Journals of our Profession

Journal #1- Journal of Education for Library and Information Science

a. The intended audience seems to be students in the LIS program as well as those that are professors and faculty in the program.

b. The journal publishes research papers, some of which have won awards at conferences.  They are about topics such as collaboration in an academic context, barriers, challenges, or strengths of iSchool education, and the overall breadth and depth of the LIS program.

c. This journal is peer-reviewed.  This is important because the reader knows that this material has been already gone over by peers which gives the research more credentials.  For this journal in particular, there are a few articles that have been given awards at conferences by the authors peers so it is apparent that those articles in particular are well written and have important issues.

d.  I find this journal interesting because it gives me better insight into the actual program that I am a part of.  It talked about how others felt about different aspects of if the online program is or is not working, even research about how social networking sites are being used by the students in the LIS program to work together and connect.  Since I am just focusing on the classes themselves right now, it was interesting to see others' behind-the-scenes perspectives and thoughts about the overall program.

Journal #2- Library Trends

a. This journal can be for current librarians, students currently in the LIS program, and even in some cases, parents of those that frequently attend libraries or should start.

b. Library Trends posts articles about relevant new trends and events in libraries. One example  includes a Harry Potter event in an academic library which not only promotes "co-curricular involvement" but also the promotion of the library and staff (Broussard, 2013, pg. 815).  Several other articles were about the presence of games and gaming in libraries and how play with story time could encourage the development of critical comprehension, coping with stress, and better social skills. (Powell, 2013).

c.  Library Trends is not peer-reviewed.  This doesn't really seem like it would be a problem in the case of this journal because trends aren't something that exactly need to be researched.  Trends can be seen in plain sight and don't always need to be explained.  This journal just reports on what kinds of events and programs that seem to be working currently in libraries so that others in the profession or general public can be aware.  While there are research done in some of the articles, it seems like the overall purpose is just to inform and think about how trends change and what things are working or not working in libraries to draw people in.

d.  I find this journal interesting because libraries can come in so many different shapes and sizes.  An academic library is different from a medical library which is also different from a public library.  In these articles, one can see if there are common trends in these different libraries or those that are different.  Being from a smaller town, I'm not always aware of what libraries in big cities focus on to bring in adults and children alike so these articles give me a peek into what is popular in different sized libraries as well as how they decide to go about things like educating the public and encouraging them to read.

Broussard, Mary J. Snyder. (2013). "No Muggles in the Library Tonight! Harry Potter Night at an            Academic Library." Library Trends, 61(4), 814-824. doi: 10. 1353/lib.2013.0017

Powell, Annemarie. (2013). "Get in the Game: Encouraging Play and Game Creation to                       Develop New Literacies in the Library." Library Trends, 61(4), 836-848. doi: 10.                           1353/lib.2013.0011

Similarities and Differences

Both of these journals would be truly useful to anyone that is either in the LIS program, or who is already a librarian.  It is important for both of these groups to be aware of the current education and if and/or how things are evolving so that they can keep their own knowledge relevant to today's teachings and technology.  The same is true of the trends that can be found in actual libraries.  Librarians need to keep up with trends to keep people coming to their libraries and for them to stay involved.  Students also need to become aware of the trends so that they will be able to more smoothly transition into their desired position in a library.  If they aren't well versed on what kinds of books the young people are reading, or knowledgeable on the technology that helpful classes are being offered for, they aren't going to be able to contribute to the best of their ability.

The main difference in the journals seems to be the nature of the research and articles presented in both journals.  As mentioned above, the articles in the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science were peer-reviewed and several of them had even won awards at conferences which seemed to give them more credentials when it came to the research presented.  The information in the Library Trends journal, while still important, really just reflected on peoples thoughts in the profession on what was currently working and what wasn't.  I think that just says that there are various aspects to the LIS field and that whether you are looking for statistics and cold hard facts or just a collection of books that has been working well at a library, you will be able to find it.

Mid-Semester Check In

Before this semester, the only other blog I faithfully kept up with was a fitness one with two of my best friends. It was a blog purely for fun and keeping in touch with one another.  Blogging for this class has been a new experience for me because I have been writing purely about me; my professional opinions on the LIS profession, my dream job preference, and personal objectives for this class.  

Looking back through all of my posts, I realized that in almost every single one, I have mentioned my love for children's and young adult literature.  A couple weeks ago after getting through a significant chunk of the first half of this semester, I wondered if public libraries were really up to par with what I really wanted to spend the rest of my life doing in a library.  Finding that "dream job" dealing with children's and young adult literature as well as being in an academic library made me realize that the job possibilities in the LIS field are so numerous.  Throughout the course of this semester and even the different explorations I have gone through this this journal, I have learned so much more about libraries than I had ever known previously.  Although I really have never doubted my career choice since starting on the path, I am glad to find that these posts have really continued fueled my passion for this profession.


I am excited for the next half of the semester because of the upcoming discussions about banned book week, censorship, and my groups next Think Tank article.  Since I am interested in books for young people, I am also very aware that those are usually the most challenged in schools and even libraries.  Although I know that the parents/ people that challenge these books usually just want to "protect" children, most aren't giving those young people the credit they deserve when it comes to being able to handle those books.  In my next Think Tank article, a group of publishers posed naked, covered only by books, to protest a challenge made on a book for young people about naked bodies.  While I don't think I would ever be brave enough to make a bold statement like that, I can appreciate what they did in the name of speaking against censorship. 

Overall I really appreciate how these journal entries and our discussion posts get me thinking about issues such as professionalism, ethics, and even looking to see what kind of dream job I could find.  I look forward to continuing on with my journey and I hope to keep learning more about myself and my professional goals.