Stephanie
Hartman
Final
Portfolio &
Special Project
Introduction
Introduction
My journey into librarianship has been a long one – though I often did not know I was on the journey. Looking back, it was in the cards long ago. In the 5th grade my first “job” was as a library aide in my elementary school library. I think it got me out of some classes – but I also loved being around books, and talking to people about them. In Jr. High and High School I would delight in spending hours at the public library – looking up bizarre facts in reference books, learning about strange diseases and foreign lands.
I worked in my college library as an undergraduate – getting up at 8am on Saturday mornings. The freshman shift that nobody else wanted, but was better than food service any day. It was here I had my first look at the wacky and wonderful personalities of librarians. It was also in college that my general curiosity about life and learning intensified. Working in a library put me at the door of information at a very exciting time. It was the early 90s – and online databases were just making a splash on our campus. The catalog had just been automated – and you had to schedule appointments to have librarians search Lexis-Nexis for you. Love of learning got me excited about libraries – they were the key to it. It is probably that love that has kept me there.
For nearly the past ten years I have worked in the MIT Libraries. I have had three positions in this time and have watched the information age explode. I have watched the MIT Libraries struggle with the same issues and problems that much smaller, less technically savvy libraries have had to deal with. Being the MIT Libraries is in some ways a double-edged sword. We have the benefits of being surrounded by technology – but this also means that the expectations are quite high for us to figure out how to use it to our greatest advantage. It is an exciting place to be, but we still have to figure out things such as how to pay for the ever-increasing cost of journals.
I have also been fortunate enough to experience the other side of the "digital divide" by volunteering and helping to start a High School library in rural South Africa. They did not have the luxury of worrying about print versus electronic, because they were still struggling to have access to current print resources (and I use the term "current" loosely.) The experience made me look at libraries, learning, and information in a new ways - and also reminded and gave me a renewed respect of the value of print. It is much more portable and useful in a community without reliable and/or available electricity.
I began the MLIS program for many of the same reasons as my classmates. I had hit a ceiling. I hold one of the few professional positions in the MIT Libraries that you can have without an advanced degree. It was the logical and practical next step. The online program was exciting because I got to be part of another part of the changing world of technology. It allowed me to be both a participant and an observer in a growing trend in education.
Looking back through my courses, papers, and projects has been interesting. I remember the late nights at the computer, remember professors and classmates learning together in this online world. I can honestly say that there are a number of projects that I am proud of from my time in this program. In fact it made choosing my “special project” challenging – I feel as if I could have two or three – all quite different. A sign of a well-rounded education.
In the remaining pages I will highlight the work I enjoyed the most, as well as assignments I feel I got the most out of over the course of the program. Many of these are PDF files, and may be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you need Adobe Reader, or a newer version, please see the Adobe Reader Download site.
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Submitted
to the Department
of Information and Library Science
--
Southern Connecticut State
University
©2004
Updated on: April 26, 2004