Portfolio
This page contains a list of the classes I have taken at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, as well as a list of several of the projects I completed during my time there. Descriptions are provided for the projects listed, as well as samples where possible. If you would like to see something that does not have a sample (such as one of the papers), please contact me at moranmc1013 [at] gmail [dot] com about what you would like to see and I will try to accommodate you.
Classes Taken
Below is a list of the courses I took at the University of Michigan’s School of Information (SI). The course numbers link to their respective descriptive pages on SI’s website.
Fall 2009
500: Information in Social Systems: Collections, Flows and Processing
501: Contextual Inquiry and Project Management
502: Networked Computing: Storage, Communication and Processing
647: Information Resources and Services
Winter 2010
622: Evaluation of Systems and Services
626: Management of Nonprofit Libraries and Information Services
638: School Library Media Management
643: Professional Practice in Libraries and Nonprofit Organizations
Fall 2010
624: Media for Children and Young Adults
629: Access Systems for Archival Materials
665: Online Searching and Databases
666: Organization of Information Resources
690: Internship at U-M Depression Center’s FRIENDS Depression Education Resource Center
Winter 2011
620: Collection Development & Management
645: Information Use in Communities
663: Grantgetting, Contracting and Fund-Raising (School of Social Work, cognate)
Coursework and Practical Experience
Below is a list of my practical experiences and some of my coursework from my time at SI. Descriptions are provided as well as links when possible.
SI 501 – Contextual Inquiry and Project Management (F09)
Client: Moraine Elementary PTA
Group: Fantastic Four; 5 members
• Semester-long group project
• Worked with the PTA to evaluate their communication methods and make recommendations
• Interviewed members and used data from interviews to create a variety of models and reports:
#4 – Team Consolidated Model
#5 – Individual Consolidated Model
#6 – Affinity Diagram and Walkthrough (photo, PDF)
#7 – Final Presentation
#8 – Final Report
SI 647 – Information Resources and Services (F09)
Assignment: Select a topic and then research, plan and develop a pathfinder for a specific user group of a specific library
• Topic Chosen: Résumé Pathfinder
• Target Users: Graduate students who need résumé help
• Three group members and their roles:
- Katie: Find and annotate sources
- Me: Take text and add HTML to format it to create webpage
- Emily: Write about the process of creating our pathfinder, what a pathfinder is, and what ours is about
Alternative Spring Break (W10)
Volunteer/Intern at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC (Slide)
• Assigned to the “Cookery” Subject Term Revision Project
• Updated MARC authority records to reflect the change in the subject headings using “Cookery” to “Cooking”
• Edited and evaluated MARC authority records when updating them
• Gained experience in working with MARC records and a greater understanding of the Library of Congress Subject Headings
• Information about SI’s Alternative Spring Break can be found here
SI 622 – Evaluation of Systems and Services (W10)
Client: AnnArbor.com
Group: Team Newsies; 4 members
• Semester-long group project
• Evaluated different aspects of the AnnArbor.com website in terms of their usability
• Conducted a variety of activities to generate feedback regarding many of the website’s features in order to make recommendations intended to help improve the website
• These activities, findings, and recommendations were presented in a series of reports over the course of the semester:
#3 – Interaction Map (photo)
#4 – Interviews, Personas and Scenarios
#5 – Comparative Analysis
#6 – Survey
#7 – Heuristic Evaluation
#8 – Usability Testing
#9 – Final Presentation(s) (Client Presentation)
SI 638 – School Library Media Management (W10)
Reflective Journal
One of the requirements for this class was to create and maintain a blog in which we were to make regular, reflective posts over the course of the semester as well as comment on one another’s posts. These posts were made on a weekly basis, with the first reflecting on the readings for the upcoming class and another containing thoughts about the class discussion after the fact. We were also occasionally given prompts for posts.
This assignment required selecting and reading a professional book on an aspect of K-12 education with which we were not already familiar. We then had to choose and use a Web 2.0 tool to summarize the key points of the book and propose ways school librarians could meet the goals outlined in the book. I chose Readicide by Kelly Gallagher and Prezi to present my summary of it.
Partner: Elizabeth Griffin
The final project for this course called for students to work in pairs to create a school library website. The website had to address many of the topics we covered over the course of the semester, such as practical policies and procedures and some of the many issues faced by school libraries and their librarians. We chose to use Google Sites to build our website and created a library for a Catholic K-8 elementary school.
SI 624 – Media for Children and Young Adults (F10)
Media Log
One of the major assignments for this course involved evaluating media for children of all ages in terms of its contents and merits. It required reading/viewing and reviewing 50 items in a variety of formats targeted towards youth and posting the reviews online in a media log. I chose to post these reviews here on WordPress. The link above connects to a post with a color-coded table that links to all of the items I reviewed for my media log.
This assignment involved critically evaluating a children’s book illustrator and presenting an overview of their life, work, and style using the Pecha Kucha presentation methodology. Classmates were also provided with a handout that summarized the presentation. I chose Tomie dePaola as the subject of my presentation.
Professional Article
This assignment involved exploring a topic related to the course content by writing professional article using the submission guidelines for a chosen publication. I chose to examine online social cataloging websites (GoodReads, LibraryThing, and Shelfari in particular) in terms of their purpose and features, as well as how they might be used in a library setting. I used Library Student Journal’s submission criteria when writing my article.
Internship at FDERC (F10-S11)
One of the requirements for the MSI program is to complete a certain number of hours of practical experience in our chosen fields, typically through internships. I completed this requirement through my internship at the U-M Depression Center FRIENDS Depression Education Resource Center (FDERC). I earned course credit for my work during the Fall 2010 semester, and continued to volunteer there as an intern through the Winter 2011 semester and after graduation. I have been responsible for many of FDERC’s day-to-day operations, including circulation of materials, taking inventory, collection development and management, ordering and stocking pamphlets, tracking usage of FDERC resources, updating resource guides, and providing reference services to patrons and staff.
SI 620 – Collection Development and Management (W11)
Model Library: Ypsilanti District Library (YDL)
Group: 4 members
• Semester-long group project
• Studied YDL collections and practices to examine and described them in a series of written assignments that were compiled to create a final formal portfolio
• The information collected for the written portfolio was also presented to the rest of the class at the end of the semester
SI 645 – Information Use in Communities (W11)
Assignment: Examine a community of users’ information needs, usage, and habits
Partner: Emily Tobin
We chose to examine comics fans for this project, as both of us are lifelong comics fans. While there is significant information available on what comics are as well as numerous recommendations for titles to read, there is little to no academic research on why people read comics and what their information usage is regarding comics. We ended up conducting original research through the form of an online survey that was employed twice, which we then analyzed for our paper and presented a summary of at the end of the semester.
SW 663 – Grantgetting, Contracting, and Fundraising (W11)
Grant Proposal Critique
Partner: Emily Tobin
This assignment involved reviewing, analyzing, and critiquing a grant proposal. The grant proposal we examined for this assignment was provided to me by my supervisor at the University of Michigan Depression Center.
Partner: Emily Tobin
This assignment involved examining the revenue mix and financial stability of an organization in order to develop a plan to increase and/or improve its revenue structure. We chose to examine Big Rapids Community Library, as Emily had worked there in the past and was very familiar with the library. We also chose to present this plan to the class for our final presentation.