While overwhelming at times, I found the MLS program  from Kutztown to be informative and helpful in my career. There were many situations where I was able to incorporate assignments within the program into my daily activities and lessons in the Twin Valley High School Library.  

I learned about the processes of cataloging and the history of libraries.  Before these classes, I was doing fine with the MARC Records that had been sent over from my subscription company. However, now that I understood them and was able to read and write MARC Records, I began to appreciate them.  Methods of Research taught me about conducting formal research and gave me the inspiration to survey the high school teachers of Twin Valley. I had never performed formal research before this class, but learning the ins and outs of collecting and analyzing data is relevant and helpful to our district right now.

The MLS program helped me meet many of the goals I set for myself in regards to the library.  Many of the articles that we read or websites that we explored related directly to a goal that I had set for the library- specifically about the makerspace areas.

My final class, LLT574 unpacked and explored the new American Association of School Library’s Standards.  The timing for this class worked out perfectly with my profession because we are re-writing the Twin Valley K-12 library curriculum this year.  I have applied much of what I learned about the standards and information literacy into my new curriculum, and I appreciated being knowledgeable about it while going full-force into curriculum writing.

This program has made me a better librarian, and has inspired me to continue my education and professional development to further enhance the library for the Twin Valley Students. I can appreciate library advocacy, and I will continue to do my part in fighting for library media centers and fully-staffed libraries.  I appreciate all that Kutztown and the professors in the MLS program have done for me during my five years here and the tools that I will take with me for years to come. Thank you for reviewing my portfolio.