InULA Notes Vol. 14, No. 1 - 1997 Scholarship Essays

Vol. 14, No. 1 March 1998

InULA 1997 Scholarship Awards

The InULA Scholarship is awarded each spring to a student or students in a degree program of the School of Library and Information Science. Applicants must submit the official application for scholarship available on the InULA Web site, as well as a statement of their philosophy of librarianship/information provision and career goals. At least one letter of reference on an applicant's behalf must be submitted directly to the InULA board. In Spring 1997, a $1,200 award was divided between two SLIS students, Eve Bates and Maeleah Carlisle. Their statements are published in this issue of InULA Notes.

Because of the enthusiasm for the scholarship awards and the consistently excellent quality of applications, the board has voted to award two $1,000 scholarships in 1998. The deadline for applications was March 3, and the winners will be announced in the near future.

Mary E. Krutulis
IU School of Library and Information Science, IUB

Philosophy of Librarianship and Career Goals

by Eve Bates

As a child, I was fortunate to receive constant encouragement to read from my parents, teachers, and librarians. I know it was this encouragement that created in me the passion for reading and learning that has so greatly enriched my life. As young children, my brother and I begged nightly for "on more story" from our parents. I can also remember fighting a losing battle with tears in the back row of my eighth-grade science classroom as I finished the last chapters of Summer of My German Soldier, which I had hidden within my textbook. Even now, I still too often find myself sacrificing precious sleep because I just have to find out how a certain book ends before I can turn in for the night.

Because I can now recognize the influence of those adults on this evolving love of books, I firmly believe that a capacity for life-long reading and learning can be found within every child, if encouraged. I can't think of anything more rewarding than to provide that encouragement as a youth services librarian, in the form of relevant collections, engaging programming, outreach services, and daily interaction with young patrons.

Youth literacy is not only important to the live of individual children, but to our nation as a whole. In his 1997 State of the Union address, President Clinton unveiled his America Reads initiative. This proposed program would mobilize an army of 1,000,000 volunteer tutors to ensure that every child can read well an independently by the end of the third grade.

President Clinton's initiative issues a challenge not only [to] schools and volunteer service organizations, but to public libraries as well. As a youth services librarian, my responsibility will be not only to provide enough materials for these millions of new young readers to read "well and independently," but to provide materials and services to energize these young readers to read willingly, voraciously, and for the rest of their lives. This is a challenge I'm willing and eager to tackle.

In addition to my commitment to youth literacy, I also have found that public libraries are simply exciting places to be. Contrary to all stereotypes, I learned first hand during my four years at the Wayne branch of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library that anything can and does happen in a public library. Libraries are one of the few places in a community where people of all ages, races, religions, and socioeconomic classes cross paths. As a librarian, I hope to make the most of this fact by placing my library at the heart of community life. I believe this can be accomplished by providing access to relevant materials, current technology, a wide range of programming, and space for public events, and by actively seeking and acting on the input of all community members.

I believe that emphasizing this community aspect of public libraries serves two purposes. First, this emphasis fits into a library's mission to provide its community with access to information touching all areas of their lives. Second, by turning libraries into community crossroads, librarians can establish the public library's niche in a growing market of information outlets, including online services and large chain bookstores.

During a temporary holiday rush position in the children's department of local bookstore, I experienced the excitement of planning and implementing children's programming on a small scale, but I also gained a real appreciation for the amount and quality of services a library can provide above and beyond any retail venture. By providing the community-building opportunities these other information outlets cannot or will not provide, I believe public libraries can further secure their place of importance and relevance in a community.

As I come to the end of my essay, I'm realizing that my interests in librarianship really boil down to two simple factors: young people, and people in general. I suppose this shouldn't come [as] a surprise. My favorite part of working at Wayne library over so many years was seeing the same families come in every week, watching their children grow in size and reading ability, and feeling that my job was somehow important to their lives. This importance to a community is both my motivation and my goal as a future public librarian.

Librarianship: A Gateway, A Challenge, An Enthusiastic Goal

by Maeleah Carlisle

Today's librarian or information specialist has the opportunity and privilege to be a gateway for a rapidly growing field of information. Collections are no longer limited to the paper or media resources within the physical facility of the library. A library's collection now includes the ability to access information electronically including CD Rom indexes, on-line full text articles and the World Wide Web. I believe my role as a librarian is to efficiently connect the patron or customer with the appropriate information among the vast wealth of resources available. Four key factors can facilitate this process: providing equal opportunity to information in an accessible format, promoting intellectual freedom, networking with the community and creating a friendly, fun environment.

Making information free and accessible to all people is one important factor, especially for libraries which serve the public. As a hard of hearing person, I struggled through elementary, high school and college without knowing that an assistive listening device existed which could have made my learning process much easier and more thorough; or that a telephone amplifier could have made telephone conversations much less stressful. A simple lack of information hindered me. Because I have had to overcome barriers and work harder than the average person to obtain the same information, I have developed a sensitivity toward those who may be disadvantaged. Information is power--the key to education and learning. I want to promote the mission of the library I work for, and empower people by facilitating information access, regardless of a person's ability, socio-economic status or education level.

Second, I seek to further facilitate access to all kinds of information by promoting intellectual freedom. I will work toward providing a quality, well-balanced collection and access to information sources, which provide different views and perspectives.

Third, because most libraries have limited budgets and resources, collaboration and cooperation is vital for developing exciting programs and collections. Developing connections with community people and organizations will help strengthen a library's role and give the opportunity to promote education and learning. As a former director of a small museum, I can appreciate the importance of networking. I regularly wrote grants and utilized community resources to make our programs possible.

Fourth, making a library a fun, friendly and inviting place to be, is one way to encourage people to seek information, and keep coming back.

Personally, I seek to promote and incorporate the above factors into my responsibilities as a librarian or information specialist. I want to contribute to society by making a difference in people's lives. I plan to become a children's librarian where I can influence people at a young age and inspire them to read and learn. Learning about different cultures, perspectives, events and stories, can broaden young people's knowledge and experiences.

In addition I seek to develop new skills and knowledge to complement my current experiences and skills. The field of library and information science is a new career direction for me. I am excited about learning and developing new skills through courses at the School of Library and Information Science here at Indiana University as well as through discussions with fellow students, faculty and university librarians.

One last goal is to earn a reasonable salary which will pay for basic living expenses. In the past few years, I have had to work multiple jobs to pay for basic living expenses. I look forward to graduating with a Master's Degree in Library Science which enable me to obtain a position as a Children's Librarian in a public library or children's museum. This would make it possible for me to work one job enthusiastically, and still have time left to volunteer for community activities.

Becoming a librarian is both a philanthropical and personal goal for me. I can empower people by assisting them with accessing information, promote intellectual freedom, expose people to different views and perspectives, and make a difference by inspiring young people to enjoy reading and telling stories. As a person with a disability, I can be a role model and be sensitive to those with special needs. Being a librarian or information specialist today is an exciting challenge. It requires flexibility, creativity and a desire to keep earning and changing. I look forward to enthusiastically embracing this challenge of becoming a knowledgeable and friendly librarian.