Reflective+Essay




 * 794: Internship in Library and Information Science **

(46 KB)

**SCHOLAR COMMONS REFLECTION** With only just starting my studies and having no previous experience working within an information center, I knew that that it would be beneficial for me to start gaining experience as soon as possible. Working with Chris Hare, Andrew Harris and the other three interns in Scholar Commons has given me valuable insight into the workings of an institutional repository. I learned the particulars of metadata with its spoken and unspoken rules and the delicacies that are publisher's copyright. I also was able to research and give a report on standard file formats used within repositories and, last but not least, made connections with my fellow colleagues.

When I first began my internship with Scholar Commons, I was wary that I would be behind my fellow, and more seasoned, colleagues. But the Scholar Commons environment proved to be one that was able to nurture all of us. For me, it gave me an opportunity to use the term metadata on a daily basis, something that I have never done before. In speaking the term, I was able to become more familiar with it and learn its intricacies. I have always considered myself very detailed oriented, but I learned a whole new level in dealing with metadata for Scholar Commons. I found myself asking at the beginning, “Why does it matter whether or not I include this author’s middle initial or the full middle name?” It didn’t take me long to realize that //consistency// and //standards// are of the utmost importance within an information center. Of course, this was something that I was already aware of, but I did not realize to what degree it was important. My inputting of metadata consistently now will have an impact on the information that future patrons find and use.

In making available scholarly articles for patrons of the future, I have come to realize the strictness of copyright policy for institutional repositories. Although, as a lover and giver of information, it is sometimes hard to fully understand those restrictions, especially in reference to scholarly use. During my two months at Scholar Commons, I was able to make it through seven faculty curriculum vitaes, each averaging around fifty publications. Out of those, I was able to find one publisher, InterResearch, that allowed for the posting of a publisher's PDF (the preferred format for articles within Scholar Commons). There were also a few other publishers who had “tricky statements” (as I called them in my own “notes to self”) that did allow posting of the publisher's PDF with strict copyright statements o accompany the uploaded PDF. I have had to learn much patience in regards to publisher's guidelines, restrictions, and statements. For Scholar Commons, the site SHERPA/RoMEO is used to look up policies as it is an extensive source of copyright information. And while this site is an invaluable tool, I have learned that it is always of the utmost importance to double check the publisher's website for confirmation of their copyright policy.

Knowing that I would deal primarily with copyright and scholarly articles with this internship, I was concerned about how I could combine this opportunity with my own background and interests. Luckily, Chris Hare had an excellent idea for me to do for my final internship presentation – a report on standard digital formats. Because the Scholar Commons team is so small, Chris has been looking into an opportunity to expand the repository by adding other media. My report is one of introduction but it has helped to refresh my memory of past studies and encouraged me to reach out to my more established colleagues, Dr. Mark Cooper from the Moving Image Research Collections, Nick Homenda from USC's Music Library and Kate Boyd from USC's Digital Collections, specifically. I have included my report in the navigation bar to the left as it was a vital part of my learning experience. Because the terminology is technical, I found that providing blocks of information to be the most beneficial way to put forth my findings on standard formats.

My internship at Scholar Commons has given me more confidence as a new library and information science student. It has helped to teach me patience and the willingness to decipher jargon ladened copyright policies in order to provide access to present and future patrons. I am thankful that the internship has also allowed me to be able to use my own background to help expand its endeavors. Because I have had such a positive experience with Chris and my fellow interns, I have chosen to continue my work through the Fall semester with Scholar Commons. I am confident that my education, this continued internship and my work at the Moving Image Research Collections will best prepare me for what is to come.