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Welcome to my e-portfolio. The purpose of this e-portfolio is to demonstrate my knowledge, abilities, and skills relative to fourteen core competencies of librarianship (see below). For each competency, the portfolio is organized into two parts. First, a Statement of Competency, where I explain my understanding of the competency, its importance for librarianship, and how my work in the MLIS program demonstrates my abilities and skills in that competency. Second, each competency includes a collection of items (papers, discussion posts, web sites, etc.) that serve as concrete examples of my knowledge and skills in that competency. The portfolio includes two additional documents -- a Statement of Professional Philosophy and a Conclusion and Affirmation Statement -- as well as a collection of other assignments and projects completed during my MLIS program (see "Miscellaneous Assignments and Projects" in the sidebar). In the Statement of Professional Philosophy I explain my conception of librarianship (particularly as it relates to academic librarianship) and my understanding of how librarianship contributes to the cultural, economic, educational and social well-being of communities. In the Conclusion and Affirmation Statement, I reflect on my work in the MLIS program, discuss my strengths as a future librarian, and list final comments and conclusions.

In order to create the portfolio, I started by collecting assignments, papers, discussion posts, etc. as evidentiary items for each competency. I then began writing the statements for each competency. Before I started writing I reviewed my evidentiary items for that competency. Each statement followed guidelines from the LIBR 289 Handbook and my e-portfolio advisor. In the introductory paragraph(s) for each statement, I focused on explaining my understanding of that particular competency as well as the significance of the competency for librarianship. In the remaining sections, I provided more detailed explanations of the meaning of the competency, particularly in relation to work I had done in the MLIS program. I also described the items I was using as evidence and explained how those items demonstrated my skills and abilities in that area of librarianship. After completing the statements for all fourteen competencies, I wrote the statement of professional philosophy. I completed the portfolio by writing this introduction and a concluding statement.

As noted above, the purpose of this portfolio is to demonstrate my knowledge and skills in fourteen essential competencies of librarianship. The portfolio, however, serves a more general purpose. Each Statement of Competency explains a key area of librarianship. It also includes documents and other projects that provide examples of the knowledge and skills encompassed by that competency. Together, the Statements of Competency provide a broad overview of the diverse skills, knowledge, and concerns that comprise librarianship.

I hope you enjoy learning about my work as well as exploring this overview of the field of librarianship. Thank you for your interest in my work!

Fourteen Competencies of Librarianship

Each graduate of the Master of Library and Information Science program is able to...

Competency A: articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom

Competency B: compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice

Competency C: recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use

Competency D: apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy

Competency E: design, query and evaluate information retrieval systems

Competency F: use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information

Competency G: understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge

Competency H: demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities

Competency I: use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users