Getting Involved
Posted September 21, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
It’s September and all around us we are inundated with announcements. Don’t forget, tomorrow on the quad, the annual picnic to save the squirrels! Save the date for next Friday’s twister mixer! And then there are the events that you really do want to attend. All GSLIS students automatically receive LISSA updates, and orientation is a swathe of sign-up sheets that put us on a million list-servs that remind us that there are learning opportunities for GSLIS students and librarians all the time. Weeding out the good events from the bad, rather the ones you’re interested in versus the ones you could not care less about, is a chore. It takes time to slug through the many, many emails you receive in your school inbox, your work inbox, and your personal inbox. Pretty soon, you’re ready to call the whole thing quits and give up on professional development altogether. I wouldn’t say that I have the whole thing figured out, but I do know that I need to participate in the dialogue that’s happening outside…
My iPad is Mad at Me, and Other Fun Technical Things
Posted September 20, 2013 by Emily Boyd
Last week my iPad and I got into a fight. I’m not sure what I did to upset it but it refused to cooperate. This led to a long (but thankfully free) visit to the Apple store. As it turned out, there was a software issue that wasn’t my fault at all, and the Apple Genius even told me he could tell I take great care of my iPad. I was less excited to learn that I have been using the “iCloud” storage function entirely wrong. I added insult to injury when I mentioned I should know better seeing as I’m working towards a degree in Information Science! The Apple Genius laughed and kindly taught me how to use the storage function more efficiently in the future. Although it’s never fun admitting that you don’t know something I’m glad to have had the whole system explained to me, not only for my own selfish reasons but also so I can explain it to other people who have difficulties. Despite having some technical mishaps in my…
Five Things I Have Learned Joining GSLIS
Posted September 19, 2013 by Jill Silverberg
Before I packed up the family car with dad to drive up to Boston for school, my mom decided to impart some advice for me to mull over during the course of my four and half hour long car ride. She said “Keep your mind open, everyday you are going to be learning something new, in and out of school.” I’ve got to give my mom a hand; she doesn’t normally offer such thought-provoking advice. However, since I was unable to go back home to Long Island for the Jewish high holidays, I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot lately, especially what she said to me two weeks ago. So, for my first official blog post for GSLIS, I’ve created a list of the top five things that I have learned since becoming a member of GSLIS. *The following is in no particular order and can probably apply to the experiences of students outside of the GSLIS program* Moodle is your best friend: Although this seems like an obvious one, Moodle is a resource…
Teaching in the Library
Posted September 18, 2013 by Julie Steenson
I want to talk about librarians as teachers, and I don’t mean librarians in schools. I mean librarians everywhere. I have encountered many academic librarians who talk about teachable moments at the reference desk. I have had many teachable moments in the public library, too, and in the prison library. Teachable moments come in different varieties, just like patrons. Some of my recent “students” include: An older gentleman who reminisces about the old card catalog and hasn’t a clue how to search and find on the OPAC. A ten year old girl who wants to know if we have more books “like this,” as she holds up her latest read. A teenage boy who is watching Under the Dome on TV and wants to know if we have King’s novel on CD…and while he is here, what other Stephen King books do we have? An inmate who wants the next book in a Science fiction series. A middle-aged woman who has gone back to school and wants to learn how to use our databases. A…
Making the Most of Autumn
Posted September 17, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
I am originally from the Midwest and moved out to Boston for the graduate opportunities out here. One of the best things about Boston is that there is so much to do, and with autumn rolling around I can’t think of a better time to explore some history the Boston area has to offer! These recommendations aren’t the “traditional” places to visit, and are often overlooked. For us Bostonians, however, they provide a wonderful opportunity to explore without tourists! Walden Pond http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walden_Pond Long known for the place where Ralph Waldo Emerson owned land that Henry David Thoreau lived on for two years while writing Walden, Walden Pond is separately a beautiful location that is only made more breathtaking by the changing of the trees. If you’re interested in the movement of transcendentalism, or even just want a peaceful place to ponder your navel, Walden Pond is a great place for you. The downside is that it’s difficult to get to if you don’t have a car – it’s in Concord, Mass – but if you…
