Student Snippets A Window Into The Daily Life & Thoughts of SLIS Students

Elizabeth Jarcy

Hi, I’m Elizabeth Jarcy, and I’m genuinely terrible at writing about myself. I’m in my second year here at Simmons SLIS in the archives concentration. I live here in Boston (but was born and raised in Texas, yeehaw) and go to the main campus for classes. I work for Simmons graduate nursing admissions and have an internship at the Boston Athenaeum, which is amazing. I love coffee, dogs, goldfish snack crackers, and history. Pretty sure I’m the only active Boston SLIS blogger, so I’ll do my best to impart my Beantown wisdom with you all!



Entries by Elizabeth Jarcy

Moving Day Advice

Moving day. Don’t be afraid. It’s a tedious and crazy couple of days, but the city of Boston has a pretty thorough system, considering that about 90% of leases go up August 31 and September 1st. There’s a LOT of moving in the city. This is my first time moving in Boston, and it’s a little overwhelming, so I’m going to talk about the major obstacles and how to avoid/tackle them as I’ve come to understand it. (Get ready for another “listicle”. I could totally write for Buzzfeed.) 1. Parking. This is a big one. Boston’s got a fun, delightful mix of narrow and one-way streets, so parking can be incredibly difficult on a ‘low-traffic’ day. If you’re employing the use of a moving truck, you need to apply for a moving permit through the City of Boston website. You can only apply online if your moving date is at least two weeks away, and no more than a month away. You can apply in-person and online – if you choose in-person, go as soon…

Librarians: Myth and Fact

During my first year in library school, I’m noticing things about my classmates as well as people in the field. I’m noticing what is and isn’t true about people in the library science field and what stereotypes don’t hold true. I figured I’d address the most common things you should know about people in the field before you come in with all the normal assumptions (as I did). These stereotypes apply to all library science careers, but I’m going to use the term ‘librarian’ for the sake of brevity. Librarians are quiet. This could not be more untrue. Librarians LOVE to talk. You’ll take a reference class where you learn how to talk. If you ever encounter me on campus or in class, God bless your cotton socks, because I will talk your ear off. Part of being a good and effective library sciences student and future employee is being able to talk and communicate effectively, just like any other field. Jobs in library science aren’t jobs where you show up to work and don’t…

Riding The (Heat) Waves – In Boston

It’s official: summer is HERE, and hotter than ever. Coming from Texas, I’m used to the humidity and heat, but not walking around in it – Texas is too big to walk so everyone drives! But here in the ‘Walking City’, I’ve had to adjust to hoofing it wherever I need to go. The MBTA is a blessing and a curse – sometimes the air conditioning is a gift, but other times when the AC is not working it can be a cruel joke. That said, summer in Boston is actually very lovely, as it not only gives me a reprieve from classwork, but lets me actually explore the city I’ve been living in for almost a year. As a SLIS student, museums and libraries are obviously at the top of my list of things to do, and Boston is jam-packed with incredible institutions. The Boston Public Library, the Boston Athenaeum, and the Cambridge Public Library are my top three, although I do like visiting local branches and see how everyday people like me are…