Scott is a mature MLIS
student in his 3rd and final semester at UWO. His interests in MLIS
include the CLA, copyright and neutrality. He is very vocal in his classes and
is likely the bearded man who is trying to get conversations started in class
by stirring the pot.
I attended the OLA Super Conference this year, and
though I was only there for two days it was a great experience. I believe
conferences serve us in a much better capacity than sitting in a classroom for
hours on end. These conferences allow one to learn what they want, when they
want. and are an excellent place to meet people in the field.
During my first day I went to an evening meet and greet
panel where I was introduced to five professionals in varying fields of
librarianship. There was wine and cheese, and a game of networking bingo.
Through this experience I met about twenty or thirty other people in varying
points in their career, including a few faculty from our own MLIS program.
I was also able to attend a few talks and panels on
topics such as how to move forward as a young manager, and library planning.
These speaker series were great perspectives on libraries and librarians.
Hearing from someone outside of the classroom, I believe, has a bigger impact
on you than sitting through twelve classes on a single topic.
Finally, I was also given the experience of hands on
professional development. I spent about an hour in the Career Center having my
resume reviewed by a professional. This was very insightful and helpful in
boosting my ability to recognize different resumes for academic, special,
public library positions; This session allowed me to tweak my resume to better
reflect what employers are looking for.
I volunteered Thursday night for a few hours, and though it has very
little to do with librarianship it is yet another chance to help make a good
impression on other library professionals and employers by helping them find
what they needed, it also doesn't look bad on a resume.
So two days in the dead of winter have served me
better than most of my classes. The classes, and the assignments are important. They will lead to that piece of paper they hand you at graduation, but the piece
of paper just gets your foot in the door. The most valuable thing that will
stay with me throughout my career will be my experiences at these conferences,
not a piece of paper with a four letter acronym on it.
