I started the MLIS program with a layman’s understanding of librarianship and only the vaguest idea of what librarians do. My first semester was a shocking wake-up call. Librarianship involved significantly more than I had imagined – a realization that was confirmed each semester I progressed in the program. I entered the program because I loved books, research, and helping people. The topics covered in my coursework, however, went far beyond these three concerns. These topics included information retrieval systems, principles of effective management, web development, Web 2.0 applications, collection development and evaluation, cataloging and classification, information ethics, etc. I learned sophisticated search strategies, built web pages, used selection tools, taught information literacy classes, and evaluated a library collection.
Librarianship was more than I had anticipated, yet everything I was learning affirmed one of the fundamental reasons I had entered the program. Librarianship was about helping people; the breadth of skills and knowledge covered in my courses and internships were either directly or indirectly relevant to improving human lives. Completing the program was not always a comfortable experience; the demands and intellectual challenges were considerable. But comfortable or uncomfortable, my experience in the program has been consistently rewarding – rewarding because with every new skill or concept I felt more empowered to help patrons.
As a future librarian, I think my greatest professional strengths are my communication, research, and critical thinking skills. I know how to communicate clearly to others as well as listen to what others have to say. I know how to locate and synthesize information on unfamiliar topics. I know how to critically evaluate the reliability of information. In my Statements of Competency for Competencies L and M, I discuss some of the reasons these skills are important. Here I will add another reason: they enable me to quickly learn new subjects and skills. As much as I have learned in the program, I realize that there will be much I do not know when I begin my first job as a librarian. However, my communication, research, and critical thinking skills give me the ability to quickly master new skills. Perhaps my greatest strengths as a future librarian, however, are not skills but personal qualities. I am motivated by a genuine desire to be of service and a commitment to performing my job to the best of my ability. These qualities will inspire me to be compassionate, creative, and dedicated in my service to patrons and communities.
Before I close with the Affirmation Statement, I would like to express my gratitude to the professors, students, and administrators of San Jose State University’s MLIS program. Their knowledge and dedication made the program a life enriching and exciting intellectual journey. I could have had no better role models for my future work as a librarian.
Affirmation Statement:
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 have respected the privacy of others by removing mention in this e-Portfolio of information that could lead to the disclosure of the identity of students or employers, and I have made good effort to obtain permission from all group members for group projects submitted as evidence.
I am protecting the privacy of the contents of my e-Portfolio by keeping it "private" in Google sites.
Randall Studstill