John Singer Sargent is my jam, but so are weekend SLIS events!

Posted October 6, 2014 by Alexandra Bernson

As an online student working full time in the Greater Boston area, it is very difficult to participate in the multitude of SLIS social gatherings. Whether it is a lecture, a coffee meet-up, or happy hour, these events always seem to take place right in the middle of the standard work day. I understand that the majority of students at Simmons are full-time but I wish that there were more events during the weekends or week nights (I’m sure there is a trivia night somewhere in Fenway!) that might accommodate us 9-to-5-ers.

Last week, as I pessimistically scanned the events “This week @ SLIS!” courtesy of LISSA, I noticed an advertisement for a free guided tour at the Art of the Americas collection of the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) on Sunday, October 5th. The event’s description made me frantic: “ONLY 3 TICKETS LEFT!” I almost dropped my phone as I dove for my computer, opened up Eventbrite, and claimed my ticket. I spent the entire week in anticipation, and not only because I absolutely love a good walking tour. Finally, I’ll be able to meet other SLIS students… in real life!

I ended up being about 15 minutes early because of said anticipation, but that worked out for the best. Another student was there just as early, and the secret service-esque MFA guard refused to let us in until our group leader was present. Soon enough I met several of her friends, and we ended up taking the tour together and experiencing some Thaitation afterward. Before meeting these fellow first-year-first-semester students, my online SLIS experience had primarily consisted of me sitting alone, staring at a computer screen or reading a text book, and submitting activities and writing mandatory comments on Moodle discussion forums which the other online students often do not monitor or respond to. I do not work with any librarians or information professionals, and my family and friends (while largely pro-library) are not keen to discuss metadata or the history of libraries in the United States with me. It felt so good to meet other students in the program, discuss classes and professors, and otherwise hang out with people with similar interests and outlooks. We even discussed the possibility that all MLIS professionals are “doomed to be librarians,” but that story is for another blog post.

So please, let’s have some events outside of the 9-to-5 block! I hope that the student groups at SLIS continue to advertise social events on weekends and week nights so that other online students in the Boston area can attend and meet their wonderful classmates!

“The Fog Warning” 
Don’t leave us out at sea! More night and weekend events, please!