This e-portfolio documents my culminating experience of the Masters of Library and Information Science program at San Jose State University. It includes this introduction, fourteen areas of competencies, a conclusion and affirmation.

In each of the fourteen areas, I state the competency, explicate, and contextualize its importance to the field. Then I present three pieces of coursework or work experience as evidence justifying my ability to perform the competency. I end each competency concluding how I will stay current and apply it in the future.

My approach to this e-portfolio was both systematic and organic. In preparation, I made sure to print a PDF of every discussion thread and assignment instructions, and save every module lecture, reading assignments, and my submissions at the end of every course. This practice helped me find research material to support my discussions, evidence to support my competencies, and even supported an old classmate fulfill her e-portfolio needs. I broke down each competency into contextualized elements leading to its whole, recalling class and work experiences containing those elements that brought me to that understanding. While the Evidence Organizer was helpful, there were times I found myself using better evidence that supported my competency discussion after writing it.

When I began this program, there were so many interesting courses I wanted to take. I ultimately settled on the Information Organization career pathway based on my interest and experience in systems design. I was also keen to take courses, such as Metadata and Digital Assets Management, that overlapped with Digital Curation and Archival & Preservation. I used the Course Planner and color-coded my courses to indicate what was “required” and noted courses that were “foundation” and ranked “highly” or of “medium importance”. Once I had my list of courses marked by priority, I selected and scheduled them based on their availability in the previous year, while also keeping in mind the courseload since I was also managing a full-time job. In determining my final course, I decided to take Digital Curation, which helps me earn a Digital Assets Management Certificate as well.

Since I did not prioritize competencies during my course selection, I was worried that I would not be able to collect enough evidence to fulfill some of them. However, thanks to the support and resources of the past and present iSchool community, and the thoughtful discussion prompts and assignments designed by the faculty in each course, I am happy to have completed and present my learnings, reflections, and culmination of my graduate experience.