Reflections
Completing the e-Portfolio as a culminating final project for my SJSU master’s degree in library and information science has been a positive and illuminating journey. Working my way through the 14 competencies to put my educational experiences into words, has given me the space to reflect on how my interests, skills, and abilities have developed over these last four years, and on how I might be able to transfer those to a new professional role or organization. I learned that no competency carries more weight than any of the others, but personally believe that the profession’s ethics and values—like intellectual freedom, free, open, and equal access to information, stewardship and preservation, and social justice— should be considered the foundation upon which all the other competencies endure.
Writing through the competencies made me aware that standards and practices are ever evolving within the profession, and that information professionals keep these relevant and up to date through iterative and democratic processes. I came to the realization that competencies act as navigational career guides for the information professional, and can help us align our abilities with, and establish our responsibilities to information organizations that would be a good fit for us. Conversely, I came to see that information organizations craft competencies in order to attract and retain the individuals that can best help them achieve their unique missions and goals. I end my educational odyssey confident that I have the skills and abilities to make a direct and positive impact in my workplace, in my profession, and in society, and secure in the knowledge that I have a road map for the road beyond.
Strengths
My dominant and abiding strength is my ability to use words and language to describe how the ethics and values of the information professions have evolved, and to describe how they become the bedrock upon which librarianship’s strategic plans, professional standards, and day-to-day policies rest. I can articulate how these plans, standards, and polices came to be, and know how to re-evaluate them from a modern (global) perspective. I have an intuitive understanding of performing the iterative, and deeply meaningful activity involved in the instructional design, collection development, and strategic planning processes. I understand how planning and evaluation go hand-in-hand, am cognizant of inputs and outputs, of how accurate and relevant data is used to forge measurable criteria and am capable of conducting research to improve whatever is being designed. I possess several leadership skills, including critical thinking, the ability to problem-solve on the fly, emotional intelligence, a facility with conflict resolution, and the know-how to guide a team project through to completion.
I have worked for over ten years in reference services. A grounding in the foundational and evolving theories of information behavior provides me with a basis for researching information communities and, when combined with my critical thinking and writing skills, give me tools with which I can assess and evaluate the design and provision of information services. I understand the basic principles, standards, and practices that underline information retrieval systems such as the cataloging and classification done by librarians. I can readily adapt to unknown communication technologies, and quickly learn how to adopt them into my skill set. I have participated in intersectional library work and know how to act, while performing library services, in support of intellectual freedom and equity of access for all. I am capable of facilitating library programs or providing services to a diverse information community. I have shown that I can plan to present instruction, describe how learners will participate, lay out how they and the instruction will be evaluated, and assess the efficacy and relevance of instructional tools.
Professional Growth Plan
Work on my e-Portfolio drove home for me the importance of workplace competencies for professional growth and development. Between 2016 and 2020 I began to work with my supervisors on a plan for professional growth. Influenced by my e-Portfolio work, I was able to identify my strengths and also areas where I would like to challenge myself and grow. While I have learned quite a bit on the job in regard to established and emerging technologies, I felt that this was one area where I should really make an intentional effort to learn more. In talks with my immediate supervisor I was able to set aside time to go explore educational opportunities offered by our library system and make a list of courses that would advance my goals. Each of these classes and tutorials were explicitly linked to library competencies, so I will be able to hone those skills that will help me improve in the area of technical expertise.
During the 2020 pandemic, working from home, I began taking free Excel tutorials, got more comfortable working with MS Teams and videoconferencing, and set out to get better at screen casting and video producing. Moving forward I plan on continuing my education through my employer, through classes and programs available through professional information organizations like the ALA, keeping abreast of the relevant professional literature, and working with colleagues and mentors. I want to become more involved assisting librarians where I work, in hopes of learning more about planning, designing, and implementing programs, and how to work with other librarians as a team.
Concluding Thoughts
Finishing the e-Portfolio feels like an epic accomplishment— summarizing four years of successful academic effort, and simultaneously providing evidence that I can graduate as a capable working professional. I feel proud of what I have accomplished over these four years, humbled by the many wonderful teachers, students, and researchers I encountered, and excited by how much more I might learn in the years to come. My exploration of the foundational values of our profession, particularly intellectual freedom and the ethic of stewardship and preservation, feel deeply embedded within me, and I hope to keep them in the forefront of my consciousness as I pursue my career. I learned that if I set my mind to it, I can become proficient in just about anything, including emerging new technologies. I am eager to take on new challenges, see where I can go with what I have learned, and make an impact within the information professions.
Affirmation
All introductory, reflective, and evidentiary work submitted is mine alone (except where indicated as a group or team project) and has been prepared solely by me.
I am protecting the privacy of the contents of my e-Portfolio by password protecting it or by sharing the URL only with my e-portfolio advisor.
Before making my e-portfolio public I will respect the privacy of others by removing mention in this e-Portfolio of information that could lead to the identity of individuals (team members in group projects, internship supervisors, interviewees, etcetera) and institutions.
