Rebecca Devereaux

Warm Weather and the End of the Semester

The warm weather has returned, and the end of the semester is upon us! It has been awhile since I posted to the blog, and I have a lot to share. This semester I’ve been completing aninternship at Harvard’s School for Public Health in their Center for the History of Medicine(CHOM). I have interviewed several of the people who work in CHOM. One of my biggesttakeaways is that when you are receiving a donation it is important to make the donor feel heardand valued. The archivist should not be in a rush, because often many emotions are tied up intodonations. This is another way to understand the archives as a relational space. I have also beenable to help with the accessioning of Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith’s papers. There is something sospecial about walking through another person’s career.At the end of March, I traveled back to Washington and attended the Washington LibraryAssociation annual conference. This year it was held in my hometown. I also had the joy ofattending with my mother who is a teacher librarian. It…

Summer Dreamin’ to Bust the Mid-Term Monotony

I have reached the monotonous section of the semester. School is chugging away, meaning there are papers to write, books to read, lib guides to build, and I am looking for the time needed to cook something more nutritious than top ramen or a quesadilla. If anybody told you the life of a graduate student is glamourous, they were seriously delusional. The graduate students I know tend to drink more coffee than is good for them, they struggle with anxiety, and all of them can’t wait to be doing the work that this degree will allow them to do. In library school many of the assignments serve as models. While it is necessary for a professor to have a standardized assignment to give out, it can personally be frustrating knowing that my work, as of yet, will not make a direct impact on a library or archive. The work I do is stuck in theoretical land. I am looking forward to truly doing the work, directly shaping collections and helping patrons. To expedite the process…

Mid-Semester Update

And just like that, we are almost halfway through the semester! It’s crazy how quickly ithas been zipping past. At this stage in the semester the larger projects are beginning to loomlarge in my to do list. My class on reference librarianship asks each of the students to develop aresearch guide. This is a cool project because I can add this to my resume not only as a skill butas an example of my work. In my archiving class we are learning the theory and practice behindprocessing plans and writing finding aids. On the library side of things this semester’s homeworkfeels very practical. I get to try my own hand at things which librarians regularly need toaccomplish. Slowly but surely, I am developing into a librarian!On the history end of things, I am off to a nerdy and exciting start. My history class thissemester is Transnational Labor History with Professor Sullivan. The topic of my final paper forthis course is loosely going to be tied to the labor of central Washington’s fruit industry. I amlooking…

Libraries in Germany

It’s good to be back after a really nice winter break. Happy new year to everyone! I had a few grand adventures which I wanted to update you all on. After going home to Washington for Christmas and New Years, I went on a trip to Europe! This trip really revealed my library nerdiness. Almost every place we went I forced my friends to go on a mini exploration of the local libraries. In between rounds of museums, long walks on cobblestone streets and breaks of kaffee und kuchen here is where we went! Prague: Municipal Library of Prague—This is where the Instagram famous infinity books photos are taken. There was a huge line for the photo station, which I walked right by to go snoop in their library. Prague: Strahov Monastery Libraries—One is focused on theological texts and the other is on philosophical texts. They are all lusciously old. Made my archivist heart happy. Berlin: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin—This library is so impressive. It is free to access and has some very cool collections. Berlin:…

Wrapping Everything Up

As the semester rushes to a conclusion, I am reflecting over the academic ride this firstsemester has been. I have been in three courses this semester: LIS 415 Information Organization,LIS 488 Technology for Information Professionals, and HIST 597 Historical Methods. Takingtwo library classes and one history is standard for dual history and library science students.I have experimented with online classes and discovered that they are well organized andstraightforward to complete. Going into the semester I was hopeful that my hypothesis wouldhold true, that if anybody can do online classes well it would be a school for librarians. So farthat has been the case. Even with learning the brand-new skills of basic coding I feel like I havegrasped the concepts! Taking a few courses online has been really useful since my schedule ismuch more flexible. I have been able to run errands and go to museums at quieter times, and Ihave been able to get a job which does not conflict with my school hours. If you are consideringtrying online courses, the Simmons library program is…

Museum Adventures in Boston

And the adventures continue! In this post I am going to focus on my obsession with the museums and libraries in the Boston area. Prepare for a lot of Rebecca’s brain in a perpetual explosion. My list of visits so far: The Central Boston Public Library (BPL), the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the immersive Monet and Impressionist exhibit, the Boston Athenaeum, the Simmons Library, and Emmanuel College’s Library. I have decided that the BPL is my favorite study space in Boston, at least at this point. I love seeing all the people interacting with books, research, and information. I am a fan of studying with the white noise of people moving around in the background, with children walking past, and with so many books at my fingertips. Beyond my visits to the BPL I also need to share about my visits, yes plural visits, to the MFA. I have been three times so far (each visit lasted multiple hours). I plan to go again tomorrow. And I have STILL not…

Outdoor Excursions

The semester has found itself in a rhythm. I understand what is expected of me and how to accomplish it when it comes to course work. Things which used to be wild hurdles have just turned into everyday speedbumps. While I still keep google maps almost perpetually open on my web browser, I am beginning to gain confidence in my basic understanding of the layout for Boston and its landmarks. Even as I explore the city of Boston, I have also been branching out into the surrounding area. A few weekends ago I made the trip to New Hampshire to go on a hike/ leaf peeping. Side note: leaf peeping is not a thing out west. It was a totally new term for me. Anyways, I drove through New Hampshire at the height of its Autumn beauty. If you have ever doubted the calendar pictures which show a hill covered in trees of all shades of red, orange, and yellow, thinking they may perhaps be photo shopped, I am here to tell you this really…

Off To A Good Start

Wow! It’s already been a month since I moved all the way across the country to begin the dual MA/MLIS program. Boston is not eastern Washington. I realize that should be self-evident, but some of the differences seriously surprised me. Where are the Fred Meyer’s and Safeways? Why am I now shopping for groceries at Target?! When you walk to get your groceries your shopping list gets a lot smaller too. I am finally learning why meal planning is so important. At least there is the continuity of valuing the great outdoors here in Boston. There are so many parks and green spaces. No matter what time of day I venture out of my apartment I am sure to see joggers and bikers and walkers enjoying the parks surrounding the area. Although it would take me longer to get out of the city to go for a hike, the number of spaces which encourage nature walks makes it seem less overwhelmingly city and more approachable. Although my library classes are online this semester, I am…