꧁ GRADUATE COURSEWORK ꧂
Throughout my time as a student in the MLIS program at the University of Pittsburgh, I took a number of courses on various topics related to libraries. Here, you will find a curated selection of the assignments that I completed in these courses. Assignments completed individually unless otherwise noted.
COURSES COMPLETED
Core Courses
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LIS 2000: Understanding Information
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LIS 2600: Intro to Information Technologies & Services
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LIS 2700: Managing & Leading Information Services
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LIS 2005: Knowledge Organization
Public Libraries/Children's & Youth Specializations
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LIS 2323: Resources for Children
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LIS 2633: Technology in the Lives of Children and Youth
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LIS 2332: Resources and Services for Adults
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LIS 2830: Advocacy & Marketing for Public Libraries
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LIS 2326: Storytelling
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LIS 2921: Field Experience in Youth Services
Elective Courses
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LIS 2520: Collection Development
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LIS 2184: Intellectual Property and "Open" Movements
TOPICS COVERED
LIS 2000: Understanding Information
Ethics, organization of knowledge, history of libraries, copyright/fair use, citizen science, media literacy
LIS 2600: Intro to Information Technologies & Services
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, databases, web design, information technology, coding
LIS 2700: Managing & Leading Information Services
Strategic planning, human resources, diversity and inclusion, managing change, budgeting, legal issues, grant writing, fundraising and development
LIS 2005: Knowledge Organization
Classification systems, cataloging, AACR2, RDA, MARC, FRBR, Dewey Decimal System, Library of Congress, BISAC, subject headings
LIS 2322: Resources for Children
Child development, children's literature, pathfinders, educational websites, evaluating resources for children
LIS 2633: Technology in the Lives of Children and Youth
Effects of media on children, technology in everyday life, social networking, cyberbullying, privacy & internet safety, information literacy instruction, the digital divide and social equity
LIS 2332: Resources & Services for Adults
Environmental scanning, library programming, readers' advisory, libraries in the community, information/reference services, collection-driven services, technology services, learning services
LIS 2830: Advocacy & Marketing for Public Libraries
Public relations, marketing, branding, social media, library advocacy, building community partnerships
LIS 2326: Storytelling
Folktales, child development, picture books, digital storytelling, elements of storytelling, puppeteering, attribution and storytelling, lapsits, performance
LIS 2520: Collection Development
Collection development and management, liaison work, weeding, policy writing, collection assessment and evaluation, format trends, GOBI, selection tools
LIS 2184: Intellectual Property & "Open" Movements
Copyright, Fair Use, patents, trade secrets, trademarks, Public Domain, Creative Commons, orphan works, "open" movements (science, education, source), piracy, digitization
SERVICES & PROGRAMS
The Shared Shed: Helping the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans bloom with a new Garden Resource Center [proposal]
Course: LIS 2332 - Resources & Services for Adults
This service proposal was the culmination of a class which taught us how to identify and address the needs of a particular community through library services. For this project, I chose the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans as my target community. The Lower Ninth was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and even today it has not fully recovered. With many vacant lots and little access to fresh, healthy foods, many residents have taken to urban gardening. I decided to create a service called the “Shared Shed,” which would be a gardening resource center including a seed library, a tool library, and an online web portal for urban gardeners. The related programming series, called “Grow With Your Library,” would provide structured seasonal gardening workshops, and Eat Local farmer’s market to benefit local gardeners, and twice-monthly Get Up and Grow Saturdays, which would be unstructured, hands-on community gardening sessions at local farms.
“Be the Source of Change” Teen Film Festival and Workshop Series [proposal] [presentation]
Course: LIS 2633 - Technology in the Lives of Children & Youth
Group proposal & presentation.
I worked with three of my classmates to develop and plan a program for Teen Tech Week. We decided our program would be a teen film festival based around the 2017 theme of Teen Tech Week, “Be the Source of Change.” Teens would participate in a series of workshops to gain filmmaking, writing, and editing skills and ultimately create their own documentary films about issues they care about within their own communities.
The Witching Hour Campfire Storytime: Scary stories for a Teen Library Lock-In Program [program description] [digital story video]
Course: LIS 2326 - Storytelling
This project tasked me with creating a digital storytelling piece and a library program idea which could be a vehicle for using the digital story in the library. I decided to create a teen library lock-in program that was summer camp themed – all of the activities and crafts during the lock-in are all tied in with this theme. At 3 am (or, the Witching Hour), the teens would gather for a scary campfire story session, listening to stories told by library staff and also telling stories of their own. For the digital storytelling piece itself, I decided that it would be the introduction for the Witching Hour Storytime. I chose the classic reddit "creepypasta" The Smiling Man, as creepypastas are fun, scary, viral stories that teens love and this one in particular was creepy but not overly scary.
Second Line: A Jazz Storytime for 5-6 Year Olds [storytime outline]
Course: LIS 2326 - Storytelling
For this storytime plan for early school-age children, I decided that I would choose songs and picture books which were all themed around "jazz music." I chose this theme because it would allow me to introduce young children to a diverse, uniquely American artform, teach them a little more about music and rhythm, and provide a bit of cultural and historical context by introducing them to the stories of jazz greats from then and now.
