Reflecting on my First Year: Archives Management and Required Courses, Semester 1

Posted October 1, 2025 by Laura Kiely

My first and second semesters here at Simmons were dedicated largely to completing the required courses here at Simmons. I am attending Simmons full-time, meaning I am taking three classes per semester each Fall and Spring. There are three courses that everyone here at SLIS are required to take: 407, 415, and 488. In the archives concentration, there is a similarly prescriptive set of three classes, but these are to be taken in sequence: 438, 440, and 442. My first semester here at Simmons I took 407, 415, and 438, which I think was the best introductory set of classes for the archives concentration. For more context, I am taking classes in-person in Boston, so some of my class selections have been made based on course availability, as I find I learn best in person, but this selection of first semester classes would be equally effective online. 

LIS-407 is truly the most introductory class to the concept of libraries and library science, so I find it is most valuable in your first semester. The three required courses for everyone must be completed in the first 18 credits, or two semesters full time, but I would highly recommend taking 407 in your first semester. Beyond introductions to library science as a whole, you will meet other new students across a variety of concentrations, and you will learn more about research skills and university resources. Meeting a variety of future librarians in 407 is a worthwhile starting point, as in any concentration, especially the prescriptive three-course core of archives management, you will see a lot of familiar faces over and over. I adore my friends and classmates in the archives concentration, but archives often need to work with librarians! 

LIS-415 is good to take early, though you will not miss out by taking it in your second semester. I found it particularly useful going into LIS-440, where there is more encoding and navigation of minute details. Archives people: take 415 before 440 if possible! And, in 415, you will learn the very basics of cataloging. If this is something you dread, then it’s over with quickly. However, I have many friends who found they really enjoyed cataloging, and are going on to take more advanced cataloging courses, inspired by 415. It’s one of those classes that stress-tests if you are passionate about encoding and cataloging, which is good to know in any library field. I particularly enjoyed the professor, Ralph Holley, who made the 6-9 PM course engaging and gave us ample breaks to stay alert throughout the class. 

LIS-438 is the start of the archives track, and I know all archives management students are clamoring to take it in their first semester. I do think there was value in taking it my first semester, it makes for more flexibility in my schedule in my second year, and I got to do my internship right away, which helped with future job applications here in Boston. Several archives internships or other part-time graduate jobs require LIS-438 in the Boston area, as Simmons is so well-known in the region, and having completed this course made me a more appealing candidate as I applied for jobs and internships for the next year. My professor, Mollie Metevier, was excellent, and brought perspective from her previous work as an archivist. 

I found this to be an excellent set of courses to start my experience here at Simmons. This is a fairly common set of initial classes, meaning they are all very popular in the Fall semester. Friends of mine didn’t get into 438 during their first semester, so instead took it in the Spring. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are behind, I simply am taking the classes a semester before they do. Because the archives management core courses are so prescriptive in their order, I have a group of classmates that have been in the same archives courses since 438. However, some people choose to take time off, change the order in which they take classes, or simply have bad luck with registration, so there are always changes! If you’re interested in archives and cultural heritage, and are trying to choose between the two, you will not be late to the game if you end up taking 438 in your second semester, or vice versa. 

I also noticed, between these three classes, I would often have work and readings that either overlapped or were very similar, often in the same week or a week or two apart. We would discuss library ethics, then a week later archives ethics. We would discuss archival information management standards, then general information management. The three classes worked in concert to show how interconnected the field is, and how archives are distinct but not separate from libraries. 

Advisors are excellent people to talk to, but always discuss your class selections with other students! Reach out to students who have been in the program longer, those who have taken classes you’re considering, and those who know the school a little better just from time spent here, on campus or online, as we will have thoughts on your class schedules that you may want to hear. SLIS has excellent faculty and a wide array of courses, so learning what a class is about beyond the paragraph description on the course catalog can help you tailor your classes more to your interests!