I began my classwork with LIBR 203 late on one snowy night in January 2013. Though the actual duration of time between January 2013 and the time I completed this ePortfolio is slightly shy of 3 years, the amount of time I spent listening to lectures, reading articles relating to librarianship, writing essays and research papers, creating individual projects, and collaborating with other aspiring librarians to create group projects is immeasurable. As I leave behind the world of school and enter the world of working as a professional, I will take with me a strong belief in the values and ideals of librarianship, as well as strong practical knowledge of new skills learned in the process of the iSchool program.
Moving forward from the moment I submit this last statement and the attached affirmation statement below, I resolve to improve myself as a professional in several ways. First, I will develop my professional skills by collaborating with fellow librarians both within the library and in other institutions dispersed throughout the country and even the world. Second, I will conduct research which is necessary to advance the field of librarianship, and to better understand the communities we serve. Third, using the service principles and concepts I have learned through my three years in the iSchool program, I will do my best to serve every patron with the highest levels of professionalism and respect. Fourth, I will stand firm in the defense of intellectual freedom when I am confronted with challenges to materials and yea, to ideas. In this age of budget cuts and unsteady economic situations in the communities we serve, I will advocate for libraries and for the value of education and information as ways for individuals to better themselves and to better the various communities of interest in which they live. But, most importantly, I will remember the good that libraries have done in my own life, the sheer thrill of excitement of access to the world of information that they have provided me since my earliest years on this earth. I hope as you have taken the time to read this ePortfolio, you will see those unmeasured hours of work and be provided with an overview of the knowledge, philosophy, and skills I now possess as a result of a very rewarding 3 years in the School of Information program.