My journey to a degree in Library Science has not been a direct route. I began my career as a nurse, then continuing on to obtain a Master of Science in Nursing Degree, spending the next 25 years as a Nurse Practitioner. I left my career to care for my son with special needs.  During this time, I discovered I was disenfranchised with the nursing profession and wanted a career change. As I spent time in the library with my son, and saw all the wonderful skills of the librarians, I felt a pull to change my career to library science. This lead me to the University of South Florida's Master of Library Science and Information program. 

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As I began my studies, I became more fascinated by the various skill sets of librarians. The core courses within the program have provided me a solid foundation of the Librarian profession. It was during one of these core courses, Organization of Knowledge, I found a particular interest in preservation and organization of all types of information. Electives such as Cultural Heritage and Information Literacy, have helped to further pinpoint my area of special interest. My goal is to work in a cultural heritage center, preserving information for future generations, and providing accurate information to disseminate to patrons.  Applying my personal experience with special needs, I would like to develop programs to educate special needs patrons, particularly those with neurodiversity, on the importance of our cultural heritage. 

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The artifacts I present in this portfolio will help to demonstrate my knowledge, leadership, innovation, system approach, and theory of library science as I have developed through my education at USF. Through this education, I have been inducted in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Although I have not previously worked in a library or cultural heritage center, the skills I have obtained within this MLIS program have prepared me in my career change from nurse to library and information professional.  

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     Curriculum vitae

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