JENNIFERARCHULETASANTURE

Welcome to Jennifer Archuleta Santure’s e-Portfolio.  This project was created for INFO-289: Advanced Topics in Library and Information Science, during the Fall 2015 semester.  My e-Portfolio presents three years’ worth of writings and work that I completed as a graduate student enrolled in the San Jose State University (SJSU) School of Information.  My e-Portfolio demonstrates evidence of my competency in a series of fourteen different skill areas, which are important for all graduating students in the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at SJSU to master before entering the field of librarianship.  This e-Portfolio project is comprised of the following parts: an introduction, a statement of professional philosophy, fourteen competency statements, a conclusion, and an affirmation.

 

The bulk of my e-Portfolio is made up of fourteen competency statements, which are arranged by letters A through N.  Each of these competencies represent an area, determined by SJSU iSchool faculty, which each graduate of the MLIS program should be knowledgeable in before entering the professional library and information field.  Each competency statement is comprised of four parts: a statement of competency, presentation and discussion of evidence, downloadable evidence files, and references.  The statement of competency provides an introduction and overview of the topic of that competency, with references to professional literature and theories from prominent scholars in the field.  The evidence portion of the statement presents my own work which demonstrates my proficiency of the competency.  Additionally, I discuss each piece of evidence in length to connect what I’ve learned through the coursework to the topic of the competency statement.  The evidence files are downloadable copies of the evidence document.  Evidence files are drawn from my past coursework, papers, discussion posts, group projects, professional experience, and internship experience.  They are presented in a variety of file types including Microsoft Word document and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF).  Every effort has been has been made to protect the identity of classmates I have worked together with during group projects or in course discussion groups by redacting and/or removing their personal identifying information.  Lastly, the reference section of each competency statement is comprised of citations which adhere to the American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines.

 

The fourteen competencies that each graduate of the Master of Library and Information Science program must be proficient in are as follows:

 

a. demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of one of the information professions, and discuss the importance of intellectual freedom within that profession;

 

b. describe and compare organizational settings in which information professionals practice;

 

c. recognize the diversity (such as cultural and economic) in the clientele and employees of an information organization and be familiar with actions the organization should take to address this diversity;

 

d. apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy;

 

e. design, query, and evaluate information retrieval systems;

 

f. use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items;

 

g. demonstrate understanding of basic principles and standards involved in organizing information such as classification and controlled vocabulary systems, cataloging systems, metadata schemas or other systems for making information accessible to a particular clientele;

 

h. demonstrate proficiency in identifying, using, and evaluating current and emerging information and communication technologies;

 

i. use service concepts, principles, and techniques to connect individuals or groups with accurate, relevant, and appropriate information;

 

j. describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors;

 

k. design instructional programs based on learning principles and theories;

 

l. demonstrate understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the ability to design a research project, and the ability to evaluate and synthesize research literature;

 

m. demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for professional work including collaboration and presentations;

 

n. evaluate programs and services using measurable criteria.

 

As mentioned previously, I formally began work on my e-Portfolio during the Fall 2015 semester.  I would like to note that I began the process of evidence collection during my first semester at SJSU in the Fall of 2012.  Because of the distance learning nature of the MLIS program at SJSU’s iSchool, it was incredibly important for me to save all of the work that I completed as a graduate student during this time.  This required me to diligently save all documents provided by my instructors, to take screenshots of all class discussion posts, to document the individual work I completed during group projects, to save all of my papers and projects, and lastly, to back up all of this compiled data.  Before the Fall 2015 semester began, I went through all of this data that I collected in order to refresh my memory about all of the work I completed in the past three years, and to begin to match it to the different required competencies.  I created my e-Portfolio using the Canvas system, which is available to all SJSU iSchool students.  This system provided a set interface, which allowed me to add all of the content required for this project, and display it in a clear way.

 

The process of creating this e-Portfolio began three years ago when I became a student in SJSU’s iSchool and embarked on my journey to become a library and information professional.  The creation of this e-Portfolio began as a daunting, work-heavy task, but I quickly embraced it as a way to discuss many of the areas I have had the pleasure of learning about during my time as a MLIS student.  Additionally, I am very proud of all of the hard work I have done through all my courses, and this e-Portfolio serves as a useful tool to highlight what I have completed in the past three years.  The courses that I have completed in the past three years that have contributed to my understanding of the required competencies, and from which I have drawn my evidence from are:

 

Fall 2012

LIBR-200: Information and Society

LIBR-202: Information Retrieval

LIBR-203: Online Social Networking: Technology and Tools

LIBR-204: Information Organizations and Management

 

Spring 2013

LIBR-260A: Programs and Services for Children

LIBR-271A: Genres and Topics in Youth Literature (Topic: Graphic Novels)

LIBR-285: Research Methodologies in Library and Information Science

 

Summer 2013

LIBR-263: Materials for Children, Ages 5-8

 

Fall 2013

LIBR-232: Issues in Public Libraries

LIBR-268: History of Youth Literature

 

Spring 2014

LIBR-210: Reference and Information Services

LIBR-275: Library Services for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Communities

 

Fall 2014

LIBR-266: Collection Management

LIBR-294: Professional Experience, Internships (Oakland Public Library)

 

In order to provide a visual overview of the topics included in this e-Portfolio, I have created a graphic representation of the content of this entire project in the following word cloud: