Introduction
This e-portfolio represents the culmination of my library
and information science education at San Jose State University, but it in no
way represents the culmination of my education. Library and Information
Science is a constantly and rapidly growing field. As technology progresses so
do advances in information retrieval. I intend to stay current with not only
the growing technology, but also trends in literature, both adult and juvenile,
so that my practice will stay relevant in the profession.
At the beginning of the MLIS program, professors told us to
save all of our work for use as evidence in this portfolio, but I have found
that my professional and personal experience has proven invaluable as well.
After all, I was a library patron before I was a library professional. As a
child, my refuge was our local public library. My favorite days in elementary
school were the days we got to go to “Library class” instead of music or gym.
My peers found it boring, but I loved it. I loved learning about the card
catalog and the Dewey Decimal system. I loved learning about books and I still
do. I am a lifelong bibliophile. In 7th and 8th grades,
my last period of the school day was student library worker in the school
library. I shelved books, made bulletin boards, worked at the circulation desk,
assisted teachers and the school librarian and media specialist (the “AV Lady”)
with special tasks. For example, one of the special projects for which I was
chosen was to record a selection of books with which remedial reading classes
would read along to help improve their comprehension. In high school, I was a
teacher’s research assistant and I was tasked with creating slides from book
illustrations germane to his humanities class. I was given the topic and left
to find the books and locate illustrations in the school library’s collection,
which gave me permission to spend valuable time there instead of the mandatory
pep rallies and homeroom study hall in the assigned classroom. I have spent a
lot of time in libraries, both in front of and behind the circulation desk. The
portfolio will reflect that time and those experiences as well as classwork and
research completed as part of the Master in Librarian and Information Science
program at San José State University’s School of Library and Information
Science, or iSchool now.
It is my intent to display my competency in each of the core
areas in the most efficient manner possible, but hopefully future potential
employers will find my descriptions of the work and the processes behind the
work as engaging as I did. The format I have attempted to follow in this
e-portfolio in each competency is to articulate my understanding of what the
competency means, then present evidence of my understanding of the competency.
Finally, I want project what I will do in the future. To simplify, “This is
what I know. This is how I know it. This is what I wish to do with what I
know.”
It is my hope that future employers can find what they seek
within the pages of this portfolio and that a mutually beneficial relationship
can be forged between their organization and me.
