The Purpose of a Capstone
In order to graduate from the Master's in Library and Information Studies program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, each student must present their "Capstone" which is a culmination of all that the student has learned in their time through the program. The program is broken down into eight main student learning outcomes, each course adding to the student's toolbox and knowledge. The student uses these tools and knowledge to create products through various assignments that align with the outcomes. Through the Capstone, each student is essentially adding to a portfolio of their work as well as reflections on each area, building both their knowledge and also making them explore situations more deeply in retrospect. Many people do not fully understand the complexity of librarianship, just the results of it. A librarian is never done learning, assessing, or developing new skills as the field is not a static one; it is one of the most dynamic fields of study and work today.
Hope D. Alwine's Capstone
The way I have set up my Capstone is through the development of a blog, From the Bibliothecary's Stacks and through the development of these Student Learning Outcome pages. Each page presents the questions related to the Student Learning Outcome and then sorts to explain them, adding examples through the artifacts of what I have completed through the course of the program and my work experience. The blog is designed to be more of the reflective portion of my capstone, giving the ability to note the journey with frustrations and moments of elation and how I've applied what I learned to specific situations.