This position would be an excellent opportunity to utilize skills and information I learned in my last position as a Data Steward and while I was a graduate assistant in graduate school. This a role that I would be passionate about, and it would be a valuable opportunity for me to gain more experience with data analysis.
During my time as a data steward at Within3 and RMark Bio, I preformed various tasks that included maintaining accuracy and relevancy of data sets and the company’s healthcare provider database, using excel and python to conduct sentiment analysis, and adding to the company’s training guides and modules. In this position I gained experience in data analysis when I would be provided with data and I had to obtain meaning from the data and then organize the data so it will be easier for others to understand. My coworkers and I would check the accuracy and relevancy of the data and information provided by double checking where the information was found or by looking for the information ourselves. The information would be stored and organized in excel and when finished, we would enter the information into the database. Excel was also used when conducting sentiment analysis to organize the data, to locate and delete duplicates, and to notate the scores of the sentiments. Once all the scores were entered in the excel file, I would run a python script to look for disagreements because we needed to all agree on what the sentiment score for each sentence would be. We would then work together to reach a consensus on each sentiment score so that each sentence would have its own sentiment. In this position I gained experience in data analysis, research, python, and communication.
While working at the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, I participated in an exhibit history practicum where I displayed problem-solving skills. For the project, I looked through databases, archival material, and papers to find out information about past exhibits at the Spurlock Museum, to put together the information I found into a series of files and update the museum’s databases. An example of an exhibit I worked on was called “Heritage of the Jews” which ended up being very difficult to find information on because this exhibit ended up being three separate exhibits that all shared the same name. I had to communicate with my supervisor, other staff members, and practicum students when I had questions and needed help. Working with other people during this practicum experience helped me work through the confusion and find useful solutions. By working with other people, I was also able to come up with ways to find more information and organize the information I already had. For example, my supervisor recommended I create a file to help organize my data, so I created an excel file to organize and sort dates, names, and loan information which lead me to answer a lot of previously missing information. By working with others, I was able to problem solve and find answers to questions that I was asking.
At the Main Library at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, I helped enter information in the Illinois Experts database. Illinois Experts is a website with a database that contains UIUC faculty members’ publication information. I entered, edited, and reviewed at least 2,000 entries for approximately 100 professors for the Illinois Experts website. Each of these entries contained bibliographic information on each publication that a UIUC faculty member published. The goal of the Illinois Experts webpage was to provide faculty member publication information so researchers at UIUC and outside the university can more easily find information that can apply to their research. Working on the Illinois Experts project gave me experience with changing metadata through web services and working in an institutional repository like setting. Working on the Illinois Experts project made my interest in scholarly communication grow and encouraged my desire to have libraries build the bridge between libraries and scholars.
This position would also give me the opportunity to utilize skills that I have learned from my work experience and share ideas that were inspired by my past experiences. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to the opportunity to learn more about this position.
