A Mid-Semester Update: Classes & More Field Trips

Posted March 16, 2026 by Brooke Thomson

Hi readers!

We’ve passed the halfway mark! Now seemed like a good time to go over some of my academic experiences so far.

Classes

I’m currently enrolled in LIS438 Intro to Archival Theory & Practice, LIS415 Information Organization, and LIS505-International Archives. Collectively, this has entailed lots of academic reading, at least 20 discussion posts, two papers, three group projects, and two final project proposals. For LIS438, I’m in the process of writing a 6-8-page paper exploring the literature on archival processes for live performance costumes (25% of my grade). In the same class, I’m also working on a processing plan for a small digital collection that’s worth 20% of my overall grade. Meanwhile, my group in LIS415 is tackling a hefty project on LRM Modeling, Description & Access (also 25% of my overall grade). In LIS505, I’ve just committed to making a StoryMap that introduces a history of language/terminology in the development of ‘archival science’ for my final project. I’ll touch on the Western-centric scope of archival standards, barriers to open-access and interoperability, and on-going efforts to introduce multilingual interfaces/linked data tools to our practice. Fun fact about 415 with Dr. Kyong Eun Oh: she plays Kpop music videos before class starts.

Field Trips

You might remember my old blog, “Field Trip to BPL Digital Imaging Studios and Harvard University Film Preservation Lab.” If not, check it out! That was last semester. More recently, I’ve gone on field trips to our own Simmons University Archives, the Boston Athenaeum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. My LIS438 class went to the university archives to hear from three professionals, explore their space, and go through some curated collections, like scrapbooks and children’s book manuscripts. We got to hear from Kelsey Kolbet (University Archivist), Gus Consing (Digital Initiatives Librarian) and Hannah Gershone (Archives & Digital Initiatives Fellow). One of the things that stuck out to me during the visit was the technology used to navigate their rolling stacks—a touchscreen instead of a manual crank. I immediately expressed skepticism regarding this. What happens if you lose power? What if the mechanism glitches in some way, exerting too much force or failing to move at all? What if the screen is unresponsive? We didn’t spend enough time there to really tamper with it, but it sticks in my mind as a distinctly modern development to our practice. A manual crank can malfunction too, or a user could swing it too fast and crash into another stack—but these are familiar problems with familiar solutions. What’s really uncomfortable to me about the techy system is just that it’s new and unfamiliar, I suppose.

Earlier in the semester, I also joined the Student Chapter of the Society of American Archivists (SCoSSA) for a tour of the Boston Athenaeum led by Mary Warnerment, the William D. Hacker Head of Reader Services. Going through the Drums was a particularly cool experience. In order to make the facility more fire resistant, this area uses glass catwalks for floors and iron free-standing bookshelves. Mary described them as “little skyscrapers” which is pretty accurate! I kept craning my neck to look down the side of the catwalk at the bookshelves going down, down, down…One day I’ll go back to look at all those Napoleon books. Afterwards, GSLIS alum Carolle R. Morini, the current Caroline D. Bain Archivist and Senior Reference Librarian, gave us a presentation on selected materials from their collection. My favorite was the circulation check-out book that included some names you may recognize: Paul Revere and Louisa May Alcott. I also liked the box of mystery keys—mysterious because no one knows where they came from or what they’re for! But I like keys in general, so I liked that box.

Lastly, going to the MFA was a different sort of trip. My first event as Chair of Panopticon—the arts-focused student interest group for SLIS students—was to take some students to the Lunar New Year Celebration. It had some hiccups, like a huge line to get in and a bit of maze-running to find one another, but at the end of the day I’m really happy we went and got to experience some wonderful performances and artwork. It was only my second time at the MFA! Another local event I piggybacked on was a visit to the BPL for a presentation on the Miss Elma Lewis Archives at Northeastern University. Like a lot of SLIS students, I’m not from Boston! I like to promote these sorts of events so we can get to know the city, hear from professionals in GLAMs, and just have a good time. Outside of that, some of the events we’re putting on ourselves soon are a tour of the Harvard Fine Arts Library and the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. Taking on this leadership role has certainly been a rigorous experience, but I’m grateful for the skills it’s giving me and the experiences I’m having because of it. I hope the students like our events too!

That’s all for now. Till next time!