Summer course begins with student biography

LIBT 213, Advanced Internet Searching, officially begins on Monday. The first assignment: compose a biography.

My life has changed in numerous ways since composing the biography for my first course toward certification and an Associate’s degree in Library and Information Technology.

I took DIST 101 in Fall 2010, 15 years after earning a Bachelor’s degree in English from Sonoma State University.

At the time I enrolled in Cuesta College, I was an editor for Lake County Publishing in northern California. In a weekly column, I frequently discussed support for my local library.

A small church lending library provided a hands-on learning laboratory to practice what I learned during my coursework. I am grateful to the Unitarian Universalist congregation of Lake County for giving me my first real librarian job, albeit in a volunteer capacity.

During these years I also volunteered at my local public library, shelving returns and pulling hold requests.

In March of this year I witnessed the Middletown branch library’s successful move to a new, larger facility. It offered fulfillment of what had been a dream for as long as we lived in Lake County.

In April my family left everything to pursue our own dream of several years’ standing: a move to Ashland, Oregon. I am making connections and beginning a new life that includes volunteering at Southern Oregon University’s Hannon Library.

My research experience includes contract work for an Ashland-based company that produces audiobook interfaces.

I am taking a class in advanced Internet search because I believe that more and more, people will need to fill a role that was served by professional editors; that is, we will have to evaluate information for credibility.

I view library service as a natural venue for imparting skills for information literacy. I expect that LIBT 213 will enhance my ability as an online researcher who, in turn, can hopefully share her expertise with others.

Other interests near to my heart remain the same as three years ago: namely zero tolerance for bullying.

I was bullied by my classmates at school and when, as an adult, I was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, I learned that being the victim of bullying is a common experience among people on the spectrum.

My public library was a vital and important resource for learning about my diagnosis. I envision someday curating a physical library collection that specializes in information for people on the autism spectrum.