I have always had a passion for preservation of archival materials, but during my first graduate academic career I chose to follow the collections management route. I am a Collections Manager at a non-profit organization and there is a great deal of technological obsolescence in the special library. Working with these materials really smart my interest in archival as well as digital preservation, so I was determined to pursue a second graduate degree.
While earning my degree, my greatest supporters were:
Most definitely my husband, Braxton, as well as Shaneé Murrain, who I view as my mentor.
While in the program, I met classmates from:
It was surprising how far this program reaches around the globe. During a group project, a majority of the members were from the United States just on different coasts, but there was one colleague who was actually from Hong Kong!
What I liked best about online learning was:
The flexibility was definitely a major factor that brought me to online learning. The ability to work at your own pace to particular deadlines was really great.
What I enjoyed most about my experience at the SJSU School of Information was:
I definitely enjoyed the hands-on experience. Coming into a fully online graduate program was a bit nerve-wrecking at first. However, there were assignments and projects that allowed me to utilize the skills that I was learning in the courses in real life. I can’t tell you how many times I used what I learned from different courses at my job almost always simultaneously.
I plan to use my degree to:
The degree has been put into use in some aspects. With whatever learned I have been able to create foundational documentation and planning documentation for the special library at my organization. I am able to properly articulate and share knowledge about different aspects of digital preservation and technology to my supervisor as well as their supervisor for best practices in the library. I hope to be able to move into another job where I can focus solely on archival and digital preservation for another institution or organization at some point in the near future. I am going to continue to focus on being in advocate for underrepresentative communities as well as access for all.
Now that I have completed the program, I'm most looking forward to:
Relaxation! Since 2010, I have been in school nonstop. From earning my bachelors degree to now earning my second masters degree, I hope that I can finally relax. I hope that I am able to find a position where I can solely work with archival or digital preservation in some capacity. As well as ensuring that those in underrepresented communities have the proper access and are heard. Most importantly, I hope that I am able to spend time with my family and watch us flourish life.
