Continuing the ideas of the previous sections, it is quite important to note that some students consider that the course had a stronger social impact than a technological one. By social impact the students mean a notion of giving back to the community, working with the community, community outreach and understanding the issues. Four of the students make the following statements about the social impact of the course:
“seeing technology as a means (i.e., to improve people's lives) rather than as an end in itself.”
“Course valuable socially -- working with others to complete a real life project aimed at actually helping a community.”
“the social impact of the course was greater than technological one” “I think the intangible stuff has had the most impact - learning about giving back, working with a team, etc.”
For some students outreach became a major focus of their careers as influenced by the course experiences. One of the students says:
“Also, outreach has been a major theme throughout my career so far. Nothing as dramatic as what I experienced in East St. Louis, but while working at universities I have always tried to give back to the community through workshops and presentations to the public libraries/librarians.”
For some students the class raised awareness of the issues related to underserved populations and one of the students ended up working for ESLARP and Prairienet after he graduated and the student is convinced that the course helped him to determine who he is:
“After this course, I became aware of the great need for active CTC's and computer training for underserved populations, and the impact technology can have on people's lives. I went on to work with Prairienet and the ESLARP group while I finished up my MS at GSLIS, and am still involved in CTCnet. While I'm not sure 451 had a direct impact on my career path, it definitely affected who I am and my community involvement.”
For some students the course “demonstrated possible avenues for community service projects”. LIS 315/451 helped another student to become aware of the issues in his own state:
“On a social level it made me more aware of the poverty within my own state. I am still involved with various community development projects, but I don't have a career.”
In some cases based on the experiences of the course and the model of service learning as a part of the course some students tried to replicate this model at their workplaces and in some cases even expand internationally. That is how two students describe their activities:
“I am currently the coordinator for a grant project which provides digitization equipment and training to at-risk historical archives in the Caribbean. Much of the outreach and training we do very closely resembles what I was first exposed to in the course. I would say the course had a very strong impact on me”
“It definitely made me more confident in dealing with technology and network environments. I currently work at a university with a strong service learning component and have recently been trying to devise a program where the library could assist in helping one of our target sites (a poor area in the state similar to East St. Louis) have more access to technology for health-related information as well as to develop job skills. So far we haven't gotten very far in the planning but I find my experiences with this class to be a constant source of inspiration.”
The experience with the course also served as a starting point for doing community projects of that kind:
“It also definitely gave me a point of reference if I am ever involved in a community project of that kind. I think I would definitely have a better idea going into a project of that kind what worked and what I would do differently.”
To some students the course “showed the importance of collaboration and community outreach” and taught “Thinking big even with small means.”
One of the students calls this experience “a social work experience”:
“I'm still not a techi by any means, but the social work experience strengthened my commitment to working with people through creating pathways to information, and convincing people they had a right to access to information. Library school is a good place to be, and the class affirmed my convictions”
For some students working with community was quite a satisfying experience:
“Personally, I still feel a sense of accomplishment from working closely with the people at the church, building a relationship and appreciating the importance of our work to the community.”
“Outreach becomes a meaningful concept for me.”
While some of the students were greatly impacted by the social aspect of the course, they did not have a chance to apply it in their careers right away but they are planning to do so in the future. One of the respondents shares his experience:
“The course did not have a direct impact on the position I took right after graduation. However, I have always had a strong interest in community outreach and empowerment, and I hope that I will be able to incorporate these interests more into my career down the road. One of the reasons I took the course in the first place was that I wanted to participate in a community project.”
Some of the students believe that the class had a bigger impact on them personally than on their careers:
“While I have benefited from understanding the basics about how computers work, I have had little use for the networking. The experience in East St. Louis was wonderful, but I think it had a greater impact on me as a person than it has been applicable in my career.”