Using Information Science to Support the Girls Inc. Mission
Posted November 10, 2026 by Brianna Woodard
Two weeks ago, I began a new role as the Program Administration & Data Oversight Coordinator at Girls Inc. of the Valley, a nonprofit youth development organization based in Holyoke, Massachusetts, that serves girls and young women ages 5 to 18 throughout the greater Holyoke, Springfield, and Chicopee communities. The organization’s mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold through research-driven, pro-girl programming and supportive mentorship. Through after-school programs, STEM initiatives, leadership development opportunities, and mentorship, Girls Inc. provides young people with the tools and support they need to succeed. As I begin this position, I am already seeing how information management, data stewardship, and organizational recordkeeping contribute to the organization’s ability to serve the community and evaluate the effectiveness of its programs. As I settle into my new position, I’ve started noticing connections between my responsibilities at Girls Inc. and what I’ve been learning in my Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at Simmons University. Much of my work involves organizing program information, maintaining accurate records, tracking participation,…
Simmons and the Boston Book Festival
Posted November 3, 2026 by Sofia Azuara
Hear ye, hear ye! City of Boston Book Lovers! The Boston Book Festival is nigh! Or it was nigh. In and around Copley Square, the 18th annual Boston Book Festival took place on Saturday October 17th, 2026. Simmons University joined the list of this year’s festival sponsors for the very first time. The event kicked off the evening before on October 16th with a ticketed talk, a conversation between authors Michael Lewis and Geraldine Brooks, and continued on the following morning for a free all-day event. Booths from various sponsors and organizations lined the square on that brisk autumn morning. Simmons University’s stall stood proudly at the beginning of the row equipped with program information, themed crosswords, foam sharks, poll questions, and pens aplenty. There were an abundance of brilliant minds strolling and speaking at the festival. I heard a buzz from many of my Simmons classmates about the Classics Keynote speaker, Emily Wilson, whose 2017 translation of The Odyssey was the basis for Christopher Nolan’s 2026 summer blockbuster. I was particularly interested in two…
Electives in SLIS
Posted October 30, 2026 by Ashten Vassar-Cain
With course selections approaching, I wanted to share some insights on choosing electives. At the start of the fall semester, after completing the core courses for my program, I wanted to start branching out. Picking electives felt intimidating at first, but thankfully there is something for everyone! My concentration is in cultural heritage informatics, and I also have a strong interest in archives. When looking for an elective, I wanted to prioritize courses that supported my interests, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and provided me with practical skills. Fortunately, the two electives I ended up taking this semester seemed to be a perfect fit. First, I chose LIS 439: Preservation Management, which focuses on professional and practical skills. This course has been extremely comprehensive, and Professor Conn has made it incredibly fun and engaging. She walks students through common challenges they may face in libraries, archives, and museums, and also demonstrates how to create comprehensive strategies that can be implemented in a variety of environments. This elective has been fun for me because…
We Alchemize: Black History, Archives, and Reclamation
Posted October 28, 2026 by Brianna Woodard
What happens when records meant to define our history fail to convey the full narrative? We alchemize. We critically examine what has been documented, preserved, and omitted to understand the broader historical context. One of the most compelling discussions in my archives courses focused on the daguerreotypes of two enslaved African Americans, Renty Taylor and his daughter, Delia. Harvard professor Louis Agassiz commissioned these photographs to support racist theories of white superiority. Decades later, Tamara Lanier, a descendant of Renty and Delia, sought the photographs’ return to her family. A photograph can preserve history, but it can also reinforce the power structures that shaped it. The photographs depict Renty Taylor and his daughter, Delia, two enslaved African Americans, photographed nude against a plain background. Their images were created to support Louis Agassiz’s racist theories about Black bodies. Yet outside the scientific purpose imposed upon the photographs, they document two people whose humanity and personal experiences extend well beyond what the images were intended to represent. Nevertheless, their photographs became institutional objects, giving Harvard considerable authority…
Writer’s Block
Posted October 26, 2026 by Emmy Mahoney
Hello everyone! I am still working hard on my master’s thesis, and since my last post, I have begun focusing more on writing. That being said, as I work on the first draft, my brain wants to do anything but write. Here are the methods I have been using to push through my writer’s block. There are a couple of simple tricks that I use when I am already writing. One of the ways I try to get myself back into the flow of writing is switching to a font that I don’t normally use, something that is fun or silly. For some reason, this helps lower the pressure of writing. Similarly, if I find myself going back and editing while I am in the process of writing the first draft, I will switch to an unreadable font. This forces me to focus on what I am actively writing. My current favorite font for this is called “Redacted Script” in Google Docs. Another strategy I use is switching to a different section of my thesis….
