Statement of Philosophy

     Through research and introspection I have discovered the field of library and information science is the perfect synthesis of everything I enjoy doing professionally with the subject matter for which I am passionate. My academic, professional and extracurricular focus has always included technology and media, but I lacked a conduit to bring it all together. I found the SJSU MLIS archival studies path an excellent foundation to ready me for my chosen field.

     I strive to be an asset to my community by volunteering when possible. These projects give me experience I might not obtain in the classroom. Different perspectives on the field and learning from the experience of others affords a wonderful reward. During my first semester in the program, I became a Member-At-Large for Library Information Science Students to Encourage Networking (LISSTEN). I volunteered for every LISSTEN event I could during the 2006-2007 year. The next year, I became Secretary of LISSTEN; a position I currently hold. LISSTEN helped me in forming a strong social network with my peers and library profession community.

     In an effort to follow my fervor to champion intellectual freedom, I chaired LISSTEN’s 4th and 5th Annual Banned Books Week Read-a-Thon events. Banned Books Week is an important event for me as I want to bring awareness of the ALA Code of Ethics  tenant of intellectual freedom to the public. Further volunteer work was done in other areas of library science in order to round my skill sets. I have volunteered at the Placentia library to explore what the public library environment holds. I also volunteered at the Tustin Area Museum where I researched a grant proposal so that they might digitize a collection of photos for web access. This helped me to contribute to the economical well-being of the community.

     I acquired additional hands-on work experience though my internship at UCI’s Visual Resource Collection (VRC). This internship has given me valuable knowledge that supplements my SJSU coursework. I have garnered experience in image data content guidelines, metadata standards, workflow of digitizing analog images and cataloging. By working at the VRC, I observed the inner workings of a special library environment. 

     My chosen path in the library profession is in archives, including access via digitization and other emerging technologies. The archivist plays an all-important role in constructing the collective memory of society. Points in history left out, unintentionally or not, can forever change our view on whom we are and where we came from. Archival theory has undergone a paradigm shift to better represent moments, individuals and groups who have been underrepresented or plainly omitted from society’s memory. Decisions on archival materials fell too long in the hands of statist methodologies. I believe that archives should reflect the whole of society and not the legacy of the elite few. Not only are archives crucial for society to know where it came from, but also for saving future generations. Documenting for the future can be as vital as preserving the past.

     Gaps in history and skewed slants of the past have already been imprinted on our social memory. Past archival theories, government tampering and dismissal of certain demographics have led to a selective memory in our collected memory. Archivists today must provide present and future generations an all-inclusive look to their past as well as sustain communication for the future. As an aspiring archivist, I continue to take cues from ever changing archival theory while forever being cognizant of the importance of these records as our prologue to the future.