MLIS Portfolio: Reflective Essay

Jonathan Gronli
Dominican University
Spring 2018
Introduction
Prior even considering applying to Dominican’s MLIS program, I had limited library work

experience. I only had about five or six months of professional library experience when I worked at the

Ronald Williams Library at NEIU as a circulation desk student aide. It was great experience, but, again,

limited in both time and scope. While I had transferrable experience that was brought in through

working at the NEIU newspaper, working in the NEIU office of Institutional Research & Assessment as a

graduate assistant, doing game development, and doing event planning (three years of a technology

conference, a game publication party, and a murder mystery night event), and running workshops, there

wasn’t much in the LIS field that I had experience with or knowledge of. However, through my years of

study, I’ve gained a passion for a variety of things that seemed to strike a chord with the people who

reviewed my application to get into Dominican’s MLIS program.

Through my years of study and through the encouragement of family, I gained a passion for

literacy, technology, stories, and helping people. Since libraries are at the forefront of all these things, I

knew that library work would be a great opportunity for me, but to get more, or at least more

substantive, library experience and opportunities, I thought I should go to library school. That was one

of the big things that I put into my personal essay, though I also referenced some of the major projects

undertaken through the pursuit of a Master of English degree from NEIU. Those included looking at the

problems of restrictive copyright in a world where shared authorship within worlds is becoming more

prevalent, the way that the horror genre responds to the way that society relates to its history, and the

way that different technological and game advancements since the 1970s have been changing the ways

that we tell stories and build communities. If I remember correctly, it was that last one that I also used

for my writing sample for the application, but I could be wrong. It has been a full, enjoyable, and rather

hectic three years. I hope this gives the reader a clear view of where I was when I came into the
program, because the subsequent parts will be showing where I am now and where I hope to go in the

future.

MLIS Academic Program Pillars

The program was built up into five specific learning goals that ultimately were geared toward

professional development within the Library & Information Science field. While I knew very basic

information, jumping into this in-depth examination of the LIS world and even starting to build toward

the first learning goal had me dealing with a lot of new frameworks to think through as well as some

tasks that I had never had to do before.

Goal 1: Develop a professional identity and philosophy within the library and information professions

Again, a professional identity within the Library & Information Science field was something that I

didn’t know much about. Then again, that’s part of the learning process as well as the process of going

through programs like this. Learning about the history and as well as the different tools and methods of

looking at an issue or the world itself in different ways helped contextualize this in a stronger way. For

example, one of the artifacts that I have relates to Outcome 1a: “Describe the historical context and

dynamic nature of the core values and ethics of the library and information professions.”

My LIS884 classmates and I were directed to look at the job postings on ALISE for teachers in

different Library Science and Information Science programs and find out what that means for the way

that the LIS field is evolving. While I have looked at issues in different ways before, that’s the first time

that I’ve had to look at the evolution of an entire field in that framework. It was fascinating, a bit

challenging, and gave a great deal to think about in terms of equally interesting and creative ways to

approach other projects while organizing data. Other projects done through program had a similar

effect, but that one had one of the biggest. Another added benefit of delving into projects in ways that I

hadn’t considered before is that I’ve gained confidence in being able to find new ways to look at issues

that I hadn’t considered before, which will help me out outside of the realm of school.
Goal 2: Understand the essential nature of information and its relevance to society.

This was a bit easier to get my head around in comparison to building a professional identity and

philosophy. Since it was tied into a lot of different personal projects and previous work experience,

information and the way that it flows is always key. Even just the way that people read information

given to them is important. However, the work done through this program allowed me to find ways to

both communicate the nature and flow of information in society and try to apply it in different ways. For

example, with Outcome 2b: “Explain the impact of information policies on intellectual freedom, access,

literacy, information behavior, and other aspects of library and information science,” I used a book

project from LIS753. The project was to identify the core ideas of a specific book, in my case it was Clay

Shirky’s Cognitive Surplus, and figure out some ways where they either can be or have been applied to

information, communication, and libraries.

Since the book dealt entirely with issues like the freeflow of information and creativity, this

made it even easier to approach covering the nature of information and relevance to society, as well as

the terms of the learning goal. It talks about issues of both copyright and attempted government

crackdowns on information and communities. It also covers the ways that some people and

organizations have found ways around that. These were things that I tied to issues like game

development, including Jane McGonigal’s game Find the Future, which was done in partnership with the

New York Public Library. Other things like makers spaces and media labs within libraries could also be a

result that opens opportunities for expression and the flow of information. Learning opportunities like

this solidified theories I heard in the past as well as ideas on ways to possibly serve communities. They

also helped out with the artifacts for the other outcomes of this goal.

Goal 3: Navigate, curate and create information across the spectrum of human records.

This one was complicated for me, partially because I had dealt with at least the creation of

information and stories before. I worked as a freelance journalist and media critic for a combined eleven
and a half years prior to getting involved in the program. Navigation is something else that seemed to

have come naturally, though I learned quickly that I still had a lot to learn. Curation was something that I

had little to no prior experience with.

