Professional Philosophy

Submitted in my Fall 2025 ePortfolio.

Public Libraries play an instrumental role in their communities by providing access to information, resources, services, and other community members. Libraries are a trusted community resource, and we should be motivated to act within the spirit of that earned trust by conveying information to users. One aspect of the public library experience for users is entering a site feeling welcomed, safe, dignified, and without the financial pressures of consumerism. It is well known that information is widely available on the internet, but public library staff, like myself, have an opportunity to enrich a user’s information-seeking experience by adding the social aspect of human interaction.

Libraries must balance this customer service-driven approach with the consideration of resource scarcity like staffing and time spent with each user. A user seeking to leverage library services will find that their needs for the information itself, the personal need for respect, and the empowering knowledge of learning something new can be met by library staff committed to a deliberate process of user interaction and education regarding library services. Returning users will be able to seek information or resources with a degree of independence, while confidently approaching staff when the need or desire arises.

I firmly believe the most effective way to demonstrate respect and dignity to library users is to communicate about the nature of their need, and show the users step-by-step, how to fulfill their need for information or services. This will give patrons an opportunity to feel empowered to seek information on their own, but enjoy human interaction with staff when they need to seek additional resources or help. This library service educational process for patrons will often lead to a natural boundary placement between the user and the staff.