Petition to Proceed into the Library World

Posted August 1, 2013 by Sarah Barton

Most people know what it’s like to have an email inbox that is constantly full of crap. Listservs, gimmicks, promotions, mass emails that may or may not pertain to you but you should probably read anyway just in case…you know. I do my best to keep my inbox as crap-free as possible, which necessitates a fair amount of deleting things based solely on their subject line. Who knows how many emails I delete that I shouldn’t, but I do my best to diligently discard blatant crap emails while still opening anything that is, or might be, relevant. Last week, my usual subject line deletion system was jarred by an email from the GSLIS Student Services Center with the subject: PETITION TO GRADUATE form – 2013-2014.

This petition clearly pertains to me as I enter my final semester; thus, the email was granted the esteemed privilege of being opened and read. I expected the petition form to be long-winded and daunting, asking me to list every GSLIS credit that I took with which professor on which days and at what time. Instead, it was a very basic form that is intended to tell Simmons that yea, I’m ready to face the library world. After printing my name in my very best penmanship and confirming that I am indeed on the general (as opposed to archives or school library teacher) track, I made my merry way to the Student Services Center on campus and handed it over, and that was it. I have officially petitioned to graduate from GSLIS.

(Please hold your applause.)

Unless I completely mess up my last semester, or someone belatedly informs me that I have not met the core course requirements or that I actually failed that second semester class that I thought I aced, I will graduate in December. This is not breaking news, as I have spent the past two years telling people that I will graduate in December 2013, but completing and submitting that unassuming graduation petition was my first reality check. It was certainly an easy reality check, as the ones that follow are bound to include, but are not limited to: thinking about jobs, talking about jobs, searching for jobs, applying for jobs, interviewing (hopefully!) for jobs, being rejected from jobs, and (hopefully, fingers crossed, please please PLEASE have this happen by the time classes end) actually getting a job.

Come December, after a fall full of reality checks, I hope to look back on this post and wonder what the heck I was so worried about (and I ask that you continue to hold your applause until that very moment). In the meantime, I should start being more careful about purging my inbox – I can’t afford for any potential opportunities to end up in the trash.