Back to Class

Posted November 23, 2020 by Sarah Callanan

We’ve had some time off from live (Zoom) classes since I last posted, and it’s felt really weird.  We had two weeks off—the first week we had off because of the election, and the next week was planned in the syllabus.  I’ve gotten really accustomed to the live classes, so not seeing everyone each week has been odd.  I know, this is the first live class I’ve taken at Simmons–I should be used to not being in class each week!  However, in the absence of live classes, things have been quite busy with some recorded lectures to watch in lieu of being in class, readings to do, and we have two big assignments to work on, not to mention our big semester-long project, as well as registration for Spring 2021! 

This week marked our return to live classes, and a start to what I consider to be Part Two of LIS 454: Digital Information Services and Providers.  Part One was all about learning about different types of databases and search strategies.  I’ve briefly spoken about this before, but this was a big part why I was so excited to take this class.  At my job, I usually work with medical and health sciences databases; however, I also want to be familiar with other types of databases too, so this class is really helping me fill in some gaps in my knowledge.  I love searching and learning about new databases with new search strategies is so much fun!  In this class, we’ve learned about all different types of databases such as Factiva, ERIC, PsycInfo, ABI Inform, Agricola, CAB Abstracts, GeoBase, Medline, Embase, Inspec, Social SciSearch, SciSearch, United States Patents Full Text, and so many more databases within ProQuest and ProQuest Dialog.  We’ve covered databases in the subjects like the social sciences, business, science, medicine, government, and more.  I’ve really expanded my knowledge and searching skills.  

Part Two, which started this week and goes through the end of the semester, is more about the role and duties of being an electronic resources librarian.  We’re focusing on collection development, acquiring and licensing electronic resources, managing and preserving electronic resources, and the future of electronic resources librarianship.  This week was all about identifying, selecting, and assessing electronic resources.  There were some familiar aspects to this from LIS 453: Collection Development and Management, but this time we are learning only about electronic resources and going in to a bit more detail about them.

This class is so interesting, and I am enjoying it so much!  I can’t believe the semester ends in just a few more weeks!  I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!