[nabs-l] Grad School Essay

[Beth]

There's=20one=20small=20edit=20you=20could=20make=20in=20your=20essay.=20=20=
Take=20the=20
sentence=20where=20you=20said=20that=20document=20delivery=20services=20are=
=20also=20
available=20to=20patrons/physicians=20etc=20etc.=20=20You=20could=20have=20=
put=20that=20
sentence=20and=20the=20previous=20sentence=20together=20somehow.=20=20Other=
=20than=20
that,=20no=20grammar=20errors.=20=20Youdid=20a=20great=20job=20on=20this=20=
essay=20and=20I=20
wish=20you=20good=20luck=20in=20getting=20in=20to=20your=20grad=20school=20=
thingy.
Beth

=20-----=20Original=20Message=20-----
From:=20Deb=20Mendelsohn=20<deb.mendelsohn at gmail.com
To:=20National=20Association=20of=20Blind=20Students=20mailing=20list=20
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date=20sent:=20Mon,=2016=20Jul=202012=2019:24:43=20-0700
Subject:=20[nabs-l]=20Grad=20School=20Essay

Hi=20all,
Stephanie=20suggested=20I=20have=20others=20read=20it.
So=20here=20it=20is:
750-1000=20words=20why=20I=20want=20MLs=20degree=20from=20University=20of=20=
AZ=20and=20
what=20I=20think
is=20the=20future=20of=20Librarianship.
Thank=20you!
Deb

In=20today's=20fast-paced=20world,=20access=20to=20information=20and=20tech=
nology=20
is
critical.=20To=20apply=20and=20understand=20our=20current=20complex=20array=
=20of=20
information,
it=20must=20be=20organized,=20accessible,=20and=20presented=20in=20an=20int=
elligent=20
manner.
Furthermore,=20contemporary=20organizations=20have=20intellectual=20
property,=20which
the=20user=20must=20be=20able=20to=20choose=20which=20available=20format=20=
serve=20
their=20needs.
My=20previous=20work=20and=20educational=20experience=20have=20crystallized=
=20my=20
desire=20to
become=20a=20library=20scientist.


My=20initial=20experience=20in=20the=20field=20of=20library=20science=20beg=
an=20in=20
junior=20high
school.=20I=20checked=20out=20books=20to=20both=20students=20and=20staff.=20=
I=20was=20
amazed=20at=20the
sheer=20number=20of=20books,=20yet=20they=20were=20all=20organized=20and=20=
easy=20to=20
find.=20As=20a
student=20at=20Northeastern=20Illinois=20University,=20I=20worked=20as=20a=
=20
student=20aid=20and
assisted=20in=20the=20library=20reserve,=20interlibrary=20loan,=20and=20
circulation
services.=20Specifically,=20I=20searched=20the=20shelves=20for=20the=20mate=
rial
requisitioned=20by=20the=20requesting=20library=20and=20packed=20the=20book=
s=20for
Inter-library=20loan=20delivery.=20I=20also=20checked=20in=20returned=20mat=
erial=20
shipped
via=20interlibrary=20loan.=20While=20working=20at=20the=20circulation=20des=
k,=20I=20
realized
that=20circulation=20desk=20clerks=20are=20on=20the=20front=20lines=20of=20=
library=20
customer
service,=20servicing=20the=20patrons,=20checking=20in=20materials,=20and=20=

collecting
fines.=20Fortifying=20Patron=20relationships=20at=20the=20circulation=20des=
k,=20
where=20a
happy=20patron=20is=20a=20returning=20patron.=20Through=20my=20work=20exper=
ience=20in=20
college,
I=20realized=20that=20I=20wanted=20to=20become=20a=20librarian=20because=20=
I=20was=20so=20
attracted
to=20the=20challenge=20of=20organizing=20information=20to=20make=20it=20acc=
essible=20
to=20the=20end
user.


After=20graduating=20from=20Northeastern=20Illinois=20University=20with=20m=
y=20
B.A.=20in
Liberal=20Arts,=20I=20began=20my=20five-year=20career=20with=20the=20Americ=
an=20
Medical
Association=20(AMA)=20as=20a=20project=20assistant=20in=20the=20Office=20of=
=20the=20
General
Counsel=92s=20Information=20Center.=20As=20a=20project=20assistant,=20I=20c=
reated=20a=20
filing
system,=20or=20file=20bank,=20from=20a=20controlled=20vocabulary=20using=20=
the=20AMA=20
news
publication.=20After=20analyzing=20the=20printed=20articles,=20reports,=20a=
nd=20
other
materials=20to=20determine=20their=20subject=20matter,=20I=20added=20subjec=
t=20
headings=20as
necessary.=20Each=20attorney=20had=20his=20or=20her=20own=20specialty,=20wh=
ich=20
required=20a
separate=20file=20bank.=20Attorneys=20from=20the=20Health=20Law=20and=20Cor=
porate=20
Law
Divisions=20utilized=20the=20materials=20that=20I=20assisted=20in=20compili=
ng.


