Goal II.a
Students identify and analyze diverse information needs of individuals and communities.
Artifact 1: Exploring Access in Library and Information Science
Artifact Overview:
This artifact explores the history of access in American library and information science, with attention to how different communities have created, maintained, restricted, and expanded access to knowledge. The presentation begins before colonial institutions by discussing Indigenous repositories of knowledge, including Ojibwe birch bark scrolls and Haudenosaunee wampum belts, before moving into private libraries, college and university libraries, church and parish libraries, public libraries, and special libraries. The project concludes by reflecting on three major themes across library history: access, funding, and changing service trends.
I selected this artifact for Outcome II.a because it demonstrates my ability to examine how information needs vary across communities, institutions, and historical contexts. Rather than treating libraries as neutral spaces that simply “exist,” this project considers who had access, who was excluded, what kinds of knowledge were recognized, and how public access became a defining value in modern librarianship. It also connects historical patterns to present-day library services, including digital resources, community support, workshops, and other expanded roles.
Artifact 2 - School Librarian Interview
Artifact Overview
For this assignment, I interviewed a practicing school library media specialist about the realities of providing reference and information services in an elementary school. The interview explored reference interviews, instructional support, digital resources, information literacy, collaboration with teachers, and strategies for meeting the diverse needs of students. I then analyzed the interview by connecting the librarian’s experiences to concepts introduced throughout the course and reflecting on how those insights would inform my own transition into school librarianship.
This artifact aligns with Goal II.a because it demonstrates an understanding of how information professionals assess user needs and connect individuals with appropriate resources and services. The assignment also emphasizes the importance of relationship building, instructional support, and information literacy, illustrating that effective reference work extends beyond answering questions to empowering users to become confident, independent information seekers.
Project Note: To protect the privacy of the interview participant and their school, identifying information has been redacted from this version of the assignment. The content, analysis, and reflections remain unchanged from the original submission.
Artifact 3: Media Center Observation
Course: LIS 6409 - Introduction to Library Administration
Artifact Overview
This assignment evaluated the physical and digital environments of the Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School Media Center during the district’s Summer Learning Program. Through direct observation, I examined the layout, accessibility, technology, collections, service points, furniture, signage, instructional areas, staff support, marketing, and online library presence. The evaluation considered how effectively the media center served different groups, including students of varying ages, teachers, staff, and families, while identifying opportunities to make the space and its services more welcoming, navigable, and useful.
I selected this artifact for Outcome II.a because it demonstrates my ability to examine an information environment through the needs of the different communities it serves. Rather than evaluating the media center solely as a physical space, I considered how design, communication, technology, collections, and digital resources shape users’ ability to find information and make use of library services. The assignment also required me to identify groups whose needs might not be fully addressed by the existing environment and recommend changes that could improve access and engagement.
Artifact 4: Collection Development Plan
Course: LIS 6455 - Organization & Administration of the School Media Center
Artifact Overview
This collection development plan provides a comprehensive analysis of the Kenly Elementary School Media Center collection and establishes priorities for its continued development. The plan connects school enrollment, student demographics, instructional priorities, and media center programming with detailed collection data, including collection size, items per student, average publication year, fiction and nonfiction holdings, Lexile ranges, digital resources, and collection age by subject area. It also examines representation and student wellbeing resources and compares current collection data with historical information to identify changes over time.
The analysis informed specific purchasing and weeding priorities for the next two school years. Immediate priorities include strengthening Native American histories and stories and updating science, mathematics, social studies, and technology materials, while weeding focuses on outdated or duplicative materials. Future priorities include updating STEAM resources, biographies that better reflect the student population, and completion of incomplete graphic novel series. By connecting collection data with the needs of the school community and a realistic annual budget, the plan demonstrates a systematic approach to maintaining a current, relevant, and useful elementary school library collection.
Project Note: The original course assignment was completed collaboratively using the same district collection development planning format. For this portfolio, I have chosen to present the completed 2026–2027 plan for my own media center instead. This preserves the purpose and structure of the assignment while avoiding the extensive redaction that would have been necessary to publish the collaborative project.
Artifact 5: Reading Project
Course: LIS 6564 - Organization & Administration of the School Media Center
Artifact Overview
This materials selection project was completed for LIS 6564 and was divided by the professor into two major sections: Picture Books, Poetry Books, and Multimedia and Transitional and Upper Elementary Books. Across both sections, I evaluated and curated materials for elementary-age readers using criteria that included age range, literary and informational quality, developmental appropriateness, potential instructional or recreational use, and reader appeal. Each selected resource includes bibliographic information along with an evaluation of how and why the material could be used with young readers.
I selected this artifact for Outcome II.a because effective youth services depend on understanding that children are not a single, uniform audience. Their information and reading needs change significantly according to age, reading development, interests, purpose, and individual preference. This project required me to consider those differences when evaluating materials, from picture books and multimedia resources intended for younger learners to transitional and upper-elementary titles for students developing greater reading independence. The project demonstrates my ability to evaluate resources according to the needs of particular user groups and to build collections that provide meaningful opportunities for learning, exploration, and recreational reading.
Project Note: This was one extended course project that the professor divided into two sections. For the portfolio, I have preserved that structure by presenting the project as one artifact with two linked webpages: Picture Books, Poetry Books, and Multimedia and Transitional and Upper Elementary Books.
Picture Books, Poetry Books, and Multimedia
A curated collection of picture books, poetry, and multimedia resources selected for elementary learners. Each entry includes bibliographic information, age range, evaluation, suggested usage, and notes on reader appeal.
Transitional and Upper Elementary Books
A curated collection of transitional and upper elementary titles selected for developing and independent readers. Each entry evaluates the work’s quality, age appropriateness, instructional or recreational use, and potential appeal to young readers.
Artifact 6: Book Evaluations
Course: LIS 5566 - Multicultural Literature
Artifact Overview
This series of book evaluations was completed for LIS 5566, Multicultural Literature, and examines works representing a range of cultural identities, communities, and lived experiences. The evaluations are organized into sections focused on Native American, African and African American, Asian and Asian American, Oceanian, and LGBTQ+ literature. Each review moves beyond plot summary to consider cultural representation, literary quality, audience, reader appeal, and the potential value of the work within a school library collection.
I selected this artifact for Outcome II.a because evaluating literature for a diverse patron population requires an understanding that readers within any community have different experiences, interests, identities, and informational needs. These evaluations required me to consider not only whether a work represents a particular community, but how that representation might be received by different readers and what role the book could play within a broader collection. In several evaluations, I also reflected on the distinction between simply providing representation and building a collection that offers readers a range of experiences, including stories of challenge, belonging, joy, identity, and possibility. The project strengthened my ability to evaluate materials through both literary and user-centered perspectives and to consider how thoughtful collection development can better serve the varied needs of young readers.
Project Note: These evaluations were designed as individual webpages rather than as a single traditional document. For the portfolio, the artifact links to the Book Evaluations landing page, which provides access to each of the individual reviews.
A series of critical book evaluations examining literature representing different cultures, identities, and lived experiences. Each review considers literary quality, cultural representation, audience, and potential use within a school library collection.
