Reflection can be an illuminating experience. To gain the full benefit of experiences and learning, reflection is imperative. When “in the moment” it is extremely easy to become caught up paddling frantically trying to keep afloat. It is not until we have the affordances of later sitting back in buddhist style to reflect on the happenings, can the subject gain a better understanding of what just happened. Additionally, collaborative reflection is also beneficial.

I hope to gain out of this unit, a broader understanding of how school libraries slot into the information landscape. I expect that each library services their clients differently. Each would have similar considerations but emphasis would be on different elements. Primary school libraries, for instance, would have a large emphasis on learning to read but a library in a hospital that specialises in health and medicine would obviously be driven toward providing information on medical issues. “Clients” who would access that library would be more than proficient in literacy but may still have differing education and skills in certain areas. Each library works to service certain clients but do not necessarily work in exclusion to other libraries. For example, a school library and a public council library may have similar, if not, the same texts. Their target audiences cross over. Both are pitched for educating children to their ability level.

I have worked in both a council public library and a school library. There are similarities and differences in both places. I am looking forward to differences in policies and procedures but also in technologies used. In other school libraries, I am interested in hearing and seeing what happens in those libraries. I am looking forward to observing various other libraries such as the TAFE libraries, academic libraries, medical libraries and museums. The role of libraries, broadly is to serve their customers needs: educate, enrich and balance the socio-economic inequalities. Every person’s library’s needs in the library’s community should be catered to.

My professional goals at this point is simply to be a library educator who specialises in literacy and digital/technological improvements. I can envisage that by observing various ways procedures are practiced, I will be able to becomes more flexible and in a better place to make informed decisions about practices I will use in my school library (once I obtain a teacher librarian job).

I envisage (hope) I will be enabled to speak more flexibly with fellow information professionals. Likewise, my expectations are that professional connections will be gained and networks built for future opportunities.

An information agency is a place that specialises in knowledge and/or data. How information has been conveyed has evolved, the amount of information has exploded due to the internet and technology, accessibility has become more complex and digital literacy has developed as an issue. As a study visit in a previous year, I chose the Fiji Museum. What makes this an information agency is that it contains items and information about the past. Although, patrons cannot borrow items, it serves the need of customers by being a source of reputable knowledge and data that is catalogued. Fiji Museum’s objectives are: education, preservation and heritage management. It keeps safe the country’s cultural history for present and future generations. Services they offer are: cultural preservation;  venues, functions and exhibition space hire; virtual tours of the museum; and a reference library and archive.

Libraries provide opportunities. Many of them work equity and equality. They are about servicing their library users.

References

Fiji Museum, (2017), Fiji Museum, http://fijimuseum.org.fj/