You Could Technically Be A Better Librarian Than Me
Posted September 16, 2013 by Sarah Barton
The GSLIS curriculum offers four specialized programs: Archives, Dual Degree Archives/History, Dual Degree LIS/Children’s Literature, and School Library Teacher. If none of those “tracks” suit your fancy, then you are considered a generalist and essentially create your own track. Given the sheer number of course offerings, you can cater your classes to get down and dirty with a particular topic of interest. Given my interest in corporate/special libraries, technology is one aspect of the GSLIS curriculum that I essentially neglected. I took the one required tech class during my first semester, and that was it. GSLIS offers fourteen technology courses, which is more than enough to fill the eight electives that you need to graduate. Technically you could earn a GSLIS degree having only taken three library-specific courses, which would technically make you a better librarian than me. And I’m ok with that. There are all kinds of IT, systems, information architecture, web development, and other technology-oriented jobs out there, and I’ve heard that they generally pay quite well. Some of those jobs are in…
Autumn in Boston
Posted September 14, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
Why does cold weather feel collegiate? Walking into school yesterday was preposterous. It’s September. There’s a reason people fall for the “Back to School” sales at the mall. Autumnal wind, the smell of crisp leaves and the feel of a brand new notebook beneath my fingers is infectious. Don’t you just want to sharpen some pencils? I’ve gotten into the habit of arriving at my classes 15 minutes early, mainly because I like to people watch. I like to observe my new GSLIS cohorts lay out their new pens, write their name on the top left hand corner of their new composition notebook, and stack their textbooks underneath their chair. There’s something comforting about getting it just right on the first day even though, full disclosure, you don’t need any of these things for your first class. You need to come with an open mind and the capacity to listen to others. And yet, is there anything more refreshing than walking to class with the crisp morning air brushing your cheek, know that your backpack…
Back to the Grind
Posted September 13, 2013 by Emily Boyd
One week of commuting down and three months to go… Does that sound pessimistic? I really don’t mean it to. On the contrary, my week of commuting went better than expected! I used both two hour bus rides to catch up on my leisure reading and had three full days in Boston for classes, schoolwork and catching up on errands (including lunch and a shopping trip to the Copley Plaza with my aunt). After a full semester in the spring and my trip to Rome over the summer, GSLIS is finally starting to feel like home. I already know at least one student in each of my classes and a couple of my professors as well. As I mentioned in my last post, I have signed up for four courses with the intention of dropping one and this decision is proving more difficult than I had anticipated. I had hoped after the first week of classes I would have a clear idea of which course I should drop. That was not the case, I absolutely…
Last Semester Blues
Posted September 11, 2013 by Julie Steenson
I started the GSLIS program in January 2012, and with the completion of my three courses this semester, I will have finished my degree program. Woohoo! Well, mostly woohoo. I think I have the last semester blues. I know that sounds totally ridiculous. I will be done with homework, done with long class commutes, done with tuition, and I will have my MLIS, which will hopefully be my ticket to the job of my dreams. What in the world am I sad about?! I think I am more afraid than anything. Will it be too easy not to learn new things? Will I get tired, complacent and frumpy? Will I turn into deadwood? Will I stay committed to knowing what I need to know to be the best librarian I can be? I know these fears are unfounded. I will never stop learning with so many opportunities for continuing education through Simmons and ALA, and other LIS universities like Syracuse (where I am taking a WISE course this semester). I even have my eye on…
Database Management
Posted September 10, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
It feels so odd to be back in the swing of the graduate program. The transition from working full-time to the calendar of a graduate student…well, let’s just say there are pros and cons (pro: lots more time to refill prescriptions, go to the post office, make dinner, sleep… cons: well, a moth just flew out of my wallet. Oh yeah…this is why I need a job). I actually accidentally have been waking up at 5 am, which is odd because even when I was working I didn’t wake up at 5 am. I guess it’s my brain’s way of protesting at the schedule switches. But time presses forward, and what I really want to talk about are DATABASES. Databases are awesome wonderful tools that almost everyone on the planet uses daily. I was recently talking with a friend of mine, who complained that every job she has worked uses Excel spreadsheets, and why did everyone think they were so useful. Honestly? It’s because they’re primitive databases – data storage with lists of attributes and…