Boston
Wrapping up the Semester
Posted May 1st, 2023 by Emma Hayden
It has been a chaotic semester for me, but this week marks the end of my first year as agraduate student at Simmons! It is hard to believe that just eight months ago I packed up my lifeand moved almost 3,000 miles away from home, but I wouldn’t change a single thing about myfirst year at Simmons.While I am filled with stress in finishing up my last project and papers, I cannot wait for the funactivities we have planned in class this week. I am about to submit my final LibGuide for LIS407: Information Sources and Services, where I created a research guide intended for anyonelooking to plan a trip to my home area of California’s Central Coast! Last week in that class wehad a huge potluck where everyone in the class contributed so we had so many wonderfultreats for our last session. This week, for LIS 438: Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice,we get to take a trip to visit the Massachusetts Historical Society which is located really close tocampus. I am looking forward…
Longer Days and Warmer Weather
Posted March 22nd, 2023 by Ivy Noonan
While I wasn’t super thrilled at losing an hour of sleep last weekend. I can definitely say I’m very happy the weather has gotten warmer and it’s not dark at 4:30! This has been really helping my overall mood and study motivation as we creep closer and closer to the end of the semester. Have you sat outside and done homework on campus before? I definitely recommend it. The trees in front of the 1 Palace Rd. building provide lots of shade and a cool breeze. The outdoor patio on the 5th floor of the Management building also provides stunning views and warm sunny rays while you take a break. One of my favorite spots to study is near the trees that look like they’re wearing sweaters between the Main College Building and the library. I’m glad they’ve been cozy all winter long! What’s your favorite study spot on campus? Or even off campus. I love studying in my office but I’m always partial to a nice coffee shop to work. I’d also always recommend…
Fighting the Mid-Semester Blues with a Little Green
Posted March 15th, 2023 by Klaire Chandler
This Friday is St. Patrick’s Day, a big holiday here in Boston. I’ve lived my whole life in New England, so it’s always been an interesting day for me, but this year I have met a few out-of-town friends through Simmons who are excited about their first St. Patty’s. On the one hand, I’ve got archival subject headings to identify and a Civil War literature review to write, but on the other, I’ve got corn beef hash and brown bread to eat. School’s important and staying on top of assignments and readings is essential. However, I just want to encourage my fellow SLIS students to remember to enjoy the now. I know that sounds a little silly, but we only have so long here at Simmons and many of us will leave this school and this city within a few years. Beyond that, I think it’s good to take a step back and plan some time for yourself. This time of year a lot of us fall into a sort of slump. I’ve seen a…
Summer Dreamin’ to Bust the Mid-Term Monotony
Posted March 10th, 2023 by Rebecca Devereaux
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
Posted February 24th, 2023 by Rebecca Devereaux
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…
Thesis Thoughts
Posted February 22nd, 2023 by Ivy Noonan
Hello everyone! I hope everybody’s been having a good semester so far. It’s crazy to think that this is potentially my last semester with Simmons. I’m currently writing my History thesis and taking LIS 456 – Records Mangement. Taking a class alongside the thesis is a lot of work but it’s been nice to be able to switch my brain off from historical writing to focus on an LIS project. Managing my classes and two jobs requires a lot of time management and planning out my days well in advance. I’ve found it’s super easy to get caught up in my to-do list and then forget about self care and doing fun small little things with a little bit of my free time. I’ve made a short list of things that don’t take a ton of time in the moment but you can walk away from feeling better. There are many others but these have really been helping me when I need a break. Good luck to everyone writing their thesis this semester and to…
Second Semester Successes
Posted February 6th, 2023 by Magenta Jasinski
I recently started my second semester of the dual MA/MS in Children’s Literature and Library Science, which has been really pleasant. After a trip back to Wisconsin over the holiday break, a wedding between friends over New Years, and a few days to prepare for CHL 436A Narrative Nonfiction, I was back into it. I have always enjoyed the dependable routine of the semester: wake up, class, work, go home, repeat four times, and weekend. Knowing what every day of the next three-ish months will hold is a great source of comfort to me. Another great thing about being in my second semester of the program is that I generally know who people are by now. Although I don’t know everyone in SLIS, I am an active member and moderator for our Discord group, recently renamed the SLIScord. I recognize people’s usernames and appreciate all of the fun things they put in there, which ranges from craft projects to job postings to club meeting times to book recommendations and more. I met one of my…
Welcome New Student Blogger: Regina Dziergas
Posted February 2nd, 2023 by Lindsey Clarke
Hello everyone! My name is Regina Dziergas, and I am currently enrolled in the Library and Information Sciences masters’ program with a concentration in Cultural Heritage Informatics. I am originally from Syracuse, New York, spent time in Western New York while completing my undergraduate degree in psychology/musicology at SUNY Geneseo, and moved to Boston in the fall of 2020 to start graduate school at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts for my MA in Ethnomusicology. So far, my favorite course at Simmons has been LIS 438: Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice, and I’m looking forward to starting my 60-hour field experience through that course later this semester! In my free time I like to collect books and vinyl records, practice flute and piano, bake bread, do yoga, hike, attend concerts, collect old cameras/shoot photography (primarily 35mm film), explore Boston, and spend time with my friends and family. I’ve also spent my last few years doing ethnographic ethnomusicological fieldwork in the greater Boston area, researching live performances, meeting and documenting the stories of local musicians/industry…
Wrapping Everything Up
Posted December 8th, 2022 by Rebecca Devereaux
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…
Book Events in Boston and Baltimore
Posted November 23rd, 2022 by Magenta Jasinski
As we approach Thanksgiving and eventually finals for the Fall 2022 semester, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the book-themed events I’ve attended this semester. I’d like to highlight the following three: First was the Boston Book Festival, which happened on October 29. (See Claire’s post about it if you’d like another perspective.) I went as an attendee in the morning and a volunteer in the afternoon. I had a chance to go to a comics panel at the Boston Architectural College which I’ve walked past many times but have never gone into. The inside of the building is very visually appealing with displays of architectural models, hardwood, and a spiral staircase. The event space was large despite the small number of attendees, the book sale table was well-stocked, the authors had a great conversation, and the questions asked to the authors were engaging. I ended up buying two young adult graphic novels after this event. Next, I went to the young adult horror event in Teen Central, which is the teen…