Attending the 2019 ACRL/NY Symposium was a valuable opportunity for me as an aspiring academic librarian. From the very beginning of the day I was welcomed by members of the Symposium Planning Committee and ready to engage in the program of events. The various presentations, discussions, and posters on the Symposium topic, “Outside the Box: Redefining Ethical Innovation in the Academic Library,” offered a wonderful opportunity to listen, learn, and engage with peers over a wealth of important issues. Notably, during the final session I was surprised to discover the “Zine Librarians Code of Ethics,” a document I never knew existed and have since found to be a great resource for my thesis project on comic books and graphic novels in academic libraries.
Additionally, I must admit that I came to the 2019 ACRL/NY Symposium in a worried state of mind. My head was plagued by many questions after recently deciding to switch into a Dual Degree MLS/MA in History program: had I made the right choice? Were two Masters degrees one too many? Was I merely overachieving? Thankfully the Symposium gave me the opportunity to meet and discuss with many members of the ACRL/NY community, all of whom commended and agreed with my difficult decision. This unexpected peer advising and opportunity to network granted me a great sense of relief. It is for this, and many other countless reasons, that I cannot begin to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the Student Scholarship awarded to me to attend the 2019 ACRL/NY Symposium.