Fifth Day - IST 511/Course Reflections

The last morning of class, we learned about the S.U. Writing Center and the services they provide to assist students with their writing assignments. This service can be utilized via email or instant messenger which is a great help to distance students. Dr. Nicholson also lectured on the importance of professional communication. As much as this may seem like common sense, it's important to always communicate in a professional manner in all forms of communication, whether it might be an instant message, an email, or a formal presentation.

The afternoon was the group poster presentations in Bird Library. This was the first time that I had participated in a poster session. My group's topic was the issue of restricting or not restricting access to library materials in a public school library. We researched both sides of the conundrum, cited facts for each side of the issue, and created a visual display board. We also prepared a pamphlet for people to take away from the session that provided an overview of our topic and a reference list for more information. As Dr. Nicholson mentioned earlier in the week, "a poster session is kind of like a science fair for adults."

Despite the fatiguing week, there was a plethora of information presented in this introductory class that is still rattling around in my brain as I continue to process it, think more closely about it, and realize how I will be able to utilize this information, not only in future classes, but in the years to come as I will try to represent myself well in my role as a professional librarian. I was able to realize my weak points and understand that I will have to strive to improve on them.