Almost to the Finish Line!

Posted April 17, 2020 by Sarah Callanan

We are in Week 13 everyone! It’s the second-to-last week of the semester! We’re almost across the finish line! Usually at this point in the semester, I’m working on some sort of big final project to turn in at the end of the class, but oddly, this semester that’s not the case. I suppose you could call the Social Media Assignment my big project, as it was supposed to last until the end of the semester, but I actually met all the requirements for the project itself a while ago. Since my last post, I’ve completed my other two assignments, so all that stands between me and the end of the semester is some forum posts, readings, and lectures. This has been the strangest semester–and I didn’t even have to deal with too much disruption or transition as I was in an online class anyways.

Even though the pandemic has been going on, and we’ve been surrounded by change, chaos, and uncertainty, LIS 453: Collection Development and Management has been one of my favorite classes at Simmons. I always appreciate a class where I get a lot of practical and professional knowledge that I can use in real life situations. In this class we got to talk about topics such as collection development policies, evaluating and assessing collections, how to select material for collections, acquisitions and budgets, collection sharing and consortiums, weeding and de-selection, copyright and fair-use, licensing, open-access, and special collections. I’ve had so many interesting projects–such as the Social Media Assignment! I was so apprehensive about it at first, as I really didn’t have any desire to have a personal Twitter account. The project has really given me an appreciation for the platform, and I think I may keep my personal account going. Who would have thought? It has really helped me feel less isolated and more social during this pandemic. I really enjoyed this class, and I cannot recommend it enough. LIS 453 really has been a bright spot in this difficult time for me.