I wasn't going to make a retrospective post, but Jill really convinced me it is an important thing to do to unwind after the semester. So, here goes...
It's hard to imagine just four months ago I was driving across the country, trying to escape the Memphis heat and humidity. It had reached 108 degrees, and felt immensely worse than the 120 degree summer days I've experienced in Los Angeles. This past week, I've experienced almost 4 feet of snow in as many days. Quite the contrast, and a lot of stuff happened in between.
I suppose this is the place where I tell you what I've learned. I think the most important thing for the process that happened is that all my preconceptions of this profession have been shattered. This is a good thing. After initially being fascinated with metadata and digital libraries, I flirted with cultural preservation, and now I want to get involved with gaming in libraries. Prof. Lankes really hit home last night when he told us this profession will just amplify everything we've been been passionate about and interested in. That man deserved his full professorship and then some. I hope I stay in touch with him: his passion is infectious and I think he feels the same way about my class.
I can't forget Prof. Qin. What initially seemed like my hardest and most boring class turned out to be the most practical and the one I most enjoyed this semester. That class made me feel like I can really start to push myself in learning the technical aspects of the profession.
Yea, I could rattle off all the schemas, theories, and facts I learned this semester, but what I really come away with is the strong relationships I feel to my classmates and professors. What I want to work on next is more involvement in ALA and other organizations, and to volunteer more at Bird Library in some capacity. The other stuff is important, but I'll tell you all about it next year!
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