Libraries
Posted February 21, 2012 by Sarah Barton
Last summer I visited the Library of Congress, and the Jeffersons Library exhibit blew me away. A pane of glass separated me from Thomas Jeffersons personal collection the collection that spurred the advent of the Library of Congress. My inner librarian sang out (albeit quietly) with ecstasy. As presidents go, I have always been partial to Abe Lincoln. He single-handedly made the top hat iconic. But upon seeing Jeffersons library, I could feel my allegiance shifting. I cursed myself for visiting Honest Abe earlier that morning, and doubly cursed the Tidal Basin for making the Jefferson Memorial inconveniently remote for pedestrians. To atone for my Jefferson snub, I read a book called Jeffersons Books while intermittently stroking the face of a nickel. Among other things, I learned that Jefferson was a connoisseur of books and information to the extent that he could never, ever have enough. In an 1815 transaction that induced much disdain from Jeffersons political opponents, the U.S. Government purchased his library of 6,700 books for $23,950.1 Cyrus King lamented that Jeffersons…
The wonders of LISSA
Posted February 19, 2012 by Maya Bery
One of the many nuggets of useful information I received at new student orientation in July 2010 was the way the LISSA officers kept reminding us of the fact that each GSLIS student receives an allotted amount of money for professional development each year. As long as you fall within the yearly limit, LISSA will reimburse 75% of the cost of any professional development-related activity. What really stood out to me however, was the fact that the LISSA officers stressed how few people took advantage of this opportunity each year. To which I say, GSLIS community, what gives?! The LISSA reimbursement is the ideal tool for the broke graduate student hungry for professional development (which unfortunately costs money). While I don’t want to comment on the specific rules for reimbursement, I do want to illustrate how the reimbursement has enriched me on a personal level. Last year, as an eager new GSLIS student, I duly signed up for ALA membership, and joined the two associations most relevant to my chosen path: AASL (the American Association…
A look at an updated library symbol
Posted February 9, 2012 by fox32
Library design consultant Aaron Schmidt has designed this alternate symbol for libraries, rather than the currently used “lone reader” (which while simple and striking, does present a potentially negative, isolationist attitude). He notes, “Theres still room for solitary reading, sure. But theres more going on. There are people. Not only do we need to think of our institutions in these terms, we need to convince the public to think of us like this too. Otherwise, more libraries will turn into kiosks.” I like it. I had never clocked that the older symbol represented an L have to admit…
Hey Remember me?
Posted September 13, 2011 by homerj
Of course you do! No? Well – I’m Jason and I used to be the Graduate Student Ambassador for Simmons GSLIS. I graduated this past May and I wanted to tell you about what I have been up to since graduation. Job Searching While I was an immensely busy individual during school it was my goal to have at least 1 interview booked before graduation. Before the finals rush of work I applied to every job I was remotely interested in. Before graduation day I had 2 interviews and the following week I got a 3rd. With the economy the way it is, I had a back up plan as a paraprofessional librarian (where I worked throughout school) Phone Interviews Does anyone actually like phone interviews? How can people see my stunning personality over the phone? On top of that, I think I use the phone 5 times a week. Cell phones aren’t for talking people – they’re for texting /web-searching /IMDB’ing /social networking – but for talking? Let’s be honest the only reason why…
So much to talk about
Posted April 12, 2011 by homerj
Where will I start? I guess I should start by letting all the readers know why I have neglected blogging this semester. I took over the responsibilities of the “Fellow for Dean’s Initiatives” while they hunt for the new fellow. (The past Fellow got a ‘big kid’ archives job in RI.) So I have been planning all of the events around GSLIS. This is a really fun job, but there are so many events it takes up all of my time! We have these programs called “Lunchtime Lectures” and they are informal ‘classes’ but instead of learning about the reference interview, you learn about happiness. You are also welcomed/encouraged to bring your lunch to any of these series. There are some refreshments available and a number of professors attend the event. Another notable aspect of these lectures is the fact that you get to have an introduction of a topic even though you are not in a specific concentration. For example, a few weeks ago I attended a lunchtime lecture about censorship in children’s literature….
Posted January 31, 2011 by homerj
It is my last semester and I am seriously kicking myself in the rear for not applying for more school because I really do not want to be a grown up. (Yes, I realize the fact that I am 24 and therefore an adult but as long as I am in school I can be in denial.) Now that the semester is underway, I need to start seriously applying for jobs. So I thought I would share some solid websites/listservs and job hunting venues with you. ALA JobList: http://joblist.ala.org/ This is the American Library Association job site and contains up-to-date job openings. My favorite part of this website is the face that I like them on facebook. The facebook page posts dozens of different links, blogs and articles all around the topic of finding a job. I have read some seriously helpful information from this website and facebook. For Massachusetts the Library Board of Commissioners maintains a job listing database here: http://mblc.state.ma.us/jobs/index.php. This is helpful for professional and pre-professional roles. (It is always a good…