Jeanette C. Mills
MLIS Portfolio
Service
As a capstone experience for my MLIS degree, I am earning Directed Fieldwork (DFW) credit as a volunteer at the Shoreline Library, King County Library System. Initially I did not think I would have enough time during the program to complete a DFW. I was pleased to discover last autumn that I had fulfilled enough of my requirement to allow me to take DFW credits in my final quarter. As I have contemplated the possibility of working at a public library at some point in the future, it made the most sense to choose one of those as the location for my experience.
This DFW brings my library experience full circle. The first two years that I worked in libraries I was with the Seattle Public Libraries—first as a page at the Montlake Branch (1978-79) and then as a clerk at the Governmental Research Assistance Library in City Hall (1979-80). Since that time I have worked in a variety of libraries at the University of Washington, including the Computing Information Center (1981-85), the Reserves section of the Odegaard Undergraduate Library (1985-86), Special Collections (1986-90), and the Art Slide Library (1991-present). Through all these experiences I have learned quite a bit about working with users, but I have become out of touch with what it is like to work outside of academia. Spending some time as a librarian in training at a public library has already given me a better understanding of the different levels of service in a public setting.
Lynnea Erickson, Student Services Administrator in the Information School, was very helpful in talking with me about where I might want to do a DFW. She put me in touch with Lynda Locke, Managing Librarian at the Shoreline Library, and Lynda and I were able to have an initial meeting in mid-January 2002. My first day at the Shoreline Library was Sunday, March 3rd. I am currently just over halfway through my 100 hours of service, and I will complete the fieldwork in late May.
On my first day, Lynda and I thoroughly discussed the areas I would focus on for the DFW. My learning objectives include three areas: to apply and increase my reference skills, to practice the collection development methods I learned in LIS 522, and to learn about administration of a public library. I have already done quite a bit in all three areas.
Despite several years of reference work at the Art Slide Library, my reference service skills have been challenged while working on the Shoreline Library reference desk. The second day I worked was a typically busy Sunday, and one of the librarians was on vacation. I had to dive into answering questions even though I just barely knew how to use the Dynix interface used by the librarians. The users were surprisingly patient with me and the librarians were constantly helpful. I ended that day feeling like I had learned a lot. A different challenge was presented on a recent Saturday afternoon. I arrived at the Shoreline Library just after all the computers had gone down. They continued to be down all afternoon, and it is amazing how difficult life can be at a reference desk when the Web and the library catalog are inaccessible. We did the best we could. The librarians I was working with all knew the Dewey Decimal system quite well, but my years in academia using LC classification and just two days of introduction in LIS 531 put me at a disadvantage. I became friends with the Abridged Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index and learned that I will need to study it more. I also have discovered that public library reference work requires a much broader range of knowledge than that used in more typically specialized academic reference work.
In addition to serving users at the reference desk, my collection development project is serving to improve the collection of the Shoreline Library’s Career Center. Because I knew I would be starting this DFW while I was taking LIS 522, “Collection Development,” I made arrangements to choose a class project that could be continued during my DFW. For the collection assessment assignment, I evaluated the Career Center collection and discovered that, for the overall usage level at the Shoreline Library, this sub-collection definitely needed some work. I am expanding my assessment and will ultimately make recommendations for weeding and purchasing. I have been told that money is available for improving the Career Center through the Friends of the Shoreline Library.
My not yet completed DFW at the Shoreline Library has already provided me with an excellent service experience on several levels. Public library work may not be for everyone, but I have found it invigorating.
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