology.
I plan to use my degree to:
Provide resources and information in my community's library, but also to create programs that promote and support literacy, learning and exploration for everyone, particularly the underserved. .
Now that I have completed the program, I'm most looking forward to:
Seeing my ideas come to life, trying out the programs I envisioned while at school and modifying them to best serve the patrons of the public library.
