As I have mentioned before, my philosophy revolves around creating a library environment that prioritizes accessibility, visibility and inclusion for all. This includes BIPOC, disabled people and members of the queer community, all of whom are often left out when institutions consider building their collections and physical facilities. There have been many opportunities for me to explore these concepts throughout the course of my studies in this program; however, because I am a white person, I focused more on queer and disability representation in the library science field, as I have a more limited understanding of many BIPOC issues. All of this is to say that my studies in the library science field have not only given me more of an appreciation for how important issues of accessibility and inclusion are, but they have also given me the chance to actively think about ways to combat these issues in different library environments. Additionally, I have been able to understand and explore the seven Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) throughout my studies—to “create innovative responses to the needs and interests of diverse…communities; demonstrate leadership attributes for a variety of informational environments; interpret…basic and applied research…; access, synthesize, and evaluate information…; integrate evolving technologies and theories…; analyze current and historical trends to forecast future directions of the library and information field; [and to] create a plan for continuous professional development and lifelong learning” (Old Dominion University 2026)—and I believe that I have been able to apply them appropriately to the projects displayed in this portfolio.

 

I took a course in LGBTQ+ Issues in Public Libraries in the Summer of 2025. The project highlighted in this portfolio is a collection analysis—namely looking into how well the Lancaster Community Library represents the queer community through its collections. All seven SLO’s were expected to be touched on in this course, and were therefore touched on in this assignment. In creating an innovative response to people’s needs, I discussed issues surrounding the representation of queer identities through the Lancaster library’s main collections. I believe that I was able to hit upon leadership attributes in three ways: I analyzed the library’s physical collections to find weak spots in regards to visibility of certain sexualities and/or genders; I considered the impact of representation, or lack thereof on the greater community; and I opened up a discussion for collection development, with the goal of filling these gaps. I keyword-searched in the library’s OPAC to conduct the bulk of my research, thereby finding out how many pieces of media featured LGBTQ+ narratives, hitting on the fourth and fifth SLO’s, accessing information and integrating technologies for the benefit of the library field. The concept of LGBTQ+ visibility in library spaces has always been a point of contention, and so analyzing past and present trends was necessary for this project. And finally, as this paper was meant to start the discussion regarding collection development and making the Lancaster Community Library more of a welcoming space for queer readers, thereby creating a long-term plan for continual development.

 

In the course I took in the Summer of 2026, Reading, Evaluating, and Selecting Graphic Novels with Dr. Escobar, one of the major assignments was a collection development proposal, specifically for graphic novels geared towards a specific demographic. In particular, the Lancaster Community Library has an ever-growing young adult comics collection, but has a very limited selection of graphic novels strictly for adults. Additionally, I was expected to write up an annotated bibliography recommending a handful of graphic novel titles, providing a maximum 100-word summary of each title. I was able to hit upon SLO’s 1, 2, 6 and 7 in this project, and by extension this course. To respond to the needs of diverse communities, I was mindful to highlight adult-oriented graphic novels that include queer, disabled, and/or otherwise marginalized narratives. In demonstrating leadership attributes, I mentioned the benefits of expanding the adult graphic novel collection—which overlapped into the first SLO as well—while I also tried to consider the potential challenges that may come up when attempting to reorganize the collection, in addition to growing it. To help plan for long-term development, I put forward potential solutions for the hypothetical challenges that may arise from such a project, in addition to recommending newer and older titles of a wide array of genres—the latter of which also hits upon the sixth SLO, analyzing trends.

 

The final project I made for my Seminar in Archives and Special Collections focused on the issue of disability access in archival libraries, with the National Archives Museum being the main example. SLO’s 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were touched on in this project. In creating responses to diverse communities’ needs, I chose to break down the difficulties surrounding accessibility for disabled patrons; and I proposed solutions to said difficulties. I interpreted research by looking into how well (or how poorly) certain institutions accommodate visitors and patrons with disabilities, in accordance with ADA regulations. To access and evaluate information, I reflected back upon an assignment from a previous course I’d taken to gain more insight into the issue of accessibility, and I discussed what accommodations NAM had in place at the time of writing. I discussed evolving technologies by considering the benefits and shortcomings of website accessibility tools, such as screen readers and text-to-speech software. And, when taking into account the past and the present, I was sure to consider that certain disabilities appear differently in individuals.

 

This specific project, from my Knowledge Organization and Access course in Spring, 2025, has a special place in my heart. Through this project I was able to form a connection with my eventual internship supervisor, the director of the Northumberland Public Library. The course expected me to be able to understand and demonstrate four student learning objectives, which I believe I have been able to do in this ‘Show a Librarian’ assignment. By comparing and contrasting the library I was most familiar with—that being the Lancaster Community Library—with the library I was less familiar with—Northumberland—I believe that I was able to gain a better understanding of how to create responses to the community’s needs. I accessed information for to help assist others by looking into why Northumberland has certain policies in place, as well as getting myself familiar with the layout of the library’s online systems and the layout of its physical facility. I was given the opportunity to explore the library’s OPAC system, Atriuum, to gain an initial understanding of how the organization handles cataloging, touching upon the evolving technologies objective. And, by being able to speak to the library’s director to better understand the Northumberland library’s policies compared to the policies of my library, I feel that I was able to understand certain trends to gain an understand of what to do in the future.

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I took Management and Leadership in Library and Information Studies in the Spring of 2023. During that course, I worked on a project wherein I looked into the mission statement of the National Archives and Records Association based in Washington, D.C. From there, I wanted to examine how much that mission statement reflected how well the organization caters to visitors with disabilities. Six of the seven SLO’s were touched on in this course. By examining NARA’s mission statement and values regarding equity of access, I feel that I was able to meet the first and second student learning objective; additionally, taking into consideration how much of the population in D.C. is both under 65 years of age and deemed disabled may also fall under the SLO regarding the needs of diverse and global communities. Studying the census data for the D.C. area as well as other similar organizations’ attitudes towards accessibility may qualify as applying research as stated in the third SLO. I analyzed information to assist others by reviewing NARA’s mission statement and determining how well the institution carries out its mission. Discussing the importance of representation for disabled visitors of all ages may fall under the SLO of analyzing trends. And lastly, by suggesting ideas for regular exhibitions or displays that present prominent disabled figures in American history, I believe that I have demonstrated the objective to create a plan for continuous development.

 

Over the course of these past four and a half years, I’ve learned about a lot of aspects of library science that I had previously taken for granted for most of my life. Namely, I hadn’t thought about accessibility and representation in library environments as much in years before. Because libraries—public libraries in particular—have the reputation of being welcoming spaces for all, it is all the more important that staff and volunteers consider the needs of as many of their visitors as possible. It may not be feasible to accommodate every single person with every single physical and/or mental handicap in the world, but many organizations are content with meeting only the bare minimum requirements for accommodations as dictated by federal law. No matter what, there is always room for growth and improvement. I hope to be able to influence some of that growth in the future.