1. Eleanor Gehman
Address
City State Zip
March 19, 2012
Dr. Jane Doe
Chair, Librarian Search Committee
Perfect Library
1 Library Way
Anywhere PA 11111
Dear Dr. Jane Doe,
“Can you help me find some sources on the War of Castilian Succession?” This student,
hesitant to approach the Reference desk and simultaneously frustrated with her efforts to
research her topic, brought to me my most challenging reference question yet. After an
exhaustive search, I finally found some materials to help her (an article about the treaty
ending the war and a book on one of the royals involved). This interaction reinforced my
desire to instruct and assist students with their research process, from the spark of an idea
to the final formation of a bibliography.
Through my internships in academic libraries and my coursework at the School of
Information Sciences, I have developed a keen interest in the reference world of checking
citations and interviews with students. Students, like the one in the anecdote above, often
view librarians with a sense of distance and hesitance. Am I bothering her? Can she
really help me? These thoughts, though misguided, are common. That’s why social
media is so critical to librarians today. We can utilize popular social media tools to reach
out to students, create a participatory environment where patrons can have a say in what
their library offers, and embrace communication between librarians and patrons. I believe
the use of social media is key to ushering in the new Library 2.0 principles in every
library, which is why I volunteered to create and maintain the internal blog at
Washington & Jefferson College’s library. While this blog is closed to all except staff,
the experience of shared communication amongst librarians is invaluable.
I hope that you will contact me to discuss my vision for the use of social media in
academic libraries. You can access my electronic portfolio at any time online. The link to
my portfolio is ejgehman.wordpress.com. Thank you for your time.
Eleanor Gehman