Cars, Trains, and Buses, Oh My! A Transportation Storytime for Toddlers [storytime outline]
Course: LIS 2326 - Storytelling
This storytime for toddlers (ages 1 through 3) is themed around transportation – cars, trains, and buses, oh my! Mobility becomes increasingly important for children this age developmentally, as they are beginning to gain a sense of independence and autonomy, and vehicles tend to become an obsession for kids this age too, as rolling objects help with developing spatial reasoning, as well. These things make transportation an ideal theme for kids this age, and I also wanted to focus specifically on public transit/mass transit, as they are so important to city life and I hope to instill an appreciation for them in kids from a young age.
POLICIES & PLANS
Strategic Plan: Chenango College, 2019-2021 [plan] [presentation]
Course: LIS 2700 - Managing & Leading Information Services
Group project & presentation.
In this class, we completed an in-depth strategic planning project for an imaginary library as groups. My group was tasked with creating a strategic plan for a "small academic library in Binghamton, New York." After doing an initial environmental scan, we created Chenango College, a small, liberal arts college with a big focus on sustainability and preparing its diverse student body for the professional world. We developed an executive summary, environmental scan, SWOT analysis, mission statement, vision statement, core values, goals and objectives, and job description for a newly created librarian position.
Collection Development Policy: Pioneer Valley Public Library [policy]
Course: LIS 2520 - Collection Development
This collection development policy is for a fictional library based in a non-fictional community – Northampton, Massachusetts. This policy outlines the community's profile, the library's philosophy in collection development, selection criteria, withdrawal criteria, and procedures for reconsideration of materials, among other things. The library includes a special collection of materials on LGBT history and identity, corresponding with community demographics and need.
Marketing Plan: Yuma County Library District Career & Business Center [marketing brochure] [marketing plan]
Course: LIS 2830 - Advocacy & Marketing for Public Libraries
For this assignment, I was tasked with creating a new service for a target community and then designing a marketing plan around that service. My target community was Yuma, Arizona, a city which has a very high unemployment rate, largely due to a transient population and a high number of seasonal, agricultural workers. The service I created was a Career & Business Center to address the needs of the community to find work and gain new skills, and it would consist of career consultations, career-related programs, and an online web portal for business resources. This new service would be marketed by building personal connections with the community and collecting their success stories, building up the CBC's web presence, and using social media. Here you will find a marketing brochure and the full plan for marketing the service.
PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS
Distribution vs. Reproduction: Understanding Copyright Policy in
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Services [research poster]
Course: LIS 2184 - Intellectual Property and "Open" Movements
This poster presentation explores the legal basis of Interlibrary Loan services and the policies and guidelines which constitute best practices for copyright within the field.
Assessing the Value of Public Libraries in Their Communities: How Can We Measure Return on Investment? [research poster]
Course: LIS 2700 - Managing & Leading Information Services
For this research poster, I researched the ways in which public libraries assess the value of their services to their communities. In an era where libraries are increasingly called upon to prove their worth in order to secure funding, demonstrating our worth to our stakeholders is an integral part of ensuring our continued existence in the twenty-first century and beyond. I discuss traditional return on investment (ROI) measures as well as some other methods of economic valuation.
Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale, or an Inaccurate Fantasy?: Examining Cultural Context in a Book for Pre-Readers [book review]
Course: LIS 2322 - Resources for Children
In this review of Gerald McDermott’s 1974 picture book Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale, I weigh the virtues of this book’s beautifully-rendered images against the problems inherent in telling a story that does not belong to one’s own culture without presenting it in a respectful and culturally-accurate way.
There are Many Ways to Have a Family: An Exploration of Children’s Literature Featuring Same-Gender Parents [paper]
Course: LIS 2322 - Resources for Children
This comparative essay examines three children’s books for different age levels that all feature children with same-gender parents and how the topic is treated in each book. The three books are And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (for 2-5 year-olds), In Our Mother’s House by Patricia Polacco (for 6-8 year-olds), and The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy (for 9-12 year-olds).
Spaces for Immigrants in the Public Library: A Place to Gain Social and Cultural Capital [reflection paper]
Course: LIS 2000 - Understanding Information
This paper was written as a reflection on the book The Meaning of the Library: A Cultural History, by Alice Crawford. Taking into account John P. Wilkin’s four pillars of the library (collection curation, research and learning, publishing, and spaces devoted to users), I consider the importance of “space” in a public library in the cultural acclimation and cultural preservation of immigrants in the United States.
“The American Revolution!” A Pathfinder for 5th Graders [brochure]
Course: LIS 2322 - Resources for Children
For this project, I was tasked with creating a pathfinder on any topic aimed at 5th grade students. I chose to make a pathfinder for Revolutionary War materials, as this is a historical period many 5th graders are very interested in. This pathfinder includes non-fiction & fiction texts, media resources such as websites, an iPad app, and a TV series, among other resources.