I’m Lauren Williams and I’m a librarian at a public library system in Southern California.  I’ve been in the library profession for almost 10 years now and I’m about halfway through my master’s degree program at SJSU.  The major reasons why I wanted to go back to school was to keep learning so I can better serve my patrons and also to feed my general curiosity.  My journey so far at SJSU has done just that.  Sometimes I’m tired at the end of the day before I start my schoolwork, but the learning and connection to others who are passionate about librarianship is a motivation to keep at it!

I’ve been interested in this specific class since the beginning of my journey because this class explores the unlimited possibilities and potentials we have as information professionals.  Sometimes the daily minutia of my tasks at work can burn me out but having a broader perspective of our field really inspires me to keep going.  The tasks I do is just a small part of the big picture and those small parts are important to keep the system going.  Currently, I’m the collection development lead at my library system.  And I’m doing my best to let those above me know that just a physical collection is not enough for where we are going as a world.  Sometimes it can be frustrating to try to convince others that libraries are beyond being a book depository. I think, at least in my system, co-workers are just starting to see that, but we have a way to go.  I definitely love collection development, and I’ve been doing it for about 5 years now.  Within those 5 years, I’ve seen a lot of changes. I’m excited to learn about the theories of the hyperlinked library and learn how institutions are making it happen.  I think I’m most excited to find inspiration.

Here’s a bit more about me.  I look forward to learning with you all!