I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, within walking distance of the Flatlands branch of the Brooklyn Public Library where I spent my summer days reading and borrowing, and many afternoons during the week researching for school projects. After graduating from Lehigh University with my BA in English Literature, I went to work in NYC for a publishing company. For about 20 years, I worked in the field of market research. By the time we left NYC to relocate to Florida, I had reached the top of the market research world, as the Executive Director of Market Research at Hearst Magazines, overseeing all the custom and syndicated corporate marketing research for the largest publisher of monthly magazines in the US. In research, my day-to-day work consisted of getting accurate and actionable information to the people who needed it. Once we moved to Florida, I got a job doing project management for a Tampa-based market research firm specializing in customer satisfaction and advertising tracking. However, the work was less than fulfilling. I felt my contributions only served to help another multinational corporation sell more products or grow its consumer base. I have always been an avid volunteer, serving in that capacity at the media center at my children's elementary school here in Wesley Chapel and on various boards and fundraisers. I am a constant reader, and one day a few years ago, I was gifted The Library Book by Susan Orlean, about the Los Angeles Public Library's history and staff, a tragic fire, and recovery. After reading the stories of the librarians who saved the library and continue to serve that community today, I was hooked! Within a few months, I was applying to the MLIS program at USF and could visualize myself serving a community in a public library setting. I have worked slowly toward the completion of my degree, staying at my market research job full-time as I have carried one course per semester, three semesters per year for four years. I am so excited to begin applying all I've learned and start helping people get the information and resources they need in the library. 

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Through this ePortfolio, I will attempt to illustrate the experiences and skills I need to succeed as a librarian in a public, academic or special library setting. Guided by the Learning Outcomes described by USF's School of Information, I have honed my competencies in Leadership & Innovation, Systems & Services, Knowledge Representation and Theory & Praxis. 

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