While knowledge about cataloging, collection management, finding aids, digital collections, and YA literature have been key components of my education in Library Science, the theme of communication and collaboration has stretched across every single course I have taken, and has been the centerpiece of my professional practice as well.

Dimensions 7.1 and 7.2 represent Oral and Written communication respectively. I began my educational journey and my professional career in libraries before the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the tectonic shift to a hybrid work environment has truly emphasized the importance of oral communication in particular. Communicating orally in person is challenging enough, but add in the complications of videoconferencing, and it really becomes a skill that requires concentration and diligence. Both portraying and deciphering nuance and subtlety are harder in a video format, where camera quality and WiFi inconsistency intervene. This has certainly been the case throughout my Capstone project, from meeting with my site supervisors, to interviewing study participants. While written communication is not necessarily harder today than it was in years past, it certainly has gained importance. Understanding when it is best to send an email instead of having a meeting is crucial when colleagues are pressed for time and may be working alternate schedules. One thing my work at UNCG has made me very aware of is how to anticipate questions that someone might have about your request or instructions, and to address them pre-emptively whenever possible.

Dimensions 7.3 and 7.4 are all about collaboration. Literally nothing is possible in an academic library without collaboration. Not only collaboration within the library (7.3, Collaboration within a Library or Information Organization), but with stakeholders across the institution (7.4, Collaboration with external constituencies). This is immediately apparent when you consider the origin of my Capstone project. Working in the Veterinary Medicine Library, I initially developed a Capstone project with my direct supervisor that involved providing Clinical Librarianship services to the NC State Veterinary Hospital. Unfortunately, at the last minute, my supervisor and I were unable to secure permission for me to spend time within the clinical spaces of the hospital, and we were forced to abandon the project. Luckily, I was able to reach out to folks that I had collaborated with previously in another department of the Library, and very quickly find a suitable project that could be slightly altered to serve as a Capstone that would be interesting, educational, and beneficial to the University. Without that history of collaboration, I likely would have had to delay my Capstone project until another semester.