• LIS 650 | Case Study

  • I spoke with the librarian at one of the public libraries near my home town. She spoke of how keeping the library safe for patrons was her top priority on a daily basis because there have been disciplinary issues from homeless patrons who have disrupted library services. Local law enforcement has to frequent that particular library often. Speaking with her taught me that librarians often to have to make really difficult decisions, particularly when the decisions are motivated by a need to keep the library safe.

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• LIS 688 | Archives Visit

  • I visited the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History & Culture, part of Duke University’s Rubenstein Library. Speaking with the two archivists there was extraordinarily valuable. Kelly Wooten and Laura Micham spoke about their work and their goals to promote archival services AND feminism. Particularly, they relayed their desire to politicize the library space and to politicize the collections (which relate to women’s culture), while still navigating the strictures of bureaucracy from Duke University’s funders and governing bodies.

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• LIS 688 | Grant Writing Assignment

  • Because grant writing is such an integral means by which librarians/archivists fund their projects, having the chance to write a hypothetical grant was very useful. Following the guidelines of the NEH, I wrote a grant for a pretend project, developing my skills as a grant writer and keeping within limitations.

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• LIS 640 | Organizing System Evaluation

  • For this assignment, I evaluated the catalog platform that the Women’s and Gender Studies Department at UNCG uses to organize their small library. The WGS Department uses LibraryThing, a free cataloging site, as a discovery tool for their collections. Assessing this site and evaluating its usability helped me determine useful features in a cataloging information system and what I would want for a CIS in a repository where I find myself working.

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• LIS 688 | Special Collections Assessment at the Reynolda House

  • Interviewing the archivist at The Reynolda House in Winston-Salem, NC gave me the opportunity to hear the experiences of a ‘lone arranger’ in an archive. As the sole archivist at the repository, the archivist gave me valuable guidance on how to approach archival work.

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• LIS 656 | Academic Library Visit at Semans Library

  • Touring Semans Library and speaking with the library director was extremely valuable. Her insight taught me the importance of advocating for the library, especially when the repository is under construction and being moved into a new building. Librarians use their voice to convey the needs of patrons. I listened to the library director speak about funding issues and how acquiring resources for the large array of different musicians and artists at the school can be challenging; sheet music, for example, needs to be just as plentiful for clarinet players as it is for musicians playing more obscure instruments.