Philosophy of Librarianship
I believe successful librarianship centers around service—helping individuals find, evaluate, and use information effectively. Librarians must competently perform a variety of tasks such as reference, instruction, collection development, and professional development.
Reference and instruction involves recognizing and capitalizing on patrons’ current skills and knowledge, encouraging curiosity and creativity, and modeling enthusiasm for learning. My responsibility as a teacher is to provide an environment—based on respect and filled with apt activities, resources, and feedback—conducive to transformative learning. I will endeavor to engender this environment by seeking collaboration and participation during group instruction and individualized reference sessions. In designing instruction, I concentrate on imbuing each session with clear objectives and a variety of instructional techniques. Writing clear objectives that set out goals for myself and patrons and illuminating them at the commencement of each instructional session provides the basis for patron learning of the selected skills.
In order to develop the collection, it is imperative that I know my community. Awareness regarding the collection and resources that are the institution owns versus the resources that are available is critical to providing a broad and balanced collection. In order to continue to develop professionally, I embrace continued teaching and learning in order to enhance my own skill set and to apply those skills towards facilitating the learning of others.
My philosophy of librarianship is dynamic; it responds to technology, community, and institutional changes. However, the static aspect of my philosophy—my patron-centered approach to service—will remain paramount across my various duties as a librarian.
