Critique of my first draft?

[STG]

Thanks for the help..........I cranked this puppy out in about an honor, want to know whether I am on the right track. Believe me I know it isn't done

I'm applying for a M.L.S

In an information age, how do you see yourself working as a librarian, or more generally, as an information professional?

At first glance some might think the digital age is a threat to the library and the librarians. People might think that the internet, and the fact that new information is available almost instantaneously is making the book and the library obsolete. The library might be seen as something that will be phased out in the coming decades. I don't see it that way. I see this new era of information exhilarating, and it is both a great challenge, and a enormous opportunity for the librarians of the future. With my background I am someone who could be a part of this future and thrive in it due to my experiences in both a liberal art-history. And my experience with information technology.

I am a person who greatly enjoys working with computers. I have since my days in high school when I studied information systems at a vocational school. This education included training in PC hardware, operating systems, networking, and programming. I didn't pursue this field in college, instead going on to study history. To this day the two are my passions. I take as much delight in doing research on a historical figure, event, or time period as I do working with computer hardware or software. I feel in the workplace of a modern library I could bring both these two interests to bear and be able to deal with both sides of the vocation with equal zeal.

The information age is also requiring all of us to be adaptable and open to changing technologies and ways of doing things. This is something I am comfortable with and something I embrace. The changing nature of the world, and subsequently the library is something I find exciting. As I said before, I feel that this provides a great opportunity for me as a librarian, more information is to me always a good thing. That is what the internet age is doing, giving us more and more information every day. The job of the new librarian would be to manage that information and make it accessible for more people.

In this age where everyone is “wired” librarians can still provide valuable service to people. This is another thing I feel I could do in a modern library. People will seek out and respond to good service from those providing it. This is something I do on a day to day basis working in a customer service related job. If people feel like the library is somewhere they can come and get help finding the information they want or need, they will go there, seeking out professional help instead of staying at home using the internet. I take great satisfaction out of a happy customer, and I would take equally great satisfaction out of a library user who is able to find what they need with my help.

While an undergraduate student I found the library a comforting and helpful place to go, mainly because of the staff. I found it an invaluable resource for research and other work. The librarians were of great help as well, introducing me to sources of information I never knew existed. I came to respect the librarians greatly, and became fascinated by what they were doing and how they did it. This led to my interest in the field of library studies. I see myself working at an academic library someday, aiding students and faculty with their research and problems. I feel it would be an exciting time to do such work, the changes that might occur with technology in the next thirty years or so are unfathomable, and offer such challenges and possibilities in the world of academia. That is something I'd want to be a part of and contribute to.

Overall I feel I am an ideal candidate to be an internet age librarian. I would bring my love of history and libraries together with my experience with, and passion for technology into an exciting and changing field.

[Bubbles8697]

I think this is a good start! Just want you to know that your first sentence is dangerous. As a recent graduate from the master's in Library and Information Science program, this argument is naive. Library and INformation Science is a combination of information technology, management, computer science and other fields.In your transitions, it sounds as if you are preaching to the committee about librarians.

I would try to write more about your experiences and why it has motivated you to apply to graduate school.