Professional Outcome 2: Information Resources

Artifact Name: LI 833 Men of Strength, Men of Honor

Values: Leadership, Integrity

When I ask my friends what they think of when I mention library resources I get a list which focuses on books, computers and space. These views miss the true resources of the library, the people and community that forms it. This artifact was chosen as the primary resource it strives to organize is the people engaged in the discussion for the benefit of themselves and the world around them. The need this resource is designed to fulfill is a need for positive values of masculinity to be shown to one of the world's most vulnerable populations, those who are incarcerated. Through my undergraduate program I discovered that many of those who are incarcerated, both at the prison at El Dorado and the Douglas County Jail liked to read westerns. The genre became the focal point of a way to draw out the experiences of the participants and the facilitator to lead to a healthy discussion about positive portrayals of masculinity. Low to no-cost techniques ensure the sustainability of the program while the included budget demonstrates a proficiency at developing a financial sense of resource management.

Leadership, the ability to share a vision with others and inspire them to live to their full potential is demonstrated through the creative use of an activity the participants are already doing, reading westerns, to teach the values they will need when they are released. The focus on values is closely linked to ethics as the person leading, facilitating and guiding a discussion on values needs to confident in their own moral code. Aspects of my personal integrity are clearly visible in the commitment to service and in my choice of a population which is often overlooked in mainstream society and literature.

Artifact Name: LI 855 Collection Development for Diverse Populations

Values: Service

While my primary interest in library science was the people, specifically the challenge of matching someone with the specific piece of information they need, an understanding of how collections are formed is critical to working in a library setting. This artifact, a research paper from LI 855 Collection Development demonstrates my ability to consider the needs of a community and consider how those needs can be met with material and programing ideas. The topic presented, diversity, is by its nature extremely broad. By addressing the main concerns of the most visible diverse communities this artifact demonstrates an ability to research the current literature to understand a communities needs and design resources that will meet those needs.

Service is a key component of any collection. While working in Technical Services at ESU's William Allen White Library we completed customer service training which reminded us that even those who work "behind the scenes" are active parts of a service organization. Those behind the scenes services form the structure which enables all other services to be provided. A final note on the values displayed in this artifact is my concern for diverse populations, especially those who might be overlooked in collection development. This reflects my strong personal commitment to ensuring that everyone is given the respect they deserve, and to seeking out those individuals who have been given reason to doubt their personhood due to societal bias.