the internet public library

The Internet Public Library (IPL) was started in 1995 as a graduate seminar project at the School of Information and Library Studies at the University of Michigan. Led by the iSchool’s very own Joe Janes, the IPL has grown exponentially, adding components and serving virtual patrons worldwide.

In LIS 521 (Principles of Information Services), students were asked to serve as volunteer reference librarians for the IPL’s Ask-A-Question Online Reference. Although initially intimidating, this challenging assignment was a crash-course in online reference. As student volunteers, we were required to select reference questions that were in varied disciplines and to deliberately stray from our personal knowledge comfort-zones.  Although I entered the iSchool thinking that I understood reference services and how one might conduct reference work, a whole new world opened up to me through the course of taking both LIS 521, as well as LIS 520 (Information Resources, Services and Collections).

Most importantly, I learned that reference librarians don’t just answer questions for their patrons, they enable patrons to become better searchers and truly understand how answers are located. This concept reminded me of the Chinese proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Like reference services, a mere answer will attend to an immediate need, but actual instruction and enabling the patron with search skills will address a lifetime of information needs. 

IPL answered question 1

IPL answered question 2

IPL answered question 3

IPL answered question 4

directed fieldwork

One of the areas of library science that is particularly appealing to me is knowledge organization – until I started the dMLIS program, I didn’t even realize this. As such, when I noticed a call for cataloging interns at a public library in the suburbs of Portland, I knew that this would be an experience in which I could apply the skills from my many courses in knowledge organization. 

The hands-on experience I obtained in the Technological Services department at the Tualatin Public Library was more than what I imagined possible at the onset. I learned complex copy cataloging, searching records in OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), assigning Dewey Decimal Classification codes and I even created two original records for the OCLC database! Although my cataloging coursework focused exclusively on monographs, I learned the cataloging of several other types of material through the course of this directed fieldwork, including music CDs, DVDs, books on tape and serials. The knowledge I obtained from my coursework, most specifically LIS 531 (Cataloging), aided me in a successful DFW (Directed Fieldwork) experience.

Most specifically, there were numerous occasions in which the cataloging of an item was not a cut-and-dry endeavor – certain decisions must be made in order to determine classification for an item. This was particularly complex with the cataloging of music CDs as, often times, genres overlap and the cataloger must ascertain the appropriate placement within the library for the item in question. Not only was I able to address these conundrums, but I found that I had an aptitude for music cataloging and was commended by my supervisor for my skillful ability in this area.