I spent 18 months obtaining my MLIS, the longest break was 3 weeks during the holiday season. Other than that, the quarters melted into one another, leaving little time for reflection. Creating this portfolio showcasing and highlighting the work I completed reminded me of the experience I gained and the time I spent working towards this end point. Examining the work I have done over this past year and a half confirmed for me how much I have grown and learned. 

I can say, when I began this program, I did not realize the complexity of the librarianship profession. Now, at the end of everything, I do not think I made a mistake in striving for a career in librarianship. I know there is much more to be learned, and I know that is a part of the profession. I now know that this is not the end point, but the beginning. The program and its PLO’s prepared me to enter a field centered around knowledge building, service, and change. There is more to be done. I have real and imagined experience regarding each PLO, allowing me to effectively communicate with other library professionals about the work it takes to succeed in this career. To remember and build from the project, readings, assignments, discussions, interviews, and connections I gleaned from this degree will be a lifelong task.  

When reflecting on previous works, I found myself wishing for the time to go back, edit, revise, or even completely restart the process. If I knew then what I know now, I would have done things differently. That sentiment only further proves the point that I have grown, and I have learned. I would like to honor the version of myself who made mistake and misunderstood assignments throughout this process, my recognition of those misunderstanding and those mistakes allow me to strive for a better version of myself than the individual who writes this statement today. I feel confident where I am, knowing that lifelong learning is the goal.  

In my current professional role, I have been leading freshman level writing and rhetoric instruction sessions at an academic library. Speaking with and learning from my colleagues every day, I am amazed with the professionals in this field. Working to strengthen user access, literacy skills, and user learning is a daunting and rewarding path. I intend to show up as a leader, despite my role. I intend to problem solve effectively, communicate effectively, think critically and think creatively. I will continue to strengthen and build my knowledge, using this program and the PLO’s as a guide.  

I will advocate for access, I will advocate for the first amendment right, I will advocate for library users. I am excited to begin my career, and anxious to find a permanent position in this field with the social reality of today. In my first course of this degree path, I learned that Audre Lorde was a librarian. She once told Adrienne Rich about librarianship “I couldn’t know everything in the world, but I thought I would gain tools for learning it” (Lorde & Hall, 2004, p66). I found myself remembering this sentiment every time I felt doubt. I do not know what the future holds, I do know that I am ready and capable to learn as changes occur. I find extreme comfort in that.  

Lorde, A., & Hall, J. (2004). Conversations with Audre Lorde (Literary conversations series). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.