The=20Vice=20President=20of=20the=20Health-Law=20Division=20promoted=20me=20=
to=20
Research
Assistant=20in=201997=20within=20the=20department.=20My=20responsibilities=
=20
included
reference=20and=20research=20requests=20from=20member=20physicians=20and=20=

association
staff.=20Document=20delivery=20services=20were=20also=20available=20to=20st=
aff=20
and=20members.
In=20addition=20to=20these=20duties,=20I=20managed=20the=20daily=20activiti=
es=20of=20
the=20library,
including=20ordering=20materials,=20was=20responsible=20a=20yearly=20budget=
=20of=20
$25,000,
labeling,=20shelving,=20routing=20materials=20to=20attorneys,=20as=20well=20=
as=20
other
projects=20as=20assigned.=20One=20of=20my=20other=20projects=20was=20scanni=
ng=20amici=20
briefs,
Latin=20term=20meaning,=20=93friend=20of=20the=20court=94=20making=20them=20=
website=20
accessible.
These=20briefs=20were=20only=20available=20to=20AMA=20staff.=20Since=20=20t=
he=20
association
served=20member=20physicians,=20this=20was=20not=20a=20particularly=20
user-friendly=20system.
This=20led=20me=20to=20realize=20that=20information=20is=20useless=20unless=
=20made=20
available=20to
the=20people=20who=20need=20it=20in=20a=20comprehensible=20format.=20Print=
=20format=20
is=20only=20a
small=20part=20of=20presenting=20information.=20Podcast,=20websites,=20and=
=20
audio=20files
are=20a=20few=20examples=20of=20the=20modalities=20that=20require=20profess=
ional
organization.


Presently,=20I=20am=20interning=20at=20SAAVI=20(Southern=20Arizona=20Associ=
ation=20
for=20the
Visually=20Impaired).=20I=20am=20involved=20in=20organizing=20the=20SAAVI=92=
s=20audio=20
books,
which=20number=20over=201,500,=20into=20a=20system=20that=20is=20accessible=
=20to=20
blind=20and
low-vision=20users.=20This=20project=20consists=20of=20sorting=20the=20audi=
o=20
books=20into
different=20media=20formats,=20such=20as=20compact=20disc=20(CD)=20or=20cas=
sette,=20
braille,
and=20large-print=20labels.=20Then,=20I=20catalog=20them=20in=20braille,=20=
large=20
print,=20and
electronic=20format.=20An=20Access=20Database=20will=20serve=20as=20the=20c=
atalog=20
available
to=20both=20clients=20and=20staff.=20The=20library=20at=20Saavi,=20will=20h=
ouse=20the=20
audio=20books
with=20both=20braille=20and=20large-print=20signage.=20By=20organizing,=20t=
he=20
collection=20by
genre=20and=20alphabetically=20by=20the=20author=20will=20make=20the=20coll=
ection=20
user
friendly=20to=20everyone.


I=20find=20my=20work=20at=20SAAVI=20to=20be=20an=20fascinating=20project=20=
because=20
blind=20and
low-vision=20users=20are=20part=20of=20a=20community,=20which=20has=20uniqu=
e=20needs.
Information=20needs=20to=20be=20accessible,=20in=20not=20only=20braille=20a=
nd=20large=20
print,
but=20also=20in=20electronic=20format.=20Interestingly,=20many=20visually=20=

challenged
persons=20utilize=20screen=20readers=20to=20access=20this=20material.=20Scr=
een=20
readers=20pose
specific=20challenges=20for=20conveying=20information=20to=20the=20blind=20=
and=20
low=20vision
user,=20one=20of=20which=20is=20interpreting=20the=20images=20on=20the=20au=
dio=20book=20
cover.=20Most
screen=20readers=20do=20not=20read=20pictures,=20graphs=20or=20charts.=20Bl=
ind=20
users=20often
denied=20access=20to=20these=20data.=20=20As=20a=20librarian=20with=20my=20=
MLS=20degree,=20
I=20would
like=20to=20work=20in=20the=20academic=20world,=20organizing=20information=
=20to=20
ensure
accessibility=20to=20special-interest=20groups,=20such=20as=20the=20blind.=
=20In=20
view=20of=20the
many=20limitations=20of=20technology,=20it=20is=20crucial=20that=20we=20mak=
e=20these=20
data
available=20in=20additional=20formats.=20=20=20Without=20awareness=20to=20t=
hese=20
special
needs,=20we=20neglecting=20to=20communicate=20critical=20information=20to=20=
many=20
unique
needs
groups.





--=20**
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