As an undergrad Christopher Murphy first heard about the iSchool at Illinois from a librarian friend at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Now as an MS/LIS student, intellectual property researcher for John Deere, and volunteer in the community, Murphy has seen for himself how important building a professional network can be.
Why did you decide to pursue an LIS degree?
When I started researching schools, I really came to see how valuable someone is who can connect people with information. I also began to see how broad the field of LIS really is—librarians work in all kinds of settings and connect all sorts of people with the information they need. We are living in a time when information has very real value, so it made absolute sense to jump into a field that specialized in exactly that.
Why did you choose the iSchool at Illinois?
The school’s alumni network is what brought me to Illinois. One of my friends at the University of California, Santa Barbara (where I did undergrad) was the chemistry librarian. He attended the iSchool and had nothing but great things to say. He really emphasized how valuable Illinois is in terms of connecting students with a vast professional network. After one year, I’d definitely agree! Aside from professional contacts and references from my work at John Deere, it’s through the iSchool that I learned about and joined the Special Libraries Association, that I’ve began working with incarcerated youth, and that I’ve made lifelong friendships.
What particular LIS topics interest you most?
I started at the iSchool prior to the launch of the new MS in information management, and it’s interesting to look at how my coursework very closely mirrors that degree’s knowledge management and information consulting pathway. Aside from business information, I am growing more and more comfortable with branching into data science as a field of study. I never really imagined myself as someone who was capable of doing any sort of computing, so all of this has been exciting.
What do you do outside of class?
Outside of class, I work as the intellectual property researcher at John Deere’s Technology Innovation Center in the Research Park. I also volunteer at the Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center, where I help provide library services. I live in student housing cooperatives, and I am currently serving as the president for Community of Urbana-Champaign Cooperative Housing (COUCH). And for fun, I enjoy bicycling, reading, and baking, and I started rowing this past spring with the team here at the University.
What career plans or goals do you have?
I am heading in the direction of a career in business information and consulting. This is something I kind of fell into without realizing it, as I applied for a job at John Deere when I first came to the iSchool and didn’t know what kind of career I would pursue. But after the first year, I have found that I really enjoy business research—it’s a career that neatly combines a lot of LIS skills, from advanced research to reference services and knowledge management.