In the digital era of globe-spanning technologies, it is easy to forget the community that our profession maintains. In the winter 2008/09 issue of Access, there was an article from my friend Meghan Ecclestone in which she mentioned working on a research project with me. That project grew out of an interest in understanding the profession better and applying my research skills to the pressing concern of student engagement with the profession. We both presented a poster session on our work in Montreal at the Canadian Library Association Conference this past June.

Such collaborations define the profession. The constant opportunity to increase my knowledge and meet people is one of the things that renews my passion for the profession of information; those who imagine librarianship to be obsolete are badly misinformed. Long before I began my graduate studies in the field, libraries, archives, and museums were an important part of my life and it is very fulfilling to translate that passion into a career. I have also found my studies in the field to be a stimulating and a constant spur to creativity.

My path to the information profession has been in progress for some years. During high school, I volunteered at a suburban public library. While my day-to-day tasks at this level could hardly be described as inspiring, the immersion in the library environment was interesting. Libraries also opened up new opportunities for me. I vividly remember requesting letters of introduction from my high school librarian so that I could have borrowing privileges from what was then called Erindale College (now University of Toronto Mississauga). No hurdle was too high for me to clear in order to access libraries, then or now. During my undergraduate and graduate studies in history, I was exposed to the possibilities for research that archives offered. I am grateful to Henri Pilon, former archivist at the Trinity College Archives, for offering me my first archival position. At that institution, I had the chance to learn about physical conservation, exhibit development and planning, and the role of archives in higher education.

The summer before I began my studies for the MISt degree in 2007, I worked at the Diocese of Huron Archives in London, Ontario. Through this position, I had a chance to design an online exhibit and to learn about how archives can develop partnerships with other organizations (in this case, the Ontario Genealogical Society) to serve a broader base of users. This project sought to make publications of the Anglican Church, a rich source of Ontario history, available on the internet.

Through my studies at the Faculty of Information, I had the opportunity to meet some inspiring leaders in the field such as SLA President Stephen Abrams (his blog continues to be a source of great interest to me) and CLA President Ken Roberts. In addition to my course work, I found time to develop my skills in launching the iSchool Podcast (now available on iTunes, itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=295956469), which brings some of the university's many stimulating public lectures to a broader audience, and in working as an editor on the Faculty of Information Quarterly. It has been a pleasure to work with other students who bring such enthusiasm to the profession and are also willing to learn new skills in the pursuit of such projects.

Beyond the many intellectual benefits of my program, I also absorbed the profession’s values of public service, intellectual freedom, and the power of information to help people lead happier and more prosperous lives
What does the future hold for me and the profession more generally? The rise of the social web and the ease of access to basic information offer a great opportunity. As Stephen Abrams has put it, our role will lie in improving the quality of the questions that patrons ask – helping them discover the right information services needed to achieve their goals, or designing new ones. More sustained and thoughtful marketing also has to be implemented. Our profession does have competition after all.

Bruce T. Harpham (Hon. BA, MA) will graduate from the University of Toronto in the fall of 2009 with a Master of Information Studies (MISt) degree. His thesis explores the state of the net neutrality debate in Canada and the United States, focusing on the role played by civil society organizations. He blogs at A Curious View of the World. bruceharpham.ca