Ariele Dashow E-Portfolio
University of South Florida, MLIS
August 2023 - May 2025
Goal I:
Leadership & Innovation
Students are innovative, ethical, problem-solvers able to lead and manage through communication, collaboration, and reflection.
I.a. Students are able to evaluate critically, reflect, and problem-solve individually as well as collaboratively.
- LIS5020 Foundations of Library Sciences: Literacy Within Special Libraries and Other Institutions
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This assignment sought to address issues of equity, diversity, and equality within libraries. I chose to focus on the topic of literacy within special libraries and other information organizations to bring awareness to the ever-growing access and evolution of specialized knowledge within our institutions and how library staff can be adequately prepared to serve their communities and individuals with varying levels of experience and understanding in niche informational fields.
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I.b. Students demonstrate effective communication skills.
- LIS5937 Politics of Information: Red, Blue, and White Out Book Banning Poster
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This poster was designed to create awareness around book banning on the national level. The poster features study-backed statistics, readability and accessibility to individuals from various backgrounds, as well as a public call for action that can be taken individually and within their communities. It was created to be able to be used in digital or physical format, so that libraries may reach a wide array of their patrons and local community partners.
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- LIS5020 Foundations of Library Sciences: Future Trends in Library Sciences Poster
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The Future Trends in Library Sciences poster presents the idea of creative placemaking within our traditional library spaces, advocating for new uses, accessibility, and the growth of our informational institutions as the communities around them adapt to new digital, informational, and physical changes.
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I.c. Students participate in professional and community engagement activities in the field.
- LIS6409 Introduction to Library Administration: Urban Garden Project Proposal
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The curated Urban Garden Project is a mock project proposal for the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative that establishes the functional and educational uses of a gardening corner, which is described to include digital and physical resources regarding homesteading, knowledge of local flora and fauna, and a seed library for patrons to take for their garden spaces
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- LIS 6603 Basic Information Sources and Services: Reference Librarian Interview
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This reference library interview allowed me to connect with one of the law librarians at my alma mater, Stetson University College of Law, and learn about her journey through law librarianship, government work, and the dichotomies of the legal and library worlds. Stetson Law's library was my first introduction to librarianship and currently serves as my weekend circulation job, so it was a wonderful experience to connect with one of the librarians who initially sparked my interest for the field.
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- LIS5937 Cultural Heritage Libraries and Institutions: Tampa Bay History Center Site Visit
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The Tampa Bay History Center (TBHC) is an incredible local institution that I was able to explore for my Cultural Heritage Libraries and Institutions course. The assignment encouraged us to explore local heritage and historical institutions and show their impact and importance to the community they serve. The TBHC engages patrons with various aspects of Tampa Bay History, and works tangentially with other information institutions, such as the University of South Florida, to provide scholars with research opportunities and artifacts.
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I.d. Students demonstrate leadership skills and innovation in a diverse and global environment.
- LIS6409 Introduction to Library Administration: Strategic Plan Analysis
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This assignment provided me with the opportunity to reflect and analyze a library of choice's strategic plan to better understand the structure and responsibilities of library administration and how it establishes its patron-facing policies, collections, online resources, and overall management of the institution.​
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- LIS5937 Politics of Information: Red, Blue, and White Out - Book Banning in the Washington D.C. Area
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This poster was created in tandem with the previously cited poster under Objective I.b. This paper is an in-depth analysis of the national calls and acts to ban allegedly inappropriate texts and educational resources from libraries (primarily k-12 and public) and how this ban has taken effect specifically in the Washington D.C. area. ​
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- LIS5937 Rare Books and Special Collections: Fate Foretold - A Brief History and Collection Curation on Astrology​
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This PDF version of my curated presentation Fate Foretold demonstrates the ability to curate an astrologically-themed rare book and artifact collection for an institution of choice. While niche and obscure in subject, the cultural, historical, philosophical, and even scientific nature of astrology is nearly never presented in totality or conjunction with each other, so to be able to create a showcase of astrology in a fuller sense lends to a diverse and eclectic collection of art, text, artifacts, and more.​
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