My practicum was incredibly useful in figuring out how to approach this learning goal, as my

project and my practicum reflection addressed two separate learning outcomes in this goal. For

Outcome 3a: “Design resources or tools that facilitate access to information,” my artifact is a digital

collection that I created for the Rebecca Crown Library Archives & Special Collections. The process was

fairly involving, from the finishing of digitization and arrangement of the digital artifact to upload and

creating metadata for each of the artifacts. Also, gathering understanding on the nature of both the

collection and its subject offered a great deal of experience with navigating the data, while also giving

me some curation experience.

Reflecting on the practicum, which I tied to Outcome 3b: “Utilize resources or tools to manage

information,” was helpful in a variety of ways and it laid out the different things that were new to me in

the process of navigation, curation, and creation of information. For example, by the time of my

practicum, while I had heard of ContentDM and Dublin Core standards for metadata, I didn’t have

experience with either. I had to learn while doing the practicum to succeed in the project. While I had

experience with scanning, larger scale scans were new to me. Same thing with using Photoshop to piece

together the multiple scans of a larger artifact. These were great learning experiences, as were all the

other projects that I’ve done. They refined skills that I had. They gave me skills and knowledge that I

didn’t have yet. They also helped me out with gaining the confidence that I can learn more complex

things that I don’t know or have experience with while on the job. That’s something that will be

incredibly helpful in the professional world.

Goal 4: Synthesize theory and practice within a dynamic and evolving information environment.
 This learning goal is a bit difficult to know which artifact I’m most proud of, because each

artifact is important to me in a variety of ways. The tutorial I used for Outcome 4c: “Demonstrate

teaching and learning principles in relation to professional practice” was the first tutorial that put

together, which also addressed a frequently asked question at a library. Unfortunately, it isn’t live yet on

the North Park University website, at least at the time of this writing. So I had to use a final draft that

was cut together using a trial edition of Camtasia, which is part of the reason why there’s a watermark

on the video.

The possible programming list that I have for Outcome 4a: “Apply library and information

science theories, principles, and research to professional practice” was the first time that I’d offered

something akin to readers advisory in a way that could affect programming for an organization. Having

acted as a freelance media critic in the past, I have done something akin to readers advisory, but there’s

a different type of relationship between critic and reader than there is between organization and

consultant. While it’s not being used for its original purpose, the list itself is still being used to flesh out

the curriculum of some college instructors, which I’m still proud of. I’m also glad that I was able to use

that opportunity to help an old friend as well as some of her colleagues.

The artifact I have linked with Outcome 4b: “Describe how library and information science

theories inform and improve emerging technologies” is something that I’m proud of for a very specific

reason. I was able to mix different topics that I’m interested in and passionate about and was able to

mix them together. Those issues are games and game design, libraries, and learning/training. I’m proud

enough of the paper that I’m still working on fleshing it out into a fully-fledged article. I just need to add

in some more practical examples to fully flesh out the point.

Goal 5: Effectively communicate and collaborate to deliver, market, and advocate for library and

information services.
 Again, much like learning goal 4, it’s kind of hard to know which of the artifacts that I’m most

proud of. The reason is that a lot of them dealt with things that I really hadn’t done before. For Outcome

5a: “Apply marketing principles to demonstrate the value of libraries and information agencies,” it was

the first time I’ve created an infographic regarding anything, let alone, something that could be used by

the school to communicate its value to potential exchange students. The other two artifacts are linked

as they’re two parts of the same mini-practicum for a class, but each part covers different a different

learning goal. The time working with the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park had me working on

my communication and customer/patron service skills. The focus of the work was with both the public

and with people who I was working with. They were great learning experiences.

Career directions

When I started off in the program, I thought that I would be better off in either a public library

or a museum setting. One of the things that this program has done is open me up to the world of

possibilities though. I’m still interested in public libraries or museums, but because of work and research

experience gained because of the MLIS program, I’m more open to academic libraries as well. I will still

hold true to one of the biggest ambitions that I have, which is connecting people with information they

find helpful or stories they might enjoy.

I’ll also still work through the various side projects that I’ve taken on in a variety of ways. Part of

the reason why I would still work through those side projects is that most, if not, all of them can be spun

toward creating library programming. They can also be spun toward library promotion. If I can mix the

various things that I’m passionate about in a way that engages a community and provides people with

the stories and information they want or need, I’ll count that as a successful life being lived.

Conclusion

To sum all of this up, the entire process of pursuing a MLIS has been an enlightening experience.

I know both the profession better, but I also know myself and my capabilities better. The portfolio itself
was helpful in getting me to examine myself, both whether I was and where I am now. But it’s also

something that I can continue to add when I’m done with this degree program. Much like a life, this can

be a living document that continues to grow with me as I grow as a professional.

The decision to apply to Dominican University was one of the best decisions that I could have

made. Aside from informing me on a variety of issues that I would need to be aware of in the

professional world, it has given me a better awareness and understanding of the tools at my disposal to

be able to keep up-to-date on both my desired profession and my areas of interest. It has also better

equipped me to be able to pursue a LIS-field career and be able to succeed with it.