Two Years Down!

Posted December 18, 2019 by Sarah Callanan

As I mentioned in my last post, I am now officially halfway through my program! I started at Simmons back in Spring 2018, and I have completed 18 of the 36 credits needed to get my MS in Library and Information Science. WOO!!! I’ve learned so much in these past two years, and I’ve grown a lot as a person. Last December, I did a post of the lessons I learned and my takeaways from the program, and I thought I would expand on that now that I’m halfway done.

I’ve learned so much over the past two years. I came to Simmons with no library experience whatsoever, and getting this degree has been such an education for me. My first year I took all the core classes, so that really laid the foundation of learning about search strategies, information organization, technology, and professional standards in the LIS industry; whereas this year I took all electives that helped me explore different areas of LIS, and helped supplement my knowledge.
I’ve learned the importance of having goals. All of us came to Simmons with one goal in common–to get our degree, but it’s important to also have your own personal goals as well.
I’ve learned that there is no “right” way to do this degree. Simmons has so many options so you can make this degree work with your lifestyle. You can go to school full-time, part-time, or take one class at a time (like me!). You can do all of your classes online, you can take them all in Boston, you can take them all at the SLIS West campus, or you could mix and match as you like. The only thing you have to do is meet the program requirements and complete the program within six years. If you are willing to put in the time, money, and effort to get this degree, make it work for you.
I’ve learned to make the most of my time in grad school. You get out of the program what you put in to it and I’m hoping to get as much experience as possible and to take advantage of all the opportunities available to me.
Getting involved and getting experience is so, so, so important. This was in my post last year, but I’m doubling down on it this year. Whether it is volunteering in a library, getting a job, joining a professional organization, joining a club at Simmons, volunteering at SLIS (like writing a blog post here!), or something else, it can help you become more connected with the industry and with the program and can lead to more opportunities later on. Getting involved and getting real-life experience has been invaluable for me.
I’ve learned that all assignments are important, and will help you in your career. For example, this year I learned how to prepare a grant proposal. I had grant proposal assignments in two of my classes this year, and going through the process of writing a grant proposal is an incredibly valuable real-world skill.
I’ve joined a few professional organizations! Last year I joined the American Library Association and the Massachusetts Library Association, and this year I continued my membership with both of them and I also added memberships to the Association of College and Research Libraries and the New England Library Association.
I’ve learned the importance of thinking about and planning for the future.

These are just a few of my thoughts on my time in the program so far. I’ve made a lot of strides both personally and professionally over the past two years, and I’m excited to see what the future holds! I know there’s a lot of hard work up ahead, but I’m looking forward to what comes next.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

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