This is a portfolio of artifacts demonstrating what I have learned at
Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management: SLIM
The goal of the SLIM Master of Library Science program is to prepare creative problem solvers who will provide proactive client-centered services in information agencies.
It has been my good fortune to be a member of the OR08 cohort. I am Chris HoffmanHill, I live on south Whidbey Island in Washington state and have worked for Sno-Isle Libraries for nine years.
The SLIM program requires group work and one or more presentations in virtually every class. The collaborative nature of the work has been challenging and invigorating. Because this cohort is diverse, respectful, collaborative, and engaged, my group experiences have all been good to great. The sheer number of required oral presentations has transformed speaking to groups into a comfortable, familiar experience.
Initially I chose to focus on rural public libraries, their challenges intensified by geographic distance and lack of economic prosperity. Researching rural libraries taught me the value of advocacy and relationship building for libraries. Their stories of successful community transformation inspire me.
It has been my good fortune to be a member of the OR08 cohort. I am Chris HoffmanHill, I live on south Whidbey Island in Washington state and have worked for Sno-Isle Libraries for nine years.
The SLIM program requires group work and one or more presentations in virtually every class. The collaborative nature of the work has been challenging and invigorating. Because this cohort is diverse, respectful, collaborative, and engaged, my group experiences have all been good to great. The sheer number of required oral presentations has transformed speaking to groups into a comfortable, familiar experience.
Initially I chose to focus on rural public libraries, their challenges intensified by geographic distance and lack of economic prosperity. Researching rural libraries taught me the value of advocacy and relationship building for libraries. Their stories of successful community transformation inspire me.
I intend to continue working in public libraries, focusing on the user experience and on building community connections through relationships. I believe libraries are essential to democracy. I also believe that libraries are about relationships, with users, with communities, with staff, with vendors. Building positive strategic relationships is essential to libraries’ success everyday. In the politics of an economic downturn and the pressure of constantly changing information resource delivery these relationships are critically important.
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