Final Reflections
While this should be much easier to do since I have already turned in my career portfolio, I still find it difficult to articulate what I bring to my future professional position. I already came to the program with a vast knowledge of U.S. History which I am sure will serve me well as a future archivist. From my Information Technology class, I have gained some basic computer skills and knowledge. From my Archival Administration class, I have an understanding of appraisal and arrangement theory. However to say what I bring to my future profession is difficult to say, because much of what I have learned from this class, or at least what I think is important, stems from basic ethics and morals. Since they have to be taught, then perhaps it isn't as basic as I think. Intellectual freedom, for example, is the cornerstone of our democracy, so I hope this is something that I can uphold in my profession as an archivist. Then there is the respect for people's privacy that we see continually challenged within libraries. Like the librarians who fought against the USA Patriot Act, I will always try to safeguard the privacy of the people who use my repository and the privacy of people's whose items are in my repository's collections. Finally, the idea that there should be an equality of service was something that I thought would be standard. However, this was reinforced throughout the semester. This goes along with the discussions that we had with homeless or mentally ill people using the facilities which we will work at. We must find ways to treat them with dignity while still providing adequate service to our other patrons.
I am definitely cognizant of the funding issues that librarians and archives face. The best plan is only as good as its funding. While programs mentioned in the Think Tanks might have been great with its first grants of funding, I began to question if they were sustainable over time. This was particularly true with some of the maker space programs at the Chicago Public Library. While I never want to be the person to end a good idea before it has really taken off, we must think about long-term cost of programs before we introduce them to our patrons.
I am more accepting of technology than I was before the beginning of the semester. This is due in part to the knowledge that I have gained in my IT class. This has led me to focus on Archival Administration (AA) and Digital Content Management (DCM). In face, next semester, I am focusing on my DCM electives and core requirements, which means taking Information Architecture.
Vannevar Bush, a Library and Information Science leader, said, ''In business, the boss earns respect primarily by knowing his job. He takes a step beyond this when he knows his men. One further step comes when his men believe he has their true interests genuinely at heart.''(Bush, 53). As I take leadership roles within the Library and Information Science profession, I hope the people that I lead believe that I have their true interest at heart. This is a better way to lead than through simply giving orders or using the power of your position. It inspires people to work together and to work for you. Other leadership qualities that I hope to possess are personified in the persistence of Augusta Baker and Victoria Proctor Powell Florence, who had to within segregated system, earn their degrees and serve their patrons. Women and men such as these will serve as my inspiration during the difficulties that I may face as an LIS professional.




















