Looking Back On My First Semester

Posted January 23, 2025 by Mary Kassman

Spring semester is beginning and I’ve officially completed my first semester in the MLIS program! I was not sure what to expect going into my first semester of classes, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed them. I took LIS 407, Information service, behavior, and Ethics, which went over the basics of providing information services, common information behaviors, and the ethical dilemmas that information professionals might encounter while on the job. In a time where books and information are constantly being banned or censored, I found learning about the ethics of this profession to be extremely relevant and important.

The next class I took was 415, Information Organization. This class went over the fundamentals of organizing information, metadata, and the various information systems used by information professionals. I enjoyed this class because coming into this program, I had no knowledge of what information systems were and how they worked, but by the end of the semester I was able to establish a strong understanding of them , and feel more prepared to learn about the technological side of this field.

Lastly, I took LIS 438, Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice. This class went over the fundamental theories and practices that go into archival work, and is rounded out by a field experience where you get to have hands-on, real time archival work. For my field experience, I was placed at the New England Conservatory of Music’s Archives, where I processed and created a finding aid for the Harold Shapiro Faculty Collection. My field experience was my favorite aspect of my first semester, because I was able to see the concepts I was learning about in class, reflected in a real archives setting. Overall, I learned so much from this first semester of classes and feel more confident and prepared to take on the rest of the program and career in the Information Science field.