Odyssey and Guidebook
(for MLS advisees)
Please send comments to: brownm6@southernct.edu


Department of Information and Library Science
Southern Connecticut State University

501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515
Fax: 1.203.392-5780 / Phone: 1.203.392-5781
Toll Free: 1-888-500-SCSU, then press 4

The Special Project and Capstone Portfolio Requirements

All students enrolled in the MLS degree program are required to complete a Special Project in lieu of a thesis or comprehensive exam as one of the University requirements for graduate degrees. The Special Project proposal is developed in ILS 580 Research in Information and Library Science. Students should see Graduate School's Special Project Proposal guidelines and project requirements on the ILS Website.

The Department of Information and Library Science requires all candidates for the MLS to complete an electronic Capstone Portfolio as one of the exit requirements for the degree. The Capstone Portfolio is a well-organized Web- and CD-deliverable demonstration of the body of work a student completes in the MLS program and how this work relates to professional competencies. The portfolio includes the Special Project and samples of assignments and projects from all courses completed for the MLS degree. See ILS website for Capstone Portfolio template and specific guidelines.

The completed Capstone Portfolio is valuated, using a rubric, by the student's advisor or ILS 580 professor. The approved Capstone Portfolio is submitted to the ILS Department on a CD and kept on file for review by faculty and accreditation agencies.

In preparation for successfully assembling and submitting the Capstone Portfolio as the Special Project requirement for the MLS degree, entering students are advised to gain early in their studies the skills needed to produce a Web- and CD-deliverable portfolio, to begin collecting work in at least a rudimentary digital portfolio, and to remain familiar with current professional competencies and how course work relates to these competencies.

For additional information on the capstone portfolio/special project see http://www.southernct.edu/ils/specialprojectrequirement/

Additional useful links:

• Suggestions for Portfolio Progression (admission to graduation)
• Sample Portfolio Template (While the Capstone Portfolio itself will be submitted to fulfill the Special Project requirement for the MLS degree, some students have a particularly significant project they wish to highlight and give it the special designation of special project within the Capstone Portfolio.)
• Sample Portfolio Assessment Rubric
• Dr. Brown's Special Project Handbook (Word doc)

Scheduling a Review of the Capstone Portfolio

Check with your advisor or professor.