This project was the culmination of a three-year journey of learning, reflection, and professional development. I set out to combine librarianship with technology, and I leave with a clearer sense of how governance and user-centred service fit together in practice. What stayed with me most were the deeper inquiries into ethics and the opportunities to develop scenarios from real-life research, examining how inclusion can be woven into everyday choices through design and care. I also valued the humour of my professors, who encouraged playful work that made space for curiosity, including a study of information-seeking behaviours that allowed me to write about my favourite video game in depth. 

I chose this degree because SJSU supports a crossover between technical and library subjects. That mix became the core of my study plan and is, I hope, evident throughout this project. I learned to move comfortably between metadata and policy, between access models and equity, and between systems and the people they serve. The result is a professional philosophy that has become more pragmatic and principled. 

With this project complete, I now step into a new role as a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) project manager in the business continuity department of an e-commerce company. The competencies demonstrated here map directly to that work: evidence-based decision-making, information governance, privacy-aware practice, accessible design, and the discipline required to keep services running when conditions change. I will keep sharpening those skills through ongoing professional development, including completing the Information Governance, Assurance and Security Digital Assets Certificate in the month following the publication of this e-Portfolio, as well as staying engaged with communities that challenge our field to serve more fairly and more transparently. 

This collection is a record of practice, but it is also a commitment. I intend to carry forward the philosophies I developed in this programme throughout my life, and to let them inform how I mentor the next generation. By staying mindful of people, not just systems, we help communities remain safe, included, and well-informed. 

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Acknowledgements 

I owe the beginning of this journey to my wife, who brought this programme to my attention in January 2023 and encouraged me to imagine a different future. Her patience and belief in me made the darkest moments of long semesters much brighter. 

I am also grateful to the SJSU iSchool for the warm welcome during my campus visit and for the guidance I received throughout. I thank the faculty as a whole, with special thanks to Dr. San Nicolas-Rocca for career and job-hunting advice and to Dr. Alman for advice and feedback on this e-Portfolio. I am thankful for our student advising team, especially Ms. Gurtu and Ms. Reiner, and for our departmental GAPE adviser, Ms. Nanquil, who stepped in when I was unsure of the path forward. 

Finally, I would like to thank my peers in the SJSU MLIS Discord community, who offered the template for this website, course advice, words of encouragement, and friendly banter. Their camaraderie made this degree possible, and I hope to keep returning the favour by staying involved after graduation. 

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Image Credits 

Almost every image used on this e-Portfolio website (but not necessarily in any of the evidentiary assignments) is from the Japanese artist Takahashi Mifune and was sourced from his Irasutoya website. His work is ideologically CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, with specific allowances for limited commercial use, unlimited public education use, and some other moral rights restrictions or allowances based on Japanese law (n.b. original page in Japanese). In the spirit of the OER course I took (see competencies B, C, K, O), I made most of this site CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, but I can only claim this to my own work. Please note Mr. Mifune's usage terms if also reproducing the images used throughout this e-Portfolio website. [※] 

The following images appear throughout every page on the website: 

• Emperor Penguin (2015): website logo icon (to the left of my name on the left-side of the top navigation menu) 

• Bookshelf in Study (2020): header semi-transparent background 

The following images appear on specific pages on the website: 

• World map (2013): Introduction 

• Per-Competency Decorative Images (various): Competencies Home Page (link available from the password page)

  • The Man at the Signpost (2017): Competency A 

  • Nomadic Worker (2014): Competency B 

  • Friendly People of the World (2015): Competency C 

  • Business Strategy Planning (2015): Competency D 

  • Searching the Library OPAC (2017): Competency E 

  • Library Book Checkout (2013): Competency F 

  • Catalog (2015): Competency G 

  • Robot on the Computer (2019): Competency H 

  • Finding a Book on the Shelf (2015): Competency J 

  • Teacher Supervising Student's Group Discussion (2017): Competency K 

  • Presenting Research Results (2017): Competency L 

  • Leader (2015): Competency M 

  • 0 to 5 Star Rating (2015): Competency N 

  • Earth Character (2018): Competency O 

• Degree Conferral (2014): Conclusion [this page] 

(※ While most Japanese people who use his images will not explicitly credit Mr. Mifune's work as its semi-copyleft nature makes it one of the most recognised illustration styles in Japanese marketing, please note that Mr. Mifune does prefer that proper attribution and citation is given to his work when used, whether in Japan or abroad.) 

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Original Source 

This website was originally hosted on a subdomain of my primary website, at https://eport.mlis.madicetea.com. 

Template
I have also made a template version of the website and password form available for others to copy into their own accounts to get started with writing their own e-Portfolio.  (A preview of what that template site looks like when it is published is also available.) 

Contact Information
Questions to the author may be directed to ePort+mlis@madicetea.com, or online in the SJSU MLIS Discord site.