General
A Thought Provoking Discussion
Posted October 14, 2022 by Ivy Noonan
*Please note this post discusses book banning* I recently attended the event “Not in my Library: Challenges to Library Materials and Public Policy” that was hosted by Simmons. It was a thoughtful and discussion provoking talk surrounding a topic I’m sure has been discussed within most SLIS classes. The presenter talked about statistics concerning book banning and the common locations that they take place. They discussed also how the most common The presenter also discussed how book banning has increased in recent years and how books are the most common media restricted. It was also discussed about what are our jobs as librarians within this issue. The presenter mentioned how ALA now includes a section within their ethics framework that highlights intellectual freedom. As well as another line that shows the ongoing social justice work librarians must do in order to fight against systems of oppression, since we are often confronted with this issue. As a budding information professional I want to make sure that everyone has access to to the information we want and…
Another New Team Member
Posted October 7, 2022 by Lindsey Clarke
Welcome to Magenta! Here is a little about Magenta: Magenta is in the dual Children’s Literature MA and Library Sciences – Youth Services MSLIS program at Simmons. They moved to Boston from Milwaukee, WI in January 2022 after finishing their undergraduate degree. They graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BA in Urban Studies, which informs the work they do everyday. They works in the Center for Community Engagement at Simmons, so part of their job is coordinating volunteer events and helping faculty with their service learning classes. In their very limited free time, they enjoy working on cross-stitch projects, reading graphic novels, writing pen pal letters, and cooking with their friends and partner. They are excited to be writing for the Student Snippets Blog!
Hello!
Posted October 5, 2022 by Lindsey Clarke
We have a new blogger! Please welcome — Claire! A little bit about Claire: A Texan by birth, Puerto Rican by blood, and reader by nature, Claire is a former (and current) editor-turned-aspiring librarian. This is her first year at Simmons, where she is pursuing a concentration in cultural heritage with the goal of working in a museum archive or special collections. Claire spent her undergraduate years at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where she graduatedwith a BA in English and a much-too-long thesis on feminism and the postcolonial flowergarden. She’s tried on her fair share of professional hats, from events coordinator and romanticadvice columnist to graphic designer and Spanish Fulbright scholar, but she’s finally found herniche at SLIS. Claire has lived in Scotland, Haiti, Spain, and most recently Washington, DC, and she’s thrilledto call Boston home for the next chapter of her life. When she’s not focused on her SLIS courses,Claire works as an assistant editor in the curatorial department of the Peabody EssexMuseum—beyond that, she loves to dance, knit, brush up on her Spanish, and,…
Three Courses and a Practicum
Posted September 30, 2022 by Elizabeth Poland
It’s been a while since I last posted; I moved out of my old apartment in Allston, moved into a new one in Needham, and started the semester off on a very rocky foot. Who knew having a lease end on August 31st and the next lease not starting until September 15th would be so stressful? I also have a habit of completely rethinking all of my classes the second the semester begins. Thankfully (and hopefully), I feel like I’ve reached the point where I’m really enjoying all my classes, have cemented my schedule in place, and can now thrive! I’m currently taking two online classes and one in person. On campus I’m taking LIS 443/HIST 527: Archives, History, and Collective Memory. It’s a fascinating class that dives into how record-keeping and the writing of history entangle with the complexities of social memory. The course culminates in a semester-long project in which groups must break down an event, person, or era in terms of how it has been collectively remembered over time. In terms of…
Fall Thoughts
Posted September 16, 2022 by Ivy Noonan
I’m 100% sure it was only two days ago that I attended my first 407 class and turned in my website for 488. But here we are, almost two years later and I’m starting my final year at Simmons. I’ve pondered the idea of continuing my education (Dr. Ivy sounds pretty awesome), but post-graduation I’ll be retiring my hw planner and fully entering the workforce. I’m excited for the opportunities this will bring, as well as the potential prospects of moving out of Massachusetts (for a little bit) and really working within the field. There are so many different avenues that librarians can take for work and I find that super exciting. But before May comes around, I have classes to attend, jobs to work at, and clubs to run. I have some very excited ideas for events that Panopticon will hopefully put on later this fall. If anyone has had any thoughts on joining student organizations, I would highly recommend it. They’re a wonderful way to meet people and get more leadership skills. Now that…
Back to School: Apprehension & Anticipation
Posted September 6, 2022 by Johnna Purchase
