The Interview
Posted May 20, 2013 by Julie Steenson
If you have followed my journey from mom to batgirl, you already know that I have committed myself to an unusual career path – correctional librarianship. A year ago, I did not see this coming. After my first semester, the possibilities for my library degree seemed endless and in fact, I was a bit worried that I would never narrow down my interests. Other than motherhood (which was my first calling), I did not expect to experience a vocation, a calling, an overwhelming need to pursue a very specific career. Then I set foot in a prison library, and my life changed. The problem with a desire to be a prison librarian is that there aren’t that many prisons or opportunities for pre-job experience. The good news about wanting to be a prison librarian is that the skills I acquire in a public library setting are very applicable. On top of that, I am a champion of the benefits all around to volunteering, and my desire to learn everything I could about prison libraries turned…
We’ll be back!
Posted May 9, 2013 by Katie Olivo
Hello readers, I gave our bloggers a few weeks off to recover from the spring semester before classes start up again. They’ll be back to regular posts the week of May 20th, which is when our first summer session begins. Check back to find out how GSLIS students spend their summer. As always, thanks for reading and feel free to comment with questions or suggestions!
School’s out for the summer… or is it?
Posted May 4, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
I remember telling a friend, way back in September, that I couldn’t possibly think about taking a class in the summer. I wanted to prevent burnout and make sure I had time to recharge my batteries for the coming year. However, the further I went in the program the more I realized EVERYONE’s here in the summer! Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but I would say at least 75% of my friends at GSLIS are taking at least one summer course. I, myself, am VERY excited about my summer course with Vivienne Piroli: User Instruction. I’ll keep you up to date on the many pearls of wisdom that will undoubtedly come my way. I’m also excited about my new summer job at Beatley library. HUZZAH! That’s right ladies and gentlemen; I am staffing the reference desk this summer at the Beatley Library. I am delving into the realm of academic libraries. I’ll also be reporting on the awesomeness of recording every reference transaction I have, the new subscription databases I learn about as well as Beatley’s…
Time to refuel…
Posted May 1, 2013 by Julie Steenson
Classes ended on Monday. Tuesday should have been a day to relax, but then there was that Call for Submissions that I had been thinking about for months, due on Wednesday…so between all the academic pursuits, my public library job, and my volunteer time at the men’s prison library, I am only now coming up for air. This semester was my most rigorous. I only took two classes, but I balanced more than usual, as my cluttered house and cobwebs will attest. My day job expanded, I added volunteering, started a regular exercise routine, and had some pet and family health issues. I would be lying if I didn’t admit to being exhausted. I am sure my family and friends are tired of my response to most invitations, “In May…can’t do anything before May.” I am not trying to scare you away. Some great results came out of this: I discovered minimalist running shoes, and my knees don’t hurt anymore. After 18 years of marriage, my husband learned to do laundry. I found my calling…
Library Laryngitis
Posted April 29, 2013 by Sarah Barton
Last week I had a case of acute laryngitis and could not speak any louder than a whisper, if at all. It wasn’t a huge deal (aside from being annoying), and actually led to some unintentionally comical and unfortunately stereotypical interactions when I was working at the library. People would come in and speak to me at a normal volume but I would respond in a whisper, thereby prompting them to start whispering. (It is a library, after all.) One woman even apologized after becoming self-conscious that she was speaking too loudly, at which point I assured her that I was the one having volume control issues. Speaking exclusively in a whisper is not particularly conducive to most occupations, but librarian is one of the few where it’s not that bad. Being a student, however, is not ideal when laryngitis strikes, as my five-minute final presentation was not particularly pleasant for my poor classmates who strained to listen to my hoarse, raspy voice. Needless to say, I am glad that’s over with. Wait a second…my…
End of Semester and the Simmons Community
Posted April 28, 2013 by lazylibrarian
I run a Tumblr about news that I feel is pertinent to women. A few times I have tagged things #simmons college, like this picture I posted that I snapped at our residential-campus café the other night. Since I have tagged a few things as Simmons or have mentioned it in my posts I have gotten more than one note from high school girls wanting to know more about the Simmons atmosphere. Unfortunately, I tell them that I am a Grad student and cannot provide much information about what type of classes they will take, what the undergrad events are like or even how roommate selection takes place. However I am always glad to be able to tell them that Simmons College has a diverse, warm and accepting culture. I see it in my limited interaction with the undergrad population, but also of course with the grad students in general and within my program. Friday night was the end of the year semester party hosted by LISSA, one of the student library association groups. It…
Do Grades Matter?
Posted April 27, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
As I check Moodle like a fanatic, waiting for the final verdict on my grades for this semester, I am reminded of a talk my professor had with my class a month or two ago when all of my classmates and I thought we were going to fail. We had all just received sub-standard grades for literature reviews. For most of us, this had been the first time we had written a literature review and its vastness was terrifying. Our professor described our journey to this paper’s end product like a walk in an unfamiliar wood: every time we turn the corner we should expect to find more woods, an ever deepening void of nothingness. As I said: TERRIFYING! My professor, who shall remain nameless, indicated that it didn’t matter what grades we got. At that point there was a collective sharp intake of breath. Grades don’t matter?! What! Of course grades matter. This is what I assume was the general mutterings or internal protestations of the group. Grades matter because we all want to…
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
Posted April 26, 2013 by Emily Boyd
It seems like only yesterday I was starting my first day at GSLIS. This semester has flown by and left me invigorated to learn more. All four classes I took this semester have reassured me that the GSLIS program is absolutely the right place for me and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I started this semester with no friends in the program, very little knowledge of the library profession, and no specific academic focus. Only a few months later, I am finishing my first semester with good grades in all my classes (fingers crossed!), a great group of friends, and a decision to focus on public libraries. When I first started classes in January, I had no idea how much my life was about to change. I leave for Rome in just under a month and could not be more excited. In addition to taking three classes in the fall and continuing to write for this blog, I have also accepted a leadership position in a student organization. I have been…
What’s the name of that book…?
Posted April 24, 2013 by Julie Steenson
Working in a public library, I often have requests for a book with an unknown title. These requests come in many varieties. A few of my favorites are listed below. It has a brown cover, sort of, is about this thick (patron displays width with fingers), and has an Indian on the front. Answer: The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks It is blue and was sitting right here on the New Shelf when I saw it about three weeks ago. Answer: Benediction by Kent Haruf I am looking for a book I read as a kid in the 1940s – it had a train and some kids…and they passed messages with the conductor or something… Answer: The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit We listened to an audiobook a while ago – it had some weird clock and something to do with eyes…and there might have been gypsies or something like that… Answer: The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski I love these kinds of questions. I heard today about another local library…
GSLIS is great, and everything. But let’s talk about Community.
Posted April 23, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
There have been a lot of events going on at the main Simmons Campus this week. On April 15, Boston experienced two bombs that rocked the famous Boston Marathon. Then, just this past Thursday and Friday, there was a city – district? – wide manhunt for the two suspects. I personally live in the Cambridge area, very near MIT. My husband works at the Whitehead Building, only a block away from where the valiant MIT Police Officer, Sean Collier, lost his life. I was terrified – my husband was still at work when MIT was put on lockdown – and I felt helpless and confused. Of course, eventually the manhunt was relocated to Watertown with a whole other set of terrors. But you all know the story of what went down recently – I want to talk about all of Boston’s reaction to it, and more specifically how Simmons reacted. Community is a strong word. Community, in my mind, evokes thoughts about people holding hands and having a strong bond tied to a location or…