The Sims 4 + a Master of Library and Information Science = <3
Posted October 16, 2026 by Sofia Azuara
Perhaps it may be too hard of a sell to convince you that the video game The Sims 4 and a Master degree in Library and Information Sciences are related. But that is exactly what my group partners and I are attempting to do in my “Technology for Information Professionals” SLIS-488 class. This course is a requirement for all students pursuing a MLIS degree at Simmons. Over the course of the semester we have so far worked with HTML and CSS, but before we move onto dealing with Python we’ve been tasked with teaching ourselves a new technology-based skill and providing our classmates with a tutorial. Though I’ve met plenty of people during my time in the program who come from the tech world or are in the Information Science and Technology concentration, I myself have never delved into coding. To say the least, I was a bit intimidated by the task. My two other group members seemed to be coming into the project with the same level of knowledge which was some sort of…
A Day in the Life of a Thesis Writer
Posted October 13, 2026 by Emmy Mahoney
Hello everyone! As I shared in my last post, this semester I am writing my history master’s thesis. With thesis-writing being my primary activity for the next couple of months, I thought I would share what a day in the life of a thesis writer can look like. On the days that I am not working, I wake up around 8:30 in the morning. I spend about a half an hour hanging out with my dogs and drinking a cup of tea. When I finish my first cup of caffeine, I can start to get ready for the day. This includes getting dressed and eating breakfast; today, I had some pumpkin bread and ate an apple. Around 9:30AM, I transition into working on my thesis. In terms of the thesis writing process, I have several different activities to choose from. This includes, reading archival or secondary source materials, continuing my work on my first draft, or editing my historiography, which I recently submitted to my thesis advisor for feedback. Today, I decided to continue working…
LISSA West- Food Drive
Posted October 12, 2026 by Jake Goldman
I’m happy to say that LISSA West, which represents SLIS students attending the West Campus, will soon be kicking off our second year of collaboration with the Montague Public Libraries to coordinate our Fall 2026 Food and Hygiene Supplies Drive in support of the Millers Falls Branch Library Food Pantry. Last year’s drive coincided with a crisis in the funding of the SNAP program, which caused many people to lose their benefits. This year, in the context of continued high levels of food insecurity, I know that all of our efforts will have a really significant impact. I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a bit about the food pantry because it speaks to the ways libraries can creatively expand their services to meet the needs of our communities. The pantry offers a variety of fresh, frozen, and dry goods patrons can take home during regular library hours, no questions asked. The story goes that the pantry got its start when my predecessor, Melinda, offered her sandwich to a patron experiencing hunger. Soon the…
Which Workplace is Right for Me?
Posted October 9, 2026 by Ashten Vassar-Cain
With so many workplace options available, it can be challenging for library and information science students to find the right fit. During my time at Simmons, I gained firsthand experience working in different libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs). I’ve put together some key insights and practical advice for students who are considering careers in different types of LAMs. Academic Library: Working in acquisitions and discovery for an academic library set a strong foundation for my career in LAMs. For a large institution, accurate metadata was essential to make our collections accessible to students and faculty. I learned from experienced librarians, identified items to weed from circulation, reshelved books, and updated holdings with more modern and complete information. My favorite part of working in an academic library was learning how large institutions prioritize decision-making in their collections. This has been extremely helpful to take into my work in smaller institutions. The most challenging part of working in an academic library was the large volume of items that needed processing. I would say that this is a…
If Life is a Slog, Check the Catalog!
Posted October 8, 2026 by Abby Edgecumbe
As you may know, I’m in the public librarianship concentration here at Simmons. This means that I take courses about public services, collection development, library advocacy, and many other topics. But what about real life? How do I actually use my public library? I live in Brookline, so my local public library is the Brookline Public Library. As of the time I’m writing this, I have 8 items checked out, 10 on hold, and 1 ready to pick up. The Number One way I use the library is by checking out books to read, and it saves me a lot of money. Recently, I was reading the books on the Booker Prize longlist, and I really thank the library consortium for working to get me The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams and The Renovation by Kenan Orhan so quickly. But I also love using the library to watch TV and movies on DVD. Here’s an insider fact about me: I hate ads. Anyone born before the year 2000 is shaking their head, me acting like DVDs…