Difference between revisions of "Biblionews-participant-troy-espe"

Latest revision as of 08:07, 2 April 2011

Troy Espe
graduate student
School of Library & Information Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
715-379-2573 / espe@wisc.edu

As a veteran journalist and aspiring librarian, I have championed the values of these kindred institutions for more than 20 years. I would cherish the opportunity to share my dual perspective and to foster collaboration between journalists and librarians at "Beyond Books: News, Literacy, Democracy & America^Ys Libraries." Please consider me for a graduate-student fellowship.

I am a first-year graduate student in the School of Library & Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Upon graduation, I will pursue a position at a journalism library or as a library liaison to a university journalism department. I view "Beyond Books: News, Literacy, Democracy & America^Ys Libraries" as a vital component to my education and career.

I hold two library positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am a reference assistant at College Library, an innovative undergraduate information commons that serves more than 1 million patrons annually. I also work at Steenbock Memorial Library, an agriculture media center where I supervise circulation students and answer reference questions. As an undergraduate, I worked at the Veterinary Medical Library at the University of Minnesota.

Before enrolling in library school, I was a journalist for 17 years. As a reporter and editor, I wrote thousands of articles at newspapers in Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, and Wisconsin. I covered a spectrum of beats, including entertainment, government, education, lifestyles, religion, and seniors. I won state and national awards. I was published twice in Rolling Stone magazine.

I am versed in digital media. At the Leader-Telegram in Eau Claire, Wis., I posted stories, photographs, and videos to the newspaper^Ys website, which received 2 million monthly page views. I have continued to develop my technology skills as webmaster of the American Library Association-Student Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I maintain the group^Ys website, and I created the chapter^Ys Facebook page. I have completed web-design workshops, and I blog for class assignments.

I see many commonalities between journalism and librarianship. These are some some of the shared values:

• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of information
• Civic engagement
• Government accountability

Technology also is transforming both institutions, especially in the form of information delivery. Libraries and newspapers also face uncertain financial times.