Graduate Work

I am posting papers I have done for Library and Information Studies in this space. Feel free to read my work if you are interested!


A Study of the Digital Revolution in the Library and Information Sciences As Seen Through Two Years of the Journal  Information Technologies and Libraries

This is a paper I wrote comparing two years of the journal Information Technologies and Libraries. The assignment was to look at the differences in journal entries for two years, using one article from each year for a detailed analysis of the changes over time. I looked at 1981 and 2019, with a quick look at the beginning of the journal in 1968. I thought it was a very interesting assignment, and I enjoyed looking at the changes in computer technology and the internet, and connecting them to the changes that occurred with the invention of the printing press. (Clicking on the image will open up the PDF of the paper in a separate tab.)


An Archive By Any Other Name: The Organizational Structure of the Archive of Our Own

This was my final paper for the core class Information Organization and Access. The assignment was to analyze and evaluate a cultural heritage information system or domain, with cultural heritage meaning an established system that had enough structure for a detailed analysis. Many in the class worked on library systems, but I was very interested in looking at a completely digital system that did not have any connection to non-digital works. I chose the fanfiction archive website called the Archive of Our Own, because it had to design a unique information organization for catalog search, using a combination of social tagging and authority control that was fascinating to research. I wrote 25 pages, and felt I could have written twice that number if I looked at other aspects beyond the access and information organization. A very interesting study, which has made me extremely interested in the possible use of curated tagging as a way to enhance a library’s catalog search options.


Community College Students and the Library Experience

This paper is the basis for the LibGuide I created. While the paper is a summary of the information I researched, there was a lot more information gathered that directed the elements I felt needed to be included in a LibGuide for community college students. This work also gave me insight into the detailed research being done on the intersection of different libraries and integrating their services to better provide for the needs of the whole community. School libraries, public libraries, and academic libraries need to work better together for the future needs of the digital age and the issues facing information literacy. It was a fascinating topic to research.


Hospitality and Tourism LibGuide

This is the LibGuide I created for the class on Information Services and Sources. I created the guide for North Carolina community college students studying Hospitality and Tourism using Springshare’s LibGuide app. My studies on the needs of community college students in regards to library services did the most to inform how I structured this guide and the resources I included. Information literacy was one of the most important needs, so my first page includes a lot of information on how to choose a resource, research basics, and citation help.


Newsletter for Coretta Scott King Award

This newsletter was created using Smore.com for my Children’s Literature class. The idea behind the structure is that it could be part of a series of newsletters for a public library, each highlighting awards that honor diversity. While many people know about the Newbery and Caldecott Awards, there are a lot of children’s book awards that give caregivers, teachers, and libraries the opportunity to discover great books that speak to a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences. These books can help all children find characters and stories that speak to them, as well as just find great books to read for fun and entertainment! I included five picture books and two chapter books, as well as variety of subjects to give an idea of the scope of the Coretta Scott King Award, and some additional resources to connect to the books for teaching purposes and general information.


Video Editing Projects

These short videos were created for summer term classes, Children’s Literature and Media Production. I purchased the Camtasia video editing software during the spring, and have used it to do any video creation assignments. The assignments below were all uploaded to YouTube, and represent a definite increase in ability with the software. I added more tracks and video editing details to each project, but all of them were fun to create. The first is a Book Talk for Aru Shah and the End of Time. The idea behind the book talk was that it could be a straight to digital format, perhaps something to use on a public library website or YouTube Channel to talk about new or interesting books. The second video is a Book Trailer for Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super Soaking Stream of Inventions (a really interesting man!). The last video is a PSA called Public Libraries: They’re Where It’s At! to advertise the many things to do at your local public library.




Summer Reading Program

This is a project for my class in Children’s Literature. Our assignment was to create a program for a public or school library, and we were to create a website or presentation. I designed a summer reading program, and presented it as a PowerPoint presentation. The idea of this summer reading program was to promote reading for fun to create a lifelong love, and to connect that to both activities and peer recommendations. What I came up with was Kid Approved!, which has Ad-Art that the children create to advertise their favorite summer book to their peers. The presentation format is to convince a library director and staff to do all the work that would be required for this type of program!


Website Creations

Summer term this year has been all about using digital technology in libraries and programming. I took two classes, Children’s Literature and Media Production, and every assignment was a digital submission. The Children’s Lit class had the most, and these two websites, created as Google Sites, had book reviews, activities, and diversity as the focus. At some point, I will combine these two sites into one, but for now I will provide a link for them individually. One was a group project, so while the final design layout was mine, the beginning format and the entries were done by me and four other students together. The second website is on creating a diverse catalog for a children’s library. It’s current form is more for other librarians than the general public, but it could be used by anyone.

Children's lit resource website as link
Diversity website screenshot as link
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