IDP_MLS_Students

MLS Students

ECU ALA Student Chapter

On February 5, 2005 ECU’s library science program became the first student chapter to be chartered under a new initiative to permit programs endorsed by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the America Library Association (ALA), to form student chapters.  In 2015 the MLS program added the American Library Association (ALA) accreditation to its AASL endorsement.

Leadership & Membership

Prior to 2020, Student Chapter presidents were selected by the MLS faculty. In 2020 faculty solicited interest from students interested in leadership and held the first Student Chapter Presidential election, with current students electing Debra Trogdon-Livingston. In 2022 the Chapter added an advisory group to offer additional opportunities for students to engage with each other and in the leadership process. Every matriculated MLS student is automatically a member of the ALA student chapter.

View past ALA Student Chapter Presidents

Activities

The Student Chapter offers a variety of learning and networking opportunities to MLS students interested in academic, public, school, and special libraries. The Chapter is active with online meetings and guest speakers, which enhance students’ total learning experiences. These meetings have featured respected professionals, including:

  • Ann Martin, 2008-09 AASL President
  • Faye Snodgrass, Executive Director of Kappa Delta Pi
  • Barbara Stripling, 2013-14 ALA President
  • Karen O’Brien, Director of the ALA Office for Accreditation
  • Wanda K. Brown, Director of Library Services, C.G. O’Kelly Library at Winston-Salem State University
  • Dr. Noah Lenstra, Associate Professor of Library and Information Science, UNC-Greensboro

Additionally, the Chapter has hosted a number of panels and sessions addressing topics such as banned books, health sciences librarianship, and international librarianship. An online community hosted through Microsoft Teams is available for students to communicate and collaborate, offering an opportunity for connection amongst our distance-learning student population.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Kawanna Bright
Department of Interdisciplinary Professions
Library Science Program
112 Ragsdale Hall
Greenville, NC 27858
252-737-1150
brightka19@ecu.edu

Advising

Students admitted to the Library Science Program are assigned a member of the MLS Faculty as an advisor. Students can find the name of their advisor in the Banner Self Service area on Pirate Port.

Professional Internship in Library Science

The primary purpose of the professional internship (LIBS 6991 or 6992) is to provide an opportunity for students to work in an approved library setting under the supervision of an experienced librarian and university supervisor.

The 110 hour working experience, both in theory and practice, promotes the social construction of knowledge, intentionally incorporating increased freedom and professional responsibility on the part of the student, leading to actual meaning making of concepts taught in the Library Science program of study. Individuals will become critically conscious of themselves as professional librarians through the integration and application of theory, skills, and knowledge in the totality of the internship experience.

The internship also provides an opportunity to promote a positive and productive relationship among the faculty and students of the Library Science Program and other library professionals at work in public institutions, businesses, and schools.

Technology Support

Technology support for students at ECU is available from Information Technology and Computing Services (ITCS). ITCS provides instructional information via its website and Facebook page. IT Help is available online through email and chat. For details, visit https://itcs.ecu.edu/students/.

Portfolio

Almost every graduate program includes a capstone experience or project that is used to assess whether students have met overall program goals. These capstone experiences can be research papers, theses, dissertations, culminating projects, comprehensive exams, oral exams, interviews, or a combination of these types of activities. The portfolio process requires a student’s participation throughout his or her coursework, and begins in the first course in the sequence (LIBS 6010). Throughout a student’s time in the program, he or she steadily posts to a portfolio and demonstrates mastery of professional skills, abilities, and dispositions required for the practice of the profession. This is done through the use of course artifacts (course projects) along with the student’s reflection upon those skills, abilities, and dispositions as revealed in the artifacts. The reflection essay associated with each artifact helps explain how the artifact demonstrates that the program objective and other professional standards have been met. It also acts as a record of the student’s self-assessment. The MLS portfolio is posted inTaskstream, which is used by all students in the College of Education. Each student undergoes a mid-program and final review of the portfolio. A student must pass the final portfolio review in order to obtain the degree or licensure.

For detailed instructions on creating and maintaining a portfolio account, read Taskstream Instructions.

The following standards may apply to your portfolio artifacts and reflections:

Beta Phi Mu

Beta Phi Mu is the national honorary society for the library science profession. The chapter for our program is Beta Beta Omicron. Each year, graduates from the program are nominated by faculty for their scholarship and leadership. No more than 35% of the annual graduating class may be nominated for membership. A minimum GPA of 3.75 is required for consideration.

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