Personal Goals

At this point in my life, my career plans are quite broad. I know that I would like to work in an archive, so I will be getting the Certificate in Archival Administration along with my MLIS. I would like to spend at least part of my career working in the Detroit area and focusing on the history of the city. My internship last summer at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House helped to develop my already keen interest in the automotive industry, even though I was never directly studying cars.

I have a wide array of interests that ranges from modern architecture, to ancient Roman literature. I would love to spend more time studying the history of photography and its journey to becoming a form of high art. I am interested in pushing the boundaries of how visual information is shared through the internet and making primary sources available to more people than ever. I am prepared to learn from past professionals and to invent new processes with my future coworkers. I am young, optimistic, and ready to jump at any opportunity that comes my way.

I hope that my time at Wayne State prepares me to enter the workforce. Most job postings that I have seen thus far request that applicants already have a couple years of experience, even if it is for an entry-level position. I know that the Archival Administration Certificate requires a practicum, so I am looking forward to the experience that will provide, but I hope that there will be more opportunities for hands-on experience along the way.

Introduction & Assumptions/Assertions

Introduction

Hello everyone,

This blog is for my first class at Wayne State University's School of Library and Information Science. My name is Claire, I'm 22 years old, and I have lived in the Detroit area for my entire life. I recently completed my undergraduate studies at Kalamazoo College, where I majored in Classical Civilizations and minored in Art History.

I am not currently employed, but I'm searching for a job in a library or archive. Once I have earned my LIS degree, I would love to work in an archive in the Detroit area and focus on Detroit's automotive history. I'm also interested in working in a library or archive that is connected with an art museum.

I'm hoping that LIS 6010 will give me a base layer of knowledge that I can build on with further courses. I also hope that this class will help me confirm that I've chosen the right path for my future career.

Working in a group can be a struggle, but I'm good a keeping an open mind and listening to my teammates' ideas. My favorite parts of a large project are the initial research and designing a beautiful end product. I can be a bit quiet, so it would be wonderful to have at least one group member who is more outspoken. I appreciate some sarcasm and silliness along the way, as long as we get everything done in the end.

Last summer I was an intern at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, MI. (The house and grounds are beautiful, I highly recommend visiting if you live in the area.) I spent most of my time compiling information to create a Collection Reference document that docents could easily refer to. A draft of that document can be viewed here. My time at Ford House sparked the idea for my Senior Individualized Project about Walter Dorwin Teague's designs for Ford Motor Company's displays at the World's Fairs of the 1930s.

You may have noticed that the URL for my blog is a bit strange, it's part of a much longer quote:
"In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro."
- Thomas a Kempis (Everywhere I have sought peace and not found it, except in a corner with a book)
I had to learn Latin for my undergraduate degree, and let me tell you, it was a struggle! But it was worth it, partially because I was able to spend a semester studying in Rome. If you're interested in seeing some pictures from my adventures in the Eternal City and elsewhere in Italy (and lots of the food I sampled) you can do so here.

Assumptions and Assertions 

• My first assumption has already been debunked.  I assumed that libraries were mainly about the resources that you were providing to people, instead of being about the people themselves. 
• I believe that LIS professions are only improved by the vast technological advancements that are being made. What could be bad about getting information to more people in a quick and efficient way, even if they are halfway around the world? LIS professionals may even be more important than they were in the past because so much more information is created and accessed every year.
• I believe that MLIS degrees can lead to jobs in many different fields. All sorts of institutions have large amounts of information that need to be organized and made accessible. Librarians are needed in public libraries, K-12 libraries, college and university libraries, as well as in medical libraries and law libraries. And those are the places I can think of off the top of my head for one sector, it does not include archivists, professors, and professionals working with large data sets.