Upon beginning courses in the Spring 2020 semester and taking Foundations of Library & Information Science and Organization of Knowledge I, I learned an enjoyment of the metadata aspect of librarianship, the great breadth of roles this field offers, as well as the technical aspects involved in providing information. This led to some self-study and a blooming interest in archiving, special collections work, cataloging/arrangement/description, and engaging in instruction. From these interests, I selected elective coursework in Archives & Records Management, Seminar in Special Libraries, as well as Information Science in Librarianship, which culminated in my having an evolving understanding of the importance of appropriate levels of accessibility to information within a variety of information institutions, as well as the far-reaching impacts these information objects hold. The effects of leadership in the LIS field and engaging in this practice were greatly instilled within Introduction to Library Administration and the knowledge led to my desires to be an educator and author.

 

While working as an interim librarian in a special collections library throughout my time in the program, as well as engaging in outreach and advocacy work for diversity, equity, and inclusion during this time, brought about the realization that I enjoy and excel at leadership, collaborative teamwork, and working with in-depth tedious tasks. Through the elective coursework during my time in the MLIS program, courses were selected that would bolster my ability to work in areas such as special collections, specialty libraries, and archives. This selection came from the knowledge that these areas of the field would allow my skillsets and interests to continue growing. Courses were selected with the plan of working within an archival role.

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The core coursework in the MLIS program really allowed me to gain a breadth of knowledge as well as an understanding of the malleable implementation of theories. These gains were vital to my active work in the field as an interim librarian throughout my time in the program. The Digital Curation and Metadata courses provided key knowledge supporting my abilities to grow within the future of the LIS field and into the archiving profession. Knowledge of metadata, MARC, DACS, DC, HTML, XML, OAIS, and various software systems have all been key components to support me in my career. Both core and elective courses provided me with engaging assignments on needs assessments, collection development, strategic plans, grant proposals, and other applied practices that have prepared me to both lead and support necessary growth within any organization I join.

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that blanketed nearly my entire time in the MLIS program and increased my interim librarian workload drastically, I sought out additional co-curricular activities through the Smithsonian's Digital Volunteers project on transcription for the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, and NARA. This opportunity helped me to stay grounded in outreach and applying my newly learned skills in a safe manner without losing engagement in my current interim librarian role. Also, the subject matter within these courses and co-curricular activities gave me knowledge on the variety of LIS field opportunities, the duties within, and how the user and their access is the paramount focus throughout the work. Guest speakers from the Seminar in Special Libraries course especially played a strong role in my views and thus empowered my study pathways and decisions. Cultural Heritage Institutions & Libraries provided me with a new view of how society and heritage artifacts come together to create narratives that can better communities and provided me with an opportunity to engage in authorship through submitting my first manuscript which was selected for publication in an LIS book.

 

In learning about the plethora of various options for careers in Library and Information Sciences, I was able to really evaluate my personal interests, skills, and coursework to identify the best subset in this field for me, archiving. Not only the best subset for me but also the subset in the field where I will be able to make the greatest impact through my skillset, abilities, leadership goals, and desire to educate and publish. Identifying a field where I can best continue to grow also bolstered my decision to continue my education into a Master's in Archival Studies, which I obtained in May 2023, as well as plans to pursue a Ph.D. in either Leadership and Change or a Ph.D. in Information Studies focusing on Information Management. Through this education, I hope to do research and increasing benefits to the field and continue in supporting education and authorship. The course Research Methods in Library & Information Science and the opportunity to take a Certificate Course in Grant Writing during the Summer 2020 semester helped me to develop a strong understanding of the methodology and process I will need to undertake to bring these goals to fruition.

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Following my time for my MLIS at USF, I knew I wanted to continue my growth in the field of archives and desired national certification through the Academy of Certified Archivists. This led my application and subsequent acceptance to Clayton State University's (CSU) Master's in Archival Studies (MAS) program which I began in August of 2021. This second masters culminated in May of 2023 and provided me with extensive knowledge to be fully successful in the specialized field of archiving. Core coursework in arrangement & description, appraisal & selection, preservation, and digital preservation, as well as elective coursework in digital curation and law/ethics provided me with skills for managing a variety of archival collections in any institution type from planning and ingestion, through retention, disposition, preservation, storage, access, and disposal. The foundational knowledge from my MLIS, bolstered by the specialized skills from my MAS together provided me with the abilities and confidence to enter into the career field of government archives. A career opportunity I never would have considered had it not been for other women leaders in these roles sharing their experiences and supporting my own goals during these programs.

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Incredibly rewarding, thought-provoking, challenging, and insightful are descriptive phrases that come to mind when reflecting on my experiences within the MLIS program at USF and the MAS program at CSU. The courses within these programs and the key subject matters covered, as well as the guest lecturers' and professors' shared experiences (as well as much appreciated support) have allowed me to narrow my path and set the course for my future as a nationally certified archivist. I am excited to continue progressing forward in the field LIS and archiving field through continued implementation of the skills learned through my MLIS & MAS degrees, as well as to experience continual growth and evolution in my own knowledge and abilities through future education opportunities. I look forward to adding additional reflection in the future on my time in the School of Information Studies at Dominican University where I am currently an Information Studies Ph.D. student focusing on Information Management.