Statements



I ask for your patience as I investigate internal linkage issues.  My apologies!

I am at my best when I have all of the information I need before I start something, and have a starting point for whatever I am working on.
I will try to prevent times when I have no idea what I am doing or where to begin.
I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can help people find the information they need. I love reference work, collection development work (finding that perfect book or information source). I love working with patrons/students and being in a classroom setting. I love it when students I am teaching "get it" and start to use the skills I give them in their day-to-day lives.
I will find enjoyment in my personal life through spending time with friends, going to movies or concerts, enjoying a good meal, having good conversations, reading good books, learning something new, and being inspired by things that I see around me.
I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as writing, laughter, being a friend, problem solving, compassion.
I can do anything I set my mind to. I will write the great American novel.
My life's journey is about finding the perfect words, meanings and actions so that people can communicate well and avoid misunderstanding. The result is world peace.
I will be a person who is stronger and more wise than I originally thought I was.
My most important future contribution to others will be that I was always there to support them, and to build them up when they needed it. I will help to make others stronger and believe more in themselves.
I will stop procrastinating and start working on having more courage to achieve things that I think are inspiring to me. My regrets have always been based on what I wish I had had the courage to do and didn't.
I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:
  • Willingness to see all sides of an issue and rare compassion.
  • Incredible personal courage and a fascinating talent for description.
  • Wonderful and imaginative story-telling.
                                                                       
I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:
  • Walk for 30 minutes a day. This will help me to be in better shape, gain a sense of accomplishment and become more healthy.
  • Read and implement the teachings of philosophical giants, poetical or literary geniuses and other great thinkers.
  • Play word games, test myself, learn a new word and add it to my vocabulary or gain and/or strengthen a skill that can help me in my career field.
  • Become more involved in the community through volunteering at places like the local museum, library and elementary school.
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In Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, the mistaken and pompous Malvolio states, “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them” (Act II, Scene V).  Though Malvolio does not turn out to be a leader himself (much to his embarrassment) what he said is true.  “Greatness” is not always a deliberate choice.  The same might be said of leadership.  It is something some are born with, but others have to develop such a quality, sometimes against their own will.  I see myself as a quiet leader.  I lead by example and I am successful as a leader because of the respect those who follow me have for my knowledge, my character, and the skill I show in guiding them.
To me, the most important leadership values are: achievement, challenge, creativity, collaboration and integrity.  The first of these, achievement, can be described as the obtainment of goals through planning and becoming educated.  Once this is done it is possible to go beyond expectations and create results that are more than just the original idea.  Next, challenge is important in leadership, because it is through challenge (some might say difficulty) that team members can take on concepts they might initially fear.  Challenge develops problem-solving skills.  When problems are solved, success is reached.  Thirdly, creativity is an important element of leadership because new ideas are formed and new ways of looking at things evolve.  It leads to innovation and better ways to overcome problems or make situations or processes better or more efficient.  Collaboration is a part of this.  It is important for a team to work together, so a leader must foster this talent.  It is through collaboration that a team can incorporate ideas from, perhaps, unusual places.  This allows for interdepartmental exchange, communication and crossing of disruptive borders.  Finally, integrity is a most important leadership value.  It is important to be honest, honorable and straightforward so that trust is established in a team.  Without trust, no entity can function well and will, at most, only ever be mediocre.
I believe that leaders should have certain qualities to have the right to lead: intelligence, ingenuity, knowledge, caring for those they lead, strength to implement what is needed, courage to make tough decisions and overcome prejudice, and the ability to listen to the points of view of those who follow them, and those who may oppose them.  They must also have the courage not to let opposition overcome their will—if their decision best fulfills the needs of the people that the leader serves.  The best of leaders are truly servants to the best interests of those they lead.
I believe leaders gain credibility though their demonstration of integrity, sincerity, intelligence and knowledge, as well as through their creativity and the power they have to inspire others through their own enthusiasm, beliefs or actions.  Sometimes leadership is dictated by circumstances, but in any case a leader’s purpose should be to formulate a vision and then to guide those they lead to achieve what they need to be successful and happy, and to give their followers the tools they need to do so.


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I have provided a great deal of basic IT support to students at Broadview University as they have navigated programs such as Blackboard and Elluminate.  I have also used both programs in teaching: Blackboard was the integrated learning platform I used while teaching Introduction to Humanities, and I employed Elluminate to present an electronic version of library instruction to students in Paralegal Studies.  I do not know how to build a computer from the ground up or repair electronic/technology problems, but I can troubleshoot issues that are technologically- or web-based.  I was the first line of defense against technology angst at the Layton campus of Broadview University, and many times, I saved the Helpdesk from having to deal with issues that only took a bit of research, some common sense and a little ingenuity to overcome.  I was also over the campus Online Bookstore Services from April 2009 through June of 2011, so I gained much experience with troubleshooting technological issues through that medium.
As an online student at the University of Arizona, the majority of my classes were conducted online, so I learned very quickly how to troubleshoot technical problems with D2L and look to the system itself for answers to technological conundrums.  I even helped classmates to figure out glitches and find back doors that would enable them to complete assignments in a timely manner.  I also gained a lot of experience with Skype at this time and learned its idiosyncrasies.
As far as training goes, I received an education in the basics of Information Technology through classes at the University of Arizona, such as Information Seeking Behaviors (many times, “technical” issues are largely caused by a lack of understanding of online research methods).  I also took Introduction to Information Technology, which included computing basics, network applications, human computer interactions, computer-support cooperative work, social aspects of information systems, and some economic and legal issues related to digital services and products.  Online searching is a large part of an information professional’s duties and it was a focus of the University of Arizona’s Core Curriculum.  I learned about of multiple types of digital searching tools used in commercial bibliographic databases and on the Web. I also learned how to understand, select, use and evaluate online resources, including integrated learning systems such as D2L, WebCT, and Blackboard. 
After completing my MLIS degree I continued to hone my technology-based knowledge by participating in a number of trainings.  I completed training in Meebo, a reference chat device in May of 2009.  Technology training continued in 2010 with classes on podcasting (February), Valero Instant Chat (March), Open URL Linker Training (April), an Ethics of Innovation webinar, and Windows 7 and Outlook training (December).  The year 2011 also provided me with a great deal of training and knowledge in Information Technology.  In January I attended a course in the basics of using Blackboard (mainly as a refresher).  In April I attended a webcast event entitled, “Serving to Masters: Physical and Virtual Services in the Academic Library”.  In May, all Globe Education Network librarians received training in LibAnswers.  This is a 24-hour-a-day reference tool that includes an sms/texting function, a knowledge base, a FAQ builder, an  auto-suggest function,  Widget integration and function, chat/IM inclusion, and Twitter inclusion, as well as  reference analytics and  intuitive Search.  In June, Broadview University began its switch from Aleph, an integrated library system, to OCLC Web-scale Management Services, a cloud-based system that included circulation function and statistics collection, as well as budgeting tools and online-based tools for almost all library-centered functions.  I attended over 11 hours of training on WMS, as well as training for OCLC’s WorldCat Interface.
Although I do not consider myself an IT genius by any means, my position as a librarian and library assistant (not to mention my time as a student and teaching assistant/instructor) has made at least a rudimentary knowledge of information technology required to fulfill my duties.  I have learned that through knowledge, research, common sense and ingenuity it is possible to correct and fix almost any Information Technology problem.
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