PLO

1. Advance information equity and justice.

1.1 Identify situations where systemic information inequality exists.

This objective is the first step in advancing information and equity justice.  To advance equality, you need to begin by recognizing where inequality exists.  Information professionals, in particular, need to be cognizant of the various inequities that are ingrained within the library profession.  These inequities exist in information creation, publishing, library funding, the library workforce, and the library buildings themselves, to name just a few. 

In IST 564 Accessible Lib & Info, the semester is bookended by two assignments: a Library Observation paper and a Reflection paper. The Library Observation paper records your first impressions of a library before exposure to course content on disability. The Reflection paper concludes the semester by recording the evolution of your learning after the course content.  These papers serve as insightful “bookends” that frame your learning. I was uncomfortable and surprised by the stark contrast of those papers.  As a Latina who grew up in tight socioeconomic circumstances, I had always considered myself aware of and sensitive to social injustices.  However, I was blind to the lack of accessibility in my own public library.  What to me was a welcoming haven, was an off-limits mirage to someone with mobility issues due to the many non-compliant ADA features. I became painfully aware that the social injustices I was attuned to were the ones that intersected with my own identities: race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic class.  I initially didn't see the barriers that persons with disabilities met as I am able-bodied.  This served as a powerful lesson.  We are all complex and have multiple identities.  To be effective social justice advocates, we need to examine those identities and acknowledge the privileges that some of them have.  And this applies even to those from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.  

This is a lesson that I will carry forward in my career as I strive to serve all the members of my community.

1.2 Interrogate and internalize professional ethics, values, standards, and principles.

To me, this objective calls to mind the bottom levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (remember, understand, apply).  Information professionals need to advance through these stages of engagement with these ethics, values, etc...to later be able to implement them into policy and practice.

In IST 511 Intro to Library Info and Profession, the Philosophy of Librarianship paper required that I first review and understand various professional ethics and guidelines and develop my own philosophy of how I envision librarianship.  It was interesting as this class was the very first of the program, and it's an interesting way to frame the rest of the program.  In IST 605, the Reference and Transcription Analysis also caused me to engage with the professional guidelines and ethics.  I needed to analyze actual chat reference transcripts and then rewrite them to ensure that they conformed to RUSA and ISDR guidelines.  Both of these assignments caused me to think deeply about these ethics and then visualize how they would be applied in practice. 

This exercise is something that I apply in my current job as a library assistant and will apply going forward once I am a librarian.

1.3 Create and support policies that reflect principles of a just and equitable information society.

This objective calls to mind the upper levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (analyze, evaluate, and create).  Information professionals first need to understand and memorize the values and ethics of the profession (Objective 1.2), and then move to the higher levels of creating and supporting policies that are built on these values.

In IST 672 Public Library as an Institution, the final project was to create a strategic plan.  This was a cumulative project as we first needed to dissect the structure of our chosen library and then analyze the community to determine who the underserved segments were and what are their challenges.  In my case, I chose to focus on undocumented immigrants in my community and crafted a strategic plan that targeted their often-overlooked information needs. In IST 635 Collection Development and Access, I wrote a response to a book challenge.  This required me to apply the materials selection policy to an imagined challenge and defend the library’s stance against censorship in a professionally worded, evidence-based email to a patron.

In my future professional role, I will remember to be mindful that the policies I create/support need to be built on the principles of equitable and just information principles.

1.4 Demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning via engagement with users, communities, colleagues, and professional networks.

This objective means that information professionals need to commit to lifelong learning in a variety of ways.  The information landscape is complex and ever-changing.  To be an effective information professional, you need to keep abreast of these changes.  This commitment means participating in ALA and local state library associations, attending workshops or webinars, engaging with the library’s community and constantly assessing that community to gauge how their needs have changed.

In IST 717 Library Leadership and Management, I interviewed the director of the public library where I currently work.  One of the many takeaways from this interview was the reinforcement of lifelong learning.  She shared the various associations she belongs to, the roundtables and trainings she attends.  She stressed that this was instrumental for her to effectively lead the library. Consequently, I have joined the American Library Association (ALA), the Connecticut Library Association (CLA), and the northeast Reforma Chapter.  I have also since attended my first conference and plan to participate in the CLA mentor program this coming fall.

As I begin my professional career, I will continuously lookout for opportunities to learn and grow.