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.

Assumptions/Assertions/Beliefs of the Library and Information Science Profession

So what can someone assume about the Library and Information Sciences (LIS) profession?

What do I assume about the LIS profession?

In my 27 years, I have spent many hours in libraries and subsequently around people in the LIS profession.  Because of this, it has led me to the below assumptions/beliefs or assertions about the profession.

• The LIS profession is made up of people who care about others. - In both my past experience, as well as, my recent beginning of this program, I have learned that the people who work in this profession truly do care about other people.  Librarians dedicate their profession lives to helping and bettering others in the community.  This is done through reference help when people are researching topics, through computer concepts help when teaching basic computer skills to those who don't know how, through teaching in youth services to help our younger generations learn various skills, and even through literacy training for those (of all ages) who don't have those skills.

• The LIS profession is made up of people who know how to find information. -  When I was a college student in my undergraduate years, it was extremely difficult to research a topic and sort through the plethora of sources that the school library had available.  Finding resources was never actually the problem.  It was finding "good and usable" sources relevant to the topic I was researching. Those who work in the LIS field are experts on finding this kind of information. They know how to research a topic and not only find the resources within the stacks of books, periodicals, databases, etc. of their own library, but also how to get it from other libraries if they do not! They are able to help sort through what is relevant towards the topic being researched and what is not.

I took this picture of the periodical stacks using my MAC computer at the Halle Library of  Eastern Michigan University.

• The LIS profession is made up of people who strive to make a better future. - This particular assumption is twofold for myself.  
• Because of my belief in the first two bullet points listed above, it leads me to assume that those who work in the LIS field believe in and work to make the future better through the community. While this may start within the confines of the four walls that make up the library building, it extends to outside in the community. Librarians arm people of the community with knowledge when they come into a library.  They provide them with assistance and help them to find what they are looking for.  People can then learn about all sorts of topics such as science, technology, war, travel, history, current events, etc. The information they learn becomes knowledge that taken with them and used to help to make educated decisions when met with challenges.  In this way, the librarian is arming the community with the knowledge today to allow for a brighter and better future tomorrow.
• The second aspect of this assumption (that the LIS profession is made up of people who strive to make a better future) is through the preservation of resources and history, today.  A very specific aspect of  LIS is preservation and archiving. I want to specialize in this field, myself. This encompasses the continuation of archiving the resources being research from the past, as well as, preserving the things that are happening at present.  Performing this function will allow communities of future generations to do the very things we are doing today in the library.  Without this pivotal role, libraries would be filled with the resources and technology of today but in 50 years that may all be outdated! Working in this field and performing this role, helps to make the future better and brighter!

It is here that I would like to note that this isn't a researched topic, but one of personal reflection.  These are my specific assumptions/ beliefs and assertions.  I hope this post allows you, the reader, to reflect on this topic and come to your own conclusions!  It really helps to remind me of why I believe the library and those who work in the LIS profession as so important not only today, but also in the future.

Author Introduction

Hello and welcome to A View from the Stacks!

My name is Melissa Fretz.  I am a graduate student at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI studying Library and Information Sciences. I just started my first semester this January (2014) and hope to graduate in two years with my MLIS degree. Working in the field of Library and Information Sciences is something that I have pursued for almost a decade and am most excited to get started.

During my undergraduate college years, I went back and forth between actively pursuing my dream of being a librarian.  I started actively pursuing it my freshman year at Cairn University in Langhorne, PA. I worked as a student aid in the library working mainly as a front desk clerk and shelving books.  Being around the stacks of various library resources was a dream for me. I absorbed as much as I could from both the reference librarian and librarian in charge of archives.  A lot of what they taught me has stuck with me to this day. Then, I stepped away for my dream temporarily in August of 2008. At that time, I moved to Michigan to finish my undergraduate degree at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Marketing and Supply Chain Management. I graduated in 2010 and for the last 3 years worked with a 3rd Party Logistics company.

My interest in Library and Information Sciences came back to the forefront of my thoughts shortly after starting my corporate job, but the timing never seemed right.  I reached out to Reference Librarian at Cairn University who was my previous boss and asked ofr some direction.  After some researching and waiting for the right time, I decided Wayne State University's SLIS was the place for me.  I allowed myself to follow my dreams by quitting my corporate job and applying to the program. This is where I am today and could not be happier.

Outside of school and work, I spend my time with my husband and our two cats in Northville, MI.  I enjoy cooking, baking, crafts, games, and rock climbing. I am currently trying to learn French, but my dream vacation would be to take a trip to Italy. (After French, I would like to try and learn Italian.)

It's been great sharing with you and keep your eyes posted for my future posts! Thank you for your time.

Melissa