Choosing a program was also easy: although she was bound to Illinois because of her family, she favored the interpersonal experience of DU over the online programs offered by regional library schools in state universities. Ms. Collen was pleased with her decision: she met wonderful colleagues, was challenged by her courses, made good friends and learned eagerly from a top-notch faculty who supported creativity and were great mentors. They encouraged her to be open to new experiences and were always there when she needed help. They were also instrumental in three of Lauren's student successes: completing an independent research project which compared preschool children's experiences with picture books in traditional versus digital formats (a paper will be published based on this); participating in a practicum at the Skokie Public Library that centered around planning and programming children's activities, and the blossoming and honing of her storytelling skills through class performances. Not only did she become a more confident librarian but she also found two part-time jobs that build on her new expertise, one at the Wilmette Public Library in children's reference and programming and the other at the Niles Public Library, where she does programming, graphic design and storytelling.

Lauren's ideal job would be in a public library setting in the children's department. This would expose her to patrons of all ages (including parents) and permit her to handle all aspects of work with children, from collection development on up.  It would also incorporate the ability to create new library learning using new technologies. She knows from her recent assignments that she will be very comfortable working with her peers, especially when it comes to collaborating. After all, "It's all about sharing." Lauren will build on past career components and knows her learning days are not over yet. She is eager to contribute to the profession by becoming more active on committees and is excited about the opportunity to attend the American Library Association annual conference that will be held June 23 -29 in Chicago.

When asked what GLIS students should do to get the most out of their time in library school, Lauren advises them to extract as much as they can out of the whole experience, not just from doing the homework or attending classes. They should also remember that professors are open to their new ideas; students should give professors more than the bare minimum in order to get back more from them.  She started the program with the goal of creating a portfolio to represent her degree pursuits and added examples of every project she worked on to it as she completed them. That gave her double use for each deliverable. She also recommends that students shouldn't be afraid to take courses that may really be a challenge-- they won't know what they can do until they try.