Capstone Portfolio

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 Nancy Florio, MLS
 Portfolio of MLS Study 2008-2010
 Southern Connecticut State University

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Introduction

This portfolio, as the Special Project requirement for the Master of Library Science degree, documents my academic graduate study in the program. This portfolio also presents this work in the context of professional core competencies. At the top of the page, you will find a link to my resume, ALA Core Competencies for the field and three featured projects which I feel particularly demonstrate knowledge and skills representative of my professional goals. The links to the left are courses I have taken in the MLS program. Each course page contains the specific goals and objectives as well as links to completed course work that demonstrates my ability to think deeply about the issues facing the profession and to express those ideas in a wide range of formats. I think that by exploring these pages, you will get a sense of my knowledge of the field as well as my thoughts about the field of librarianship.


Reflections

Returning to school after working professionally for a number of years has presented me with more challenges than I ever could have imagined. Balancing the often diametrically opposed responsibilities of my work, my family and my courses has been one of the bigger challenges in my life. Yet it has also provided me with as many rewards. In the midst of meeting all these demands, I am pleased to say that I re-discovered the joy of scholarship and the challenge of taking what I know and what I am currently learning, and figuring out where it all fits in my personal and professional life. I bring more than ten years of experience in the field as a librarian to this experience which has allowed me to approach the theoretical nature of my courses from a more balanced perspective, placing it into a wider context.

Each course I took allowed me to explore and express the views I feel passionately about; the importance of library as place, intellectual freedom and access to information, the digital divide, artistic expression, and the critical role librarians play in the preservation of print and digital resources. When I explore Intellectual Freedom, I think about my students and hope they will always have access to the information they want. When I look at the role technology is playing in our field today, I can appreciate the challenges confronting librarians today as we adapt our services to remain relevant in the lives of our patrons. And while I believe that our work is what others see first, I also believe in the importance of having a firm theoretical background upon which that work is anchored. Looking back over these past two years, I believe that my entire experience of graduate school has ultimately been greater than the sum of its parts. As you look at a selection of the work I have accomplished, I hope you will get a sense of my passion for the world of information and library science as well as my unique take on how and why it matters. 

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 Special thanks to Barbara Ender for permission to adapt her photo "it's raining books!"

Site last updated May 29, 2019
Copyright 2009 Nancy Florio