<LIS 488>
Posted April 17, 2025 by Emmy Mahoney
In order to complete the MLIS degree, we are required to take a course called Technology for Information Professionals. This class essentially teaches the fundamental principles of technology. At the beginning of the semester, I was really intimidated by this class. I had never considered myself well-versed in technology, so reading words like Python, HTML, and Cascading Style Sheets on the syllabus made me very nervous. Now, as we near the end of the semester, I can say that this class has boosted my confidence in technology. For our final project, we are making websites using HTML coding. We started this project at the beginning of the semester, and have been working on it for our weekly assignments. Through this project, I have learned that a lot of the coding process is trial and error, and that can be tedious. That being said, nothing is more satisfying than figuring out the right code and seeing the elements appear on your website exactly how you want them to look. In the early stages of the project,…
Commencement Reminders
Posted April 14, 2025 by Isabella Rodrigues
Hello everybody! As Commencement on May 16th is just around the corner, I thought it would be fruitful for you as well as me to go over some logistics.
Favorite Resources of a Boston-based Student
Posted April 11, 2025 by Aurora Daniel
As a Boston-based student I rely heavily on campus resources for things like working out, accessing course materials, and eating so I figured I should share some of my favorites just in case they might be helpful. 1.) Holmes Sports CenterI use the sports center multiple times a week. As someone with chronic physical health problems I need to stay active otherwise my pain becomes unbearable. While I primarily use the free weights and stationary bikes there is an indoor track, swimming pool, basketball court, fitness studios, a spin studio, and a number of fitness classes that are open to all students. The sports center is included in your tuition and fees so it’s something that you should take advantage of if you’re a Boston-based student. Since I both work on campus and take in-person classes it’s really convenient to go to. If you’re looking to save a bit of money on gym membership fees definitely check it out! 2.) Beatley LibraryI may be a bit biased since I work here, but Beatley is an…
Spring Reader’s Advisory
Posted April 10, 2025 by Isabella Rodrigues
Hello everyone! I thought it might be a good idea to take a break and reset. I for one, am very excited about graduating and finally being able to get some fun reading in. So in celebration of that, here are some books I am eager to read this spring and summer! A bloodthirsty governess arrives at a wealthy manor and strives to leave her violent compulsions in the past. But, between the entitled children and awful parents… she might have to take matters into her own hands. Soon to be a movie! I absolutely loved Rachel Gillig’s last series The Shepherd King, so I am very excited for this new fantasy novel by her between a prophetess and a knight. From acclaimed author, Zadie Smith, comes a story of two people in 1873 England—Mrs. Eliza Touchet and Andrew Bogle as they navigate the world of the past that isn’t that distant from our present. I never read this popular YA series as a kid, but I’ve always wanted to. Set in a world where…
Springtime in New England
Posted April 8, 2025 by Emmy Mahoney
Hello everyone! As the weather gets warmer, I thought it would be fun to create a list of my favorite things to do in and around Boston during the spring. When the weather gets nice, one of my favorite activities is to take a walk in the woods. The Mass Audubon organization has several different nature sites across Massachusetts. My favorites are Moose Hill in Sharon and Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield. Admission to these sites generally costs between $5 and $10 and gives you access to miles and miles of trails to explore. In case the woods are not your favorite, Massachusetts also has several flower picking locations that open up this time of year. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Wellesley and Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon both offer tulip picking beginning in mid April. These locations are great if you only want to spend some time outside. There are also plenty of fun things to do in Boston when the weather warms up. With Simmons’ proximity to Fenway Park, going to a…
Hiring Freezes: What it Means for Us
Posted April 4, 2025 by Isabella Rodrigues
As I’m sure many of you know, most academic universities, non-profits, and federal institutions seem to be in some sort of limbo with their hiring. Of course, I’m speaking generally, but it seems when I send an application in for a post-graduate position, I receive an email back stating that the organization is on an indefinite hiring freeze due to the changes in the federal government. Many of my SLIS friends, peers, and coworkers are starting to worry. I won’t lie and say I might also be starting to worry. My managers at my library job have already sent check-ins (all appreciated), but it doesn’t help our collective anxiety much. The job market is not looking good and it is not our fault. I really don’t know what else there is to say. I think communally we will come through this and I know a lot of students graduating this year or even next year will feel a little left behind or angry. This is normal and there are always resources available if you need…
Hard To Believe The Semester Is Almost Over
Posted March 31, 2025 by Mary Kassman
With only a few weeks left, it is hard to believe that this semester is almost over! With every week, my knowledge of the Library and Information Science field continues to grow along with my passion to keep learning new things. In my Digital Stewardship class (LIS 448) we are wrapping up a group project where we digitized and created an online collection of different pieces of art from around Boston. This project, and class, has really taught how important good metadata and description is when it comes to creating digital resources and surrogates. Fostering users’ access to the information they are looking for is at the heart of what we do as information professionals, and that can’t be executed well if there are no good descriptions and access points that aid in its discoverability. I am seeing this also reflected in my photographic archives class (LIS 471) as well. We have been analyzing multiple different online photographic collections to see what works and what does not when it comes to organization and description. The…
Cover Letters!
Posted March 24, 2025 by Isabella Rodrigues
Hello everyone! This week I thought I would write about something I hate a lot: Cover letters. Cover letters can be what makes or breaks an application and personally I spend a lot of time perfecting and tweaking it for every job. It is annoying for many reasons, one of which is that new hiring trends use AI to scan cover letters and resumes (what is the point of writing one when a robot determines your value?) Also many organizations have an application portal where you have to input the information found in a cover letter and resume into separate sections anyway. Again I stress: what is the point? Pick one way for me to tell you I worked somewhere for however long and had these responsibilities. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this current process takes a lot of time, way more than sending a quickly edited resume and letter. It drives me nuts. That being said, cover letters themselves are an art. An art I am not good at because I…
Diving Into The Archive
Posted March 20, 2025 by Emmy Mahoney
This semester, I have really been able to delve into the archives portion of the dual degree program, and I am having so much fun! I am currently taking two archives classes; the first class is called Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice, and the second is Archives, History and Collective Memory. In my introductory course, we have been exploring the fundamental principles of the archives, including original order and provenance. For this class, we are also paired with an institution for an archives internship. I just started mine at the beginning of March, at the Moses Brown School, in Providence, Rhode Island. This is my very first time working in an archives and it’s really cool to be applying what I have learned in class to this position. As I progress through this internship, I promise I will tell you all about it! In my second archives course, we have been contemplating how groups of people remember and the idea of a shared past. This class is so fascinating and has given me an…
Making The Most Of My Field Placement
Posted March 19, 2025 by Aurora Daniel
As mentioned previously, I’m taking LIS 438 – Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice. This course has two components: the typical readings and lectures that provide a crash course to archival appraisal, acquisition, and processing as well as a 60-hour long field experience. My winter break internship felt like a nice preview of what I would be learning in this course, and so far it’s been nice to flesh out some of theconcepts and challenges that came up in that project and to be able to actively learn from my mistakes. One of the surprising parts of this course has been the history of archival collecting and how archival collections have been organized. In undergrad I was immersed in the museum world and museum collections cataloging which, while there is some overlap between the two, is very different from how archives organize their collections. Additionally, the development of the two fields and their standards couldn’t be further from each other, with archives in some cases resembling libraries more in its developments whereas museums are a…