Today marks the start of the another school year at Simmons. For me, it is the start of the in-between year as the dual-degree program is three years. For many of my friends in the single-degree program, today is the beginning of the end as they will graduate in the spring. I will use this year of transition to focus on the topic for my history thesis, to become more intentional with my “yes-es” to opportunities that align with my professional goals, to better articulate my professional goals. Already I’m thinking about how best to use the upcoming summer – an LIS course? an internship in a new city? researching abroad for my thesis? volunteering at the National Book Festival in D.C.? Single-degree students face a different set of tasks and questions. Their year is one of job applications and savoring grad student life, of apprehension at the application-interview cycle, of anticipation of fulfilling professional careers and proper paychecks. We are each in different places on the apprehension-anticipation spectrum, but we all share one common…
Saying Goodbye to LIS 439 and Hello to Beatley Library
Posted August 4, 2022 by Elizabeth Poland
I am about to finish the last week of my summer course, LIS 439: Preservation Management. It honestly really flew by, and I kind of wish a lot more of my classes were presented in seven-week increments like this was. Each week had one or two overarching topics, taught through numerous written lectures, videos, readings, discussion forums, and a few written assignments. I really enjoyed the practicality of the course; instead of pondering abstract concepts, we were taught the history of paper making, the chemical make-up of photographs from different decades, exactly how and why temperature and humidity aid in the deterioration of objects, and so much more. My favorite assignment was to write a memo as though I were an archivist at a library whose basement collection had experienced water, mold, and pest damage. We were given a very comprehensive look at the building’s layout, heating and cooling systems, recent renovations, source of collection materials, outdoor landscaping, geographic location, etc. It was fun to solve the mystery of how this damage occurred, what the…
Internship in the Outer Banks: Collection Closing
Posted August 1, 2022 by Johnna Purchase
Twelve papercuts. Four knuckle abrasions. Three split cuticles. I have finally finished unboxing, foldering, labeling, alphabetizing, and reboxing my collection. 161 archival boxes and 905 folders. In seven weeks. My hands and fingers took a much-needed break this past weekend! While I’m trying to revel in my sense of accomplishment, I still have two weeks left in my internship. I want to soak in as many additional experiences as possible. There’s a four-shelf display cabinet for an exhibit on my collection in wait. A finding aid that wants to be written. A coffee with my collection’s donor to share. A podcast with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to record. An oral history with a descendant of the original Outer Banks seafood empire to conduct. Just as my to-do list has reached zero, I have filled it back up. When I accepted this position for the summer, I made a promise to myself to embrace the slower pace of rural, island life as an antidote to the frenetic energy of studying for…
Internship in the Outer Banks: Learning from Leaders
Posted July 18, 2022 by Johnna Purchase
This past week ended with a two-day visit from the Special Collections Section Head for the State Archives of North Carolina, Judy Allen Dodson. Earlier in the week she had led a virtual monthly staff meeting, and I was impressed by how encouraging and supportive she and the rest of the archivists were. They genuinely wanted to learn more about the projects their colleagues across the state were working on and nerded-out together over new acquisitions like a collection of Civil War era photographs and sheet music from a nineteenth century Black composer. Used to the endless complaining and storm-cloud-gathering of department meetings from when I was a high school teacher, the enthusiasm for work and the curiosity about their colleagues took me by surprise. Later that week when Judy came to visit, all of her joy for her work doubled in-person. She took the time to really listen to each staff member, asked detailed questions to understand ways she could better support each member in their specific roles, and added in doses of humor….
Interning in the Outer Banks: Personal Information Organization
Posted July 11, 2022 by Johnna Purchase
Although almost a year has passed, I still remember the first Moodle discussion board topic for the course 415: Information Organization. It was my first course in graduate school, and I did not know what to expect. The discussion board topic itself asked us to classify our personal information organization style based on three criteria researchers derived that had been the subject of one of our readings that week. (Yes, you do have readings for your first week of grad school.) I struggled with this post. Not because of the content – I knew exactly where I fell along the personal organization orderliness spectrum – but because this, my level of computer file organizing, was how my classmates would first meet me. I have returned often to the ideas in that discussion board this summer as I have worked through my internship collection. On the one hand, I have been heartened by the fact that even though the best-laid organizational plans can crumble – life, the passing of time, other unknown factors get in the…