Below you will find artifacts from my graduate school experience and how it relates to one of the seven Dominican MLIS program objectives.
Articulating and applying a philosophy of service that incorporates an awareness of the legacy of libraries and information centers within our culture.
- Marketing References Services. For this assignment, I worked in a group setting to explore an area of concern in reference services. We opted to explore ways that academic reference services could better market themselves and their services. The PowerPoint and attendant notes demonstrate how the service-based reference librarians found creative and unique ways to reach out to their community of users and beyond in order to improve their visibility and better serve the community.
- On the Society of American Archivists and the Future of Archiving. In this paper, I consider the history and future of the Society of American Archivists. In particular I highlight two recent calls by archivists to push the boundaries of archiving to better serve current patrons as well as a call to consider the long-term ramifications of being an archivist and what that means for our collective society.Â
- Knowledge Management Cumulative Journal Assignment. In this 40-plus page journal, I review major literature throughout the history of Knowledge Management (KM) studies, carefully consider case studies in KM techniques, and weigh in with my opinions on which methodologies seem to be most effective and show the most promise for future implementation in information centers.Â
Promoting the professional values of ethical responsibility, intellectual freedom, and universal access to information.
- On the Society of American Archivists and the Future of Archiving. In this paper, I consider the importance of archivists, how they influence scholarship in the future and what that means for archivists ethically and professionally.Â
- A series of blog posts on Cloud Computing, Global Access Issues and Broadband, and Intellectual Property. For LIS 753, I kept a blog on technology issues related to librarianship and information access. In the posts I’ve linked here, I consider the complicated future of cloud computing (and what it means for access to information), concerns about access for rural and poor Americans (and how libraries can help create a bridge to modern technology for those people), and intellectual property and freedom of expression.Â
Identifying and analyzing information needs and opportunities of individuals and organizations, both within the traditional information service areas and the broader information sector.
- P&G Case Study. As part of LIS/GSB624, Organizational Analysis, I worked in a student group to review a case study related to Proctor & Gamble. We were tasked with coming up with a solution of what the organization should do about a particular business unit that did not fit within their corporate model. We analyzed the relevant readings and identified a solution to P&G’s problem. We wrote a paper on it (linked) and also did a presentation to the class on our findings.Â
- Special Libraries Pathfinder. As a new LIS student I was surprised at the lack of information in the program on alternative librarianship pathways. Most of the core classes seemed to focus on public and academic libraries so I took it upon myself to create a pathfinder on “Special Libraries” in order to identify those pathways and analyze and assess the materials available.Â
- Knowledge Management Cumulative Journal Assignment. In this 40-plus page journal, I reviewed numerous case studies and theoretical articles related to Knowledge Management practices. In the final journal entry on page 39 I utilize all of the theories and practices I learned during the course of the class to identify and analyze the information needs of one of my clients in order to create information solutions for them within a knowledge management framework.Â
Developing creative solutions to information problems by integrating relevant models, theories, research, and practice.
-  Marketing References Services. In this PowerPoint presentation (as well as in the notes I’ve included at the link) my group from LIS 704 explored creative solutions to marketing available reference services in both public and academic library settings. My examples included unusual marketing efforts and creative collaborations to improve the visibility of the reference desk.Â
- Communities of Practice: A Knowledge Management Power Tool. In this paper, I explored the knowledge management solution known as “communities of practice.” This solution to improve information and knowledge sharing involves setting up a formal way in which knowledge transfer can occur. The paper considers the history, case studies, detractors and current thinking on this methodology.Â
Designing, implementing, and evaluating systems, technologies, services, and products that connect users with information.
- Reference Desk Service Report. In this report for LIS 704, I visited a local reference desk to evaluate their systems and service. It was one of three reports we did that required us to closely consider service and implementation of systems to deliver said service during the semester.Â
- RebeccaKilbreath.com and Drupal Website Creation. Over the course of two classes I learned HTML, CSS, and content management system administration (among many other things). These two websites were the results of months of knowledge building. Ultimately, I designed and implemented the technology from the ground-up in order to better connect my clients with the services I offer.Â
- Collecting View-Master Viewers and Reels Pathfinder. This was the first pathfinder I created for LIS 701. I designed it and utilized research to create a topic-oriented pathfinder that would aid those interested in finding out more about any topic of my choice. I went with a topic I knew in order to focus on creating a thorough pathfinder that I knew would help connect users with the information they were seeking. A basic understanding of how to do that led me to create a Special Libraries Pathfinder the following semester.
Practicing a variety of management, communication, and organizational skills to facilitate appropriate change within libraries and communities.
- Managing Green: Library Management, Environmentalism and Economic Reality Collide in Public Libraries. In this paper for LIS 770, I review the literature on change management as it applies to greening libraries. As a trade magazine writer I have written many stories about green building and sustainable building practices. I wondered how this applies to libraries and also how to implement changes in libraries from a management level that would improve the environment both within the library and for the community at large.Â
- Award-Winning Libraries. In this PowerPoint presentation, I worked with another student to research the qualities in common at award-winning libraries in North America. The award-winning libraries had similar goals for the end product and thus enjoyed some striking similarities (as well as differences). These case studies show how the libraries of the future should model themselves regardless of the budget–there are examples that all libraries can learn from.
- The Frank Lloyd Wright Archives in Oak Park. In order to improve my visual communication skills, I worked to create a poster board presentation for LIS 775. As a writer and editor, I don’t often get called on to create visual, three-dimensional displays so I took my visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio archives and combined it with research and appealing visuals in order to share the experience with my peers.Â
Teaching others to identify, analyze, organize, and use information.
- Chapter 11 Outline for Teaching the Class. I prepared and used this outline as a means to “teach” my classmates in 703. Each week, a different group had to lead the class and teach a chapter from the textbook. I created an outline of the chapter, reviewed the pertinent points, and rehearsed the important elements repeatedly before getting up in front of the class and guiding them through the content.Â
- Communities of Practice: A Knowledge Management Power Tool. In this paper, I give a thorough review of the knowledge management tool known as “communities of practice.” I provide a history, case studies, and criticism in order to provide a primer on the methodology.Â
- Google Is Making Us Smarter. In this short paper, I create a counterpoint to a popular essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” With research and clear language, I build a case for the opposite: access to information can create knowledge, and access to technology and social media make us all content creators, which exercises and expands our writing and reading abilities in profound ways.