Roger Weaver
Completing the e-Portfolio as a culminating final project for my SJSU master’s degree in library and information science has been a positive and illuminating journey. Working my way through the 14 competencies to put my educational experiences into words, has given me the space to reflect on how my interests, skills, and abilities have developed over these last four years, and on how I might be able to transfer those to a new professional role or organization. I learned that no competency carries more weight than any of the others, but personally believe that the profession’s ethics and values—like intellectual freedom, free, open, and equal access to information, stewardship and preservation, and social justice— should be considered the foundation upon which all the other competencies endure.
Writing through the competencies made me aware that standards and practices are ever evolving within the profession, and that information professionals keep these relevant and up to date through iterative and democratic processes. I came to the realization that competencies act as navigational career guides for the information professional, and can help us align our abilities with, and establish our responsibilities to information organizations that would be a good fit for us. Conversely, I came to see that information organizations craft competencies in order to attract and retain the individuals that can best help them achieve their unique missions and goals. I end my educational odyssey confident that I have the skills and abilities to make a direct and positive impact in my workplace, in my profession, and in society, and secure in the knowledge that I have a road map for the road beyond.
Strengths
My dominant and abiding strength is my ability to use words and language to describe how the ethics and values of the information professions have evolved, and to describe how they become the bedrock upon which librarianship’s strategic plans, professional standards, and day-to-day policies rest. I can articulate how these plans, standards, and polices came to be, and know how to re-evaluate them from a modern (global) perspective. I have an intuitive understanding of performing the iterative, and deeply meaningful activity involved in the instructional design, collection development, and strategic planning processes. I understand how planning and evaluation go hand-in-hand, am cognizant of inputs and outputs, of how accurate and relevant data is used to forge measurable criteria and am capable of conducting research to improve whatever is being designed. I possess several leadership skills, including critical thinking, the ability to problem-solve on the fly, emotional intelligence, a facility with conflict resolution, and the know-how to guide a team project through to completion.
I have worked for over ten years in reference services. A grounding in the foundational and evolving theories of information behavior provides me with a basis for researching information communities and, when combined with my critical thinking and writing skills, give me tools with which I can assess and evaluate the design and provision of information services. I understand the basic principles, standards, and practices that underline information retrieval systems such as the cataloging and classification done by librarians. I can readily adapt to unknown communication technologies, and quickly learn how to adopt them into my skill set. I have participated in intersectional library work and know how to act, while performing library services, in support of intellectual freedom and equity of access for all. I am capable of facilitating library programs or providing services to a diverse information community. I have shown that I can plan to present instruction, describe how learners will participate, lay out how they and the instruction will be evaluated, and assess the efficacy and relevance of instructional tools.
Professional Growth Plan
Work on my e-Portfolio drove home for me the importance of workplace competencies for professional growth and development. Between 2016 and 2020 I began to work with my supervisors on a plan for professional growth. Influenced by my e-Portfolio work, I was able to identify my strengths and also areas where I would like to challenge myself and grow. While I have learned quite a bit on the job in regard to established and emerging technologies, I felt that this was one area where I should really make an intentional effort to learn more. In talks with my immediate supervisor I was able to set aside time to go explore educational opportunities offered by our library system and make a list of courses that would advance my goals. Each of these classes and tutorials were explicitly linked to library competencies, so I will be able to hone those skills that will help me improve in the area of technical expertise.
During the 2020 pandemic, working from home, I began taking free Excel tutorials, got more comfortable working with MS Teams and videoconferencing, and set out to get better at screen casting and video producing. Moving forward I plan on continuing my education through my employer, through classes and programs available through professional information organizations like the ALA, keeping abreast of the relevant professional literature, and working with colleagues and mentors. I want to become more involved assisting librarians where I work, in hopes of learning more about planning, designing, and implementing programs, and how to work with other librarians as a team.
Concluding Thoughts
Finishing the e-Portfolio feels like an epic accomplishment— summarizing four years of successful academic effort, and simultaneously providing evidence that I can graduate as a capable working professional. I feel proud of what I have accomplished over these four years, humbled by the many wonderful teachers, students, and researchers I encountered, and excited by how much more I might learn in the years to come. My exploration of the foundational values of our profession, particularly intellectual freedom and the ethic of stewardship and preservation, feel deeply embedded within me, and I hope to keep them in the forefront of my consciousness as I pursue my career. I learned that if I set my mind to it, I can become proficient in just about anything, including emerging new technologies. I am eager to take on new challenges, see where I can go with what I have learned, and make an impact within the information professions.
Affirmation
All introductory, reflective, and evidentiary work submitted is mine alone (except where indicated as a group or team project) and has been prepared solely by me.
I am protecting the privacy of the contents of my e-Portfolio by password protecting it or by sharing the URL only with my e-portfolio advisor.
Before making my e-portfolio public I will respect the privacy of others by removing mention in this e-Portfolio of information that could lead to the identity of individuals (team members in group projects, internship supervisors, interviewees, etcetera) and institutions.
Roger Weaver