MLIS Portfolio
        Aurora Grey
        10 W. Johnson St. #4
        Philadelphia, PA   19144
        agrey@juno.com
        267-973-7786

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Resume

References

Coursework

Practical Experience

Teaching Experience

Leadership Experience

Intellectual Experience

Technology Experience

  

Introduction

I graduated from the University of Washington iSchool in 2005, with a Masters of Library and Information Science. My primary focus was in reference work, with courses in children's, teen, and adult materials. In addition, I took introductory courses in storytelling, cataloging, and collection development, and worked on two collection development projects as part of my directed fieldworks. For the past several years, until layoffs this past March, I worked as a bookseller for Borders Books & Music. In addition to duties as a bookseller I worked on the inventory, merchandising, and bargain teams; and finally as the Merchandising Supervisor for the store in Bryn Mawr, PA. Working in a bookstore is a lot like working in a library in many ways. We help people find the books they're looking for, do a lot of reader's advisory for both works of fiction and works of non-fiction, help them choose the best book for their information needs from a variety of sources, and when we don't have the book or information they need we give them advice on how and where to find it.

Now I am looking for public library work again. Currently I am volunteering in the children's department of the Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia and in technical services at the Ewell Sale Stewart Library at the Academy of Natural Sciences. To date I have approximately two years library experience. As a student at the University of Washington I completed two three month reference directed fieldworks, the first in at the Shorewood High School Library and the second in at the University Branch of the Seattle Public Library. As an undergraduate I worked in Information Services at Drexel University's Hagerty Library updating web resources and at the circulation desk at Antioch College's Olive Kettering Library.

I have loved books and libraries since I was a child. The Northwest Regional Library was the branch library where I went to storytime as a kid. As an adult I still love visiting the library. Furthermore, through the directed fieldwork experience I have discovered that helping patrons use the library, navigate the world of information, and find good books to read is truly rewarding work, and that I really enjoy working as a reference librarian. I have found that I like the variety of questions, tasks, and people that come with working in the public library. Every day is something new, with an abundance of opportunities to learn more about both people and information. I also like the fact that the public library is a place that is open to everyone, and that serves the information needs of all those people equally. Working at the Shorewood High School Library provided a wonderful opportunity to work with teens and to learn about bibliographic instruction. Helping students learn to use the libary and find the information they needed was very rewarding.

While my primary interest is in reference service, I am also interested in teen and children's services. In my studies at the Information School I have worked to build a broad knowledge base and range of skills that will serve me well as a general reference librarian, teen librarian, or children's librarian. In the course of my studies at the Information School I have learned:

  • Reference interviewing skills,
  • Searching skills,
  • Key reference sources and a wide range of information resources,
  • Reader's advisory skills,
  • Children's Literature,
  • Teen or Young Adult Literature,
  • Storytelling,
  • Teaching and bibliographic instruction skills,
  • Collection Development, and
  • Basic Web Design.
This portfolio cannot possibly cover everything I have learned and done at the Information School and since. It highlights key learning experiences of which I am particularly proud, in the areas of Practical, Teaching, Leadership, Intellectual, and Technology experience. 		  

 
 
  Send Comments or Questions to: Aurora Grey agrey@juno.com