ODU MLIS Portfolio
Resources
Professional Organizations
The main objectives of the Freedom to Read Foundation are to provide grants for individuals and groups to assist them with litigation expenses related to censorship, engage in direct litigation about censorship, and educate people about the importance of libraries. One of the main reasons I wanted to switch careers and become a librarian is because of the increase in banned books. This organization is on the frontlines of legal battles protecting librarians.
Freedom to Read Foundation. (2023). [Logo]. https://www.ftrf.org/.
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The Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services' mission is "to support and encourage library staff and leadership to provide quality bookmobile and outreach services to meet diverse community needs" (ABOS, 2020). Student memberships are available for $20, and they offer an annual conference as well as scholarships and awards. I selected this organization because Calvert Library (MD) began as a bookmobile in 1952. My dream job is to work for Calvert Library, specifically on the bookmobile.
References
Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services. (2023). [Logo]. https://abos-outreach.com/.
Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services. (n.d.). Mission, Purpose, & Policies. Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services. https://abos-outreach.com/mission-and-purpose.
Calvert Library History. Calvert Library. (2020, January 27). https://calvertlibrary.info/calvert-library-history/.
National Organization
The Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association, represents 10,000 public librarians offering virtual and in-person educational programs. They also run a leadership academy and produce materials for the “Every Child Ready to Read” initiative. As working in a public library is my professional goal, the PLA seems to be a great source of continuing education.
Public Library Association. (2023). [Logo].https://www.ala.org/pla/.
The Maryland Library Association is celebrating 100 years of service, providing leadership and educational programs to Maryland’s libraries. This was the first organization I joined in order to access their list serve to read about realistic opportunities and challenges of librarians. They also host an annual conference and have very active committees on various topics, including advocacy, which I am strongly interested in.
Maryland Library Association. (2023). [Logo]. https://www.mdlib.org/.
Blog
Seattle Public Library has an entertaining and educational blog with book reviews, monthly fiction and non-fiction recommendations, author information, and other library news. Their sense of humor caught my eye, and their description of books made me add too many books to my Goodreads list. Their monthly lists seem to be an excellent source for a curated list to promote if I am working at a library in the future.
Seattle Public Library Shelf Talk Blog. (2023). [Logo]. https://www.mdlib.org/.
Social Media
The Milwaukee Public Library sets the bar high for its creative, entertaining, and educational Instagram account. Their staff engages in the posts using social media trends, viral song trends, and unique storytelling. While I follow many public libraries on Instagram, the Milwaukee Public Library is the one I look forward to seeing, and I usually end up watching their videos more than once. They have mastered marketing a library to different audiences. Follow them @milwaukeepubliclibrary.
Tippett, A. (2023). Screenshot of Milwaukee Public Library Instagram Page on April 5, 2023. [photograph]. CC-BY-NC.
Scholarly Publications
The Public Library Quarterly is a peer-reviewed journal written by library professionals on administrative best practices, current events affecting libraries, and industry-themed book reviews. While I do not aim to be on the administrative side of working for a library, I think it’s essential to maintain professional knowledge after graduation. This journal may be one way to accomplish this.
Tippett, A. (2023). Screenshot of Public Library Quarterly journal. [photograph]. CC-BY-NC.
The Journal of Intellectual Freedom & Privacy is a peer-reviewed journal produced by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, part of the American Library Association. Each current issue includes some open-access articles and some subscription-only articles. Many of the archived issues are completely open access. My interest in book censorship has been piqued even more after reviewing some of their articles, and I look forward to reading more from this journal.
Tippett, A. (2023). Screenshot of Intellectual Freedom & Privacy journal. [photograph]. CC-BY-NC.