As I go through life each day, I have two core values that guide everything I do. Be it work, school, or a social situation, these values are present in my life and help make me who I am. The first of these values is my strong belief in equality. I believe that no one should be treated differently or given less opportunity because of the color of their skin, religious beliefs, socio-economic status, gender, sexuality, etc. Even from a young age, I struggled to understand how someone could treat another human being in such negative ways that lead to discrimination or racism. This belief has only grown stronger as I have learned and experienced different cultures and places.

 

This brings me to my second value, the importance of lifelong learning. I am a firm believer that there is always something new to learn. I am passionate about learning and gaining new experiences. Whether that learning takes the form of a college class, a new job, a chat with a stranger, or a trip to a new place, I am quick to seize the opportunity. It is by learning and being open to new experiences that I feel people become more willing to listen to and understand the perspectives of those different from themselves, and also are more able to think about information critically.

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These beliefs guide my everyday life and my decision making. It is because of these beliefs that I think I was drawn to a career in library and information sciences, and museums in particular. According to the American Library Association (2004) a few of the core values for the foundation of modern librarianship are diversity, education and lifelong learning, and social responsibility. Though I agree with all 11 of the core values set out by the ALA, the three listed above resonate most strongly with my personal beliefs. The commitment of information institutions to not only embracing diversity but also reflecting and celebrating that diversity is very important and aligns with my personal beliefs, both that equality is vital and also that learning can improve our understanding of those different from ourselves. The ALA also states that commitment to education and lifelong learning and working towards ensuring opportunities are available to all is a core value. This again aligns very closely with my own beliefs, and it is creating those learning opportunities for others, while also continuing to learn myself, that makes me so excited by library and information sciences. Lastly, the core value of the ALA which resonated most with me was social responsibility. One social responsibility in particular they note is helping to promote information literacy to address critical problems in society. This ties in both with my belief in equality and lifelong learning because of the responsibility information institutions have to promote responsible information behaviors and the power they have to encourage positive changes in society as a result.

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American Library Association. (2004). Core values task force report ii. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ala.org.aboutala/files/content/governance/policymanual/updatedpolicymanual/ocrpdfofprm/40-1corevalues.pdf.