I have graduated with my Master of Library and Information Science degree from San José State University. Barring any kind of administrative blunders at the university, I am now an accredited librarian!
I started in January of 2015 and completed 15 courses (43 credits) within 3 years. I did this while working full time at an academic institution as a library technician. Doing this allowed me to have a steady income but more importantly allowed me to stay connected to the library profession in a technician role.
I have been fortunate to have been given opportunities to develop myself as an information professional. I did this by attending and presenting at professional conferences and publishing my first peer-reviewed journal article this past September.
My last term required me to complete a culminating project. From August 26th to November 5th I wrote my ePortfolio which made me reflect on the fifteen core competencies that all SJSU graduates are required to have mastered.
In eleven weeks, I wrote fifteen mini-essays totaling over 40,000 words (113 pages). More importantly, I reflected on what it means to be an ALA-accredited librarian.
Since November 5th I’ve had a lot more free time. Now that I am done my studies, what should I be doing? I have been taking some time to relax from the time-sensitive deadlines of the MLIS program. I have also started taking mini-courses on Lynda.com and now have the time to return to this side project, my personal/professional blog.
While working on my master’s degree I found little time to keep up with this blog. Post-graduation, I see this as a way to continue developing my writing skills and to continue my pursuit of lifelong learning. I plan to write more frequently and turn some of my course assignments into blog posts. I have worked on some interesting assignments over the past 3 years. I also intend to produce more fun blog posts centered around some of my other interests, games and technology.
Thank you to everyone who supported me during my graduate studies. I look forward to contributing more completely to the library and information profession.
Update #1 (January 22)
My SJSU account has now been updated to reflect my degree being awarded and my final GPA. Next update should be with diploma in-hand.
