Graduate Student, Library & Information Science
School of Communication and Information
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Claire McInerney
Mor Naaman |
About
When I began the MLIS program at Rutgers in Fall 2008, my goal was to explore the field of Library and Information Science. One thing was clear to me upon beginning my Master's program- the skills that made me valuable to employers in the fifteen years since graduating with a B.A. had everything to do with my ability to take in information, analyze, synthesize, and organize it in a way that allowed me to successfully run large-scale projects. From writing, producing, and directing educational media for medical education publishers to starting and developing a successful music venue from the ground up, my ability to see the bigger picture without sacrificing attention to detail has served me well.
During my time in the MLIS program, I kept my mind open, remaining curious about the field. I took a wide range of classes from Information Policy, with it's focus on large-scale contemporary issues and the philosophy behind the American public library system, to Cataloging and Classification, with its focus on the practical and concrete skills needed to be a successful modern librarian. Along the way I discovered an unexpected affinity for technology and began pursuing the digital library specialization.
Then something wonderful happened... I took the Understanding and Building Social Media course with Mor Naaman and Jeffrey Boase. I found myself in an interdisciplinary classroom where Masters and PhD students from Computer Science, Communication, Media Studies, and Library and Information Science were mixed. Joining an interdisciplinary team, I engaged in the design and construction of a Facebook application. We created an application for macro-scale professional science projects, designed to create opportunities for social networking between volunteer citizen scientists engaged in data collection. It features elements that facilitate the creation of networks of individuals contributing to the advancement of society through education, research, and volunteerism. My interests lie in understanding how people use social media and computer-supported collaborative technologies in order to communicate and to exchange and manage information, and what effects the use of such systems may have on citizens' engagement with science and education.
I recently completed an extensive literature review for an Individual Study under the guidance of Mor Naaman. It was dedicated to reviewing existing literature on volunteerism, citizen science, social media, online communities, and human motivation. My goal was to lay a foundation for the work I hope to pursue as a PhD student at Rutgers.
