My journey towards earning a Master’s of Science in Information Studies has been all but conventional. I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Texas College of Education in Applied Learning and Development. I earned my Early Childhood -6th grade teaching certification as well as an ESL certificate. As a students teacher, I completed my final semester of field work at the University of Texas Elementary charter school, where I was always inspired by the teachers and their commitment to bettering themselves through continuing education. After graduating, I received an offer from a newly established school in Austin. Half-way through my year as a first grade teacher, however, I received an offer to interview for a position that had come open at St. Austin Catholic School. Although my heart broke to leave the class that I had come to love, my first ever class of my own, I knew that I would never grow as a teacher if I was unsupported and in an environment that didn’t foster growth. I moved to St. Austin and taught kindergarten and the next year was moved the second grade.
Second grade was a completely different experience for me and I flourished there, I rediscovered my love for teaching children to read and I began to think about bettering myself through continuing my education. As a lifelong reader and advocate for literacy, librarianship seemed to be the perfect fit for me. When I registered for my first round of classes at the iSchool, I became fascinated and excited about the possibility of learning about fields that I was unfamiliar with. I took a number of electives that I found to be fulfilling and that expanded my understanding of the field of information. I was especially influenced by Historical Museums, Materials in Libraries, Archives and Museums, Management of Information Organizations, Database Management, Storytelling (through the WISE Consortium), Access and Reference in Libraries and Archives, Resources for Young Adults (through the WISE consortium) and a particularly fascinating individual study about teen library use. My final two semesters took an unexpected turn, however, when my husband was relocated to Midland, TX. I was dismayed to discover that I would be unable to earn a Standard School Librarian Certificate from my new home in Midland but encouraged when I finalized my plans for a capstone project working with Marion Rocco on converting her in-person Children’s Literature course to an online synchronous course. I plan to graduate this semester with full confidence in my ability to serve children as a librarian in a public library and hope to one day find a space where I can earn a school librarian certificate and return to the classroom as a teacher-librarian.
Audrey Sirgo 