Personal Goals/Objectives

Good evening, readers.

I’d like to take a moment to talk about my own personal goals/objectives for my studies now that I have told you about myself and a little about my beliefs regarding the professionals that work in the LIS field. 

To start, I am very excited about the future and my progression through my studies to it. While in school, I have a few goals in order to better situate myself for the future.  WSU separates their program into three parts. The part that I would like to concentrate on is Archives and Digital Content Management.  This part of the program focuses on the digital preservation of resources.  With this concentration, I would be able to help preserve current history and the present so that those in the future can study it.  Along with getting a Master’s degree in LIS, I would like to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration.  While at Wayne State, I not only plan to use their Digital Media Projects Lab as much as possible, but also to be involved with student chapters of American Library Association (ALA), the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA), and possibly the Society of American Archivists (SAA). I have a target graduation goal of December 2015. Being somewhat of an introvert, I have made the decided resolution to really make to most out of this experience.

There are also a few objectives that I have for my professional career both while in school and after.  I am currently without a job. (I had to choose between my corporate job and graduate school when it came down to it; so, I chose graduate school and I quit my job.) Now that I’m in school, I am currently looking for a part time position within a library or archive setting.  My goal is to have a job by May or June of 2014.  Also, I would like to use my free time to volunteer.  I have researched and am applying to volunteer at the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum (DIA) and possibly the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.  I would like to participate in internships, as well, if able but do not have any that I am looking at or into specifically. Any suggestions are always appreciated, though.

After school, I hope to have a bright future working in resource preservation and archiving.  This does not have to be strictly in a museum such as the DIA, but I would be very happy to find myself in that setting. I am also interested in working in a preservation/archival position within a library. The academic library that I worked in briefly for a few years during my undergrad had its own archive room and there was a resident librarian whose job was focused on working with documents that needed preservation.  She is one of the individuals that influenced me toward this field so obviously I would like to be doing something similar. 

Regardless, my goal is to work with resources that need preservation and/or archiving. My objectives to reach this ultimate goal are to use the knowledge I obtain while in school and network with my fellow LIS peers. I hope to make not only connections but also friends through this experience. 

Only 3 weeks down-a lifetime to go…and I couldn’t be more excited.