In anticipation of graduating with my Masters in Library and Information Science, I have been looking at various job boards in search for future employment. I have noticed that a few qualifications are consistently required in the majority of job descriptions I have come across. One such reoccurring qualification is expressed along these lines, “Applicant must possess excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills to work effectively with culturally diverse library users and colleagues.” But of course an applicant should possess these skills, especially in a service industry where you must interact with customers and colleagues. The fact that employers must purposely place this qualification in their job announcements shows a disturbing trend. Many professionals lack the oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations.

Libraries and information professions can ill afford to hire people who do not possess oral and written communication skills. Information must be shared and communicated effectively. It should be conveyed clearly, in a way that any biases are apparent, so that the recipient of the information will be able to form their own opinion on the content. When information is presented, whether in oral or written form, it must be expressed in a manner and level appropriate for the target audience.

It is the practice of most libraries and information centers to work as departments, committees and groups. This promotes a feeling of teamwork and helps in the creation of policies and procedures. Working in this type of condition allows for collaboration of ideas and consideration of opinions that would be absent if an individual was completing the work alone. It is in these types of situations that you must be able to communicate with your departments, committees and group in various methods. It is assumed that you are able to talk while in a face to face meeting, but there are times when you need do conference calls, and you need to be able to communicate effectively then as well. When speaking on the phone, you lose the ability to use body language, but you still have the ability to hear inflection in the voice. When communicating via email or chat sessions, you must be able to read what is written and understand without other cues. It may very well be that this form of communication that makes oral communication so much more rewarding than written. Written communication, though, is very important. You must be able to communicate your ideas in a way that they cannot be interpreted incorrectly. This is essential for libraries to communicate rules, policies and procedures to the public and to staff. If you are unable to do so, you must accept responsibility for any errors your group perpetrates due to your lack of communication.

My first experience working in a group project in the library profession came in my Information Retrieval course, LIBR 202, with Dr. Geoffrey Liu. In this group, we designed and created a database of breakfast cereals. As a group, we divided up responsibilities to develop a collection of entries for our database, create a set of standards, establish a structure for our database, create a list of queries that might be used against our database and compile the actual database with records. For many members in our group, this was their first time designing and creating a database. Before I started library school, I learned how to design and create databases. Because of my experience, I was asked by the group to create the database structure and enter the records. Other members of my group helped design the rules and standards for the creation of the database and come up with the kinds of queries users might use.

Because our group was so large, I felt like I did not get to fully be part of the process of planning the database. I expressed my concern with two others in my group, and they helped me to gain an understanding of the rules and queries that would be used with our database project. In return, I walked them through the process of adding records into the database, which filled in gaps in their knowledge. Going through this experience helped us form a professional relationship and eventual friendship where we have supported each other through library school.

Toward the end of this database project we were required to exchange our database project with another group of students in the class. They conducted an evaluation of the database design with the rules and standards we had come up with, giving us feedback and suggestions so that we might revise and redesign as needed. We evaluated the other group’s database project using the criteria they provided us. We were meticulous in applying their standards to their database, recording any flaws or discrepancies that surfaced during our evaluation. The members of our group that possess the technical knowledge provided suggestions for how to fix some of the errors we encountered. Other members of our group presented our findings to the other group in a professional manner. We wanted to show them the same respect they showed us during their evaluation of our work.

At the end of the database project, I fully understood how common and important group work is in this profession. Working as a group, we benefit from each others’ knowledge, learn to trust in each others’ abilities. There comes a great strength in working in groups, knowing that your colleagues will sustain you in the choices made for the institution. I appreciate the group that evaluated my group’s database. They gave us important constructive criticism that allowed us to step outside of our creation and look more objectively at what we were doing. This project effectively demonstrates that I posses the communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations

The goal of LIBR 266, Collection Development with Dr. Joni Bodart, was to create a collection development policy for a library of our choosing. This policy would be developed by a group, just as it would be done in most library situations. My group consisted of two other students and myself. Our first collaboration went well as we agreed on the type of library for which we would create a policy. Over the course of the semester, I noticed that we accomplished more when we met in real life to accomplish portions of the project. Difficulties arose when we had to communicate via email. Email was not the preferred method of communication for us as individuals, but as a group we became dependent on it. Occasionally we could arrange via email to call each other or meet in a chat room on our class’ web site. In our chat sessions and face to face meetings, we divided up who would take the lead on individual chapters and which sections of the chapters each of us would develop. Once the parts were compiled, every member of the group presented their suggested changes to the chapter leader. Major changes were discussed in chats or emails. Once we arrived at a consensus, we would submit that chapter for grading and approval to our instructor. This would be the same process library administrators would have to follow, submitting their proposal to a board of trustees or directors. While this process was long and difficult, the collection policy we created is a representation of the ideas of an administrative group.

In LIBR 256, Archives and Manuscripts with Lori Lindberg, we learned the theories, methods and techniques needed to properly accession items into an archive. The final for this course was a practical exercise in which we had to properly accession items into the archive and create a finding aid for the items to be used at the archive. For this exercise, students worked in pairs to accession one box of Ronald Dellums Congressional Collection at the African American Museum and Library in Oakland. My partner and I had to refer to the DACS Manual, to find out how to properly describe the items we were accessioning, and the Congressional Retention Schedule that states which items are required by the U.S. Congress to document the career of a congressperson. We first organized and inventoried the entire box, organizing it by groups. Each item was evaluated according to AAMLO Collection Development Policy, the Congressional Retention Schedule to determine whether the item was significant enough to warrant accession into the archive. When comparing the contents of our box to that of other groups, a question arose over the retention of newspaper articles. The Congressional Retention Schedule stated that all newspaper articles be retained regarding all congressmen and their political activities. The AAMLO Collection Development Policy clearly stated that newspaper articles found in local collections are not to be retained. My team discussed the conflict and justified our reasoning to omit the newspaper clippings from the archive. We discussed the value of the other items we encountered in our box, justifying their inclusion or removal.

Our Ronald Dellums Finding Aid shows proof of our collaboration in determining which items to accession. It demonstrates how we worked to create the various components of the finding aid. We shared the responsibilities to format and create the container list which shows all of the items that we chose to accession. Successful completion of this project shows that I am able to perform group work. It is proof that I am able to discuss and debate issues with peers that pertain to library policy and procedures.

My work at the King Library at San Jose State University has served to reinforce the importance of being able to communicate effectively and work in a group. I do not think I ever saw Dr. JoBell Whitlatch, the Associate Dean of the King Library, ever create policy or institute a change that was not discussed in a group of three librarians or more. She was a zealot when it came to email, communicating every last bit of information with group members before they met so that their meetings could be as effective and efficient as possible. JoBell was my first professional librarian role model. While I may not yet possess her zeal for using email, I know that her ability to communicate is what made her an effective leader. I will take the time that I need to cultivate my communication skills. Every major assignment that I have turned in toward achieving my Master’s in Library and Information Science has served to improve my written communication skills, and I hope to carry this over into the professional correspondence I will need to further my career. Since I began serving as a Scout Master, my weekly preparation to teach the boys skills in terms that they will understand has helped to improve my oral communication. They are quick to let me know when I make a mistake, keeping me vividly aware of what I say when I am around them. The skills I possess will benefit the libraries I work for, because I will be able to communicate with my colleagues and patrons in a way that they will value. As my knowledge and experience in the profession improve, my communication skills will mature and my confidence and competency level will rise.