The Great Library Cat Debate
Posted April 10, 2013 by Julie Steenson
Nothing gets people more worked up than their pets. I belong to many forums on library issues, and recently, the issue of a library cat was the hot topic on an ALA LinkedIn Forum. The title of the discussion was: “A Grinch in Swansea, MA wants the library’s feline resident, Penny, to find a new home. Does your library have a pet?” The “Grinch” in this case, is making the claim that the cat’s “presence violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because people with allergies to animals are being discriminated against if the cat is there when they want to use the library.” Full article: http://www.turnto10.com/story/21809894/swansea-man-says-librarys-cat-violates-ada The cat has been a resident there for 14 years, and according to townspeople, the man doesn’t frequent the library, but that is beside the issue. The reactions on the LinkedIn forum were enthusiastic to say the least, with librarians on both sides of the debate. I quickly got into the fray by asking everyone: What about Dewey?! How did the famed Iowa library of the most famous library…
Being Frank About Fenway
Posted April 8, 2013 by Sarah Barton
Today is opening day at Fenway Park. Granted, the Red Sox have already played six games on the road to start the season, but baseball doesn’t really seem official until the boys of summer suit up within the confines of friendly Fenway. I am not a huge Sox fan, and they aren’t even supposed to be very good this year, but somehow that doesn’t seem to matter. Baseball has started, which means that spring is here and having a few afternoon beers is excusable in the name of watching “tha Sawcks.” (“Tha Sawcks” = “the Sox” with a Boston accent.) Boston sports teams have more or less of a cult following that can be borderline offensive to the uninitiated. For the next six months, many Bostonians will be living and dying with each and every pitch of the remaining 155 regular season games. I can guarantee you that people will come out of the woodwork to be in the Fenway area this afternoon, and I plan to be one of them. I think that “Red…
The Mysterious Line
Posted April 6, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
Have you ever driven or walked past a Shake Shack? What is the most distinguishing characteristic of this place of business? Picture it in your mind. See the line. Do you see it? I went there last night to see what all the fuss was about but gave up when I saw, l wondering what it is exactly they put in those burgers and fries. What’s the x factor? I read in a magazine about the Shake Shack CEO who talked about how the line builds character. How people want to conquer the line. It’s a “challenge accepted” concept. again, a line around the corner outside of the restaurant. Though it is spring, you really wouldn’t know that at night. So instead I chose a local burger place and was quite satisfied. But here I am stil You’re probably wondering what this has to do with library school. Nothing. It has nothing to do with library school, unless you get reeeeeally creative. Think about that longing and desire to cross the threshold of the Shake…
Awesome Advising
Posted April 5, 2013 by Emily Boyd
I have reached the inevitable point in every semester where all I can think about is how excited I am for next semester. In addition to being very excited about my upcoming trip to Rome (less than seven weeks to go!), I am looking ahead to courses for the fall. With class selection right around the corner I turned to my advisor for some advice (go figure) about the best classes to take in the fall. The GSLIS program only consists of twelve classes and with five core courses already spoken for we only get seven electives. This may seem like a large number but considering the fact that those seven courses represent your focus and areas of expertise it is important to choose them carefully. For a student such as myself who is very undecided about my future career path choosing classes becomes an even more delicate task. It is for this reason that I am so thankful to have my fabulous advisor. My experience with advisors during my undergrad was less than satisfactory…
The Art of the Symposium
Posted April 2, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a very cool symposium put on by many of GSLIS’ student organizations including SCoSAA, LISSA, ALASC, ASIS&T, Panoption, SLA, and UXPA. This Symposium was the second one GSLIS has ever put on, and provided a really interesting glimpse into many different areas of GSLIS. There was a keynote speaker, GSLIS’ own Martha Mahard, and four panels of students and past students. Each panel had a topic, and the panelists gave a presentation on their specific area of study and then answered questions. Overall, there were a wide variety of topics, from Technology to Ethics, and it was incredibly interesting to see what my fellow students were working on (not to mention impressive… I’m feeling like a bit of a slacker for not having presented!). An additional super-cool part of this Symposium was that it was available for both live and future streaming. As the Facilitator for the Archives Management Cohort Online, it was awesome to be able to present this opportunity to the online students that…
25-30 of 36
Posted April 1, 2013 by Sarah Barton
I think I’m a bit overdue for telling you about my courses this semester, so here goes. I am only taking two classes right now, as last May’s weeklong class and last semester’s independent study got me a bit ahead of the game. I’m pretty sure I have already referenced both of my current classes in some recent posts, but this post will serve as their official coming out party. Wahoo! Mondays, 9am-noon – LIS 403; Evaluation of Library Services This is currently a core class, and one that anyone who entered the program before Fall 2013 must take. That means that those of you who will be starting in the fall will not need to take this one…but you’re going to hear about it anyway. The idea behind this class is that in order to optimize library services for both patrons and the library itself, librarians must perform evaluations on different library programs and processes. These evaluations can involve surveys, a case study, or action research, among other things, and are often lengthy and…
2nd Annual GSLIS Graduate Symposium
Posted March 31, 2013 by lazylibrarian
I am still digesting everything…yesterday I participated in my first conference, Simmons 2nd Annual GSLIS Graduate Symposium. The day went well all things considered, but it was both an exhilarating and exhausting experience. I presented on the art panel and chose to talk about how we can use technology to integrate more use of primary source documentation as a means of context in art museums. It was not an idea I thought would create any backlash at all, and perhaps backlash is not the right word. It wasn’t hostile, but some of the questions I received after my presentation surprised me. But that is a good thing, and is the point of a symposium. It is all part of the peer review. When my very first question was pushing back at something I said instead of just a general question for further explanation I immediately felt my pulse quicken and my self-esteem plummet. But I quickly realized that the questioner was not attacking me, she was not even really attacking my work but simply bringing…
I Love GSLIS
Posted March 30, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
5 Reasons I love my Simmons Experience I love the man passing out copies of Metro at the Copley Square T stop. Every morning I come into Simmons I look forward to his high five and kind comment, “Your smile blows me away! Have a great day!” We need more people around like that every day. I love the reference librarians at Beatley. I love their desire and commitment to search for anything I need. Whether I’m talking to them on “chat with a librarian” or at the information desk I know their on a quest on my behalf. LISSA. They help me get my ALA membership dues and tickets for the summer conference reimbursed. How lucky are we to have a student group that advocates so powerfully for us and part of their job is to facilitate reimbursements for our professional development? Incredibly lucky! My professors! My professors who write back to me on the weekends. My professors who encourage me to go to their office because they really want to work on my…
Restaurant Week
Posted March 29, 2013 by Emily Boyd
Other than all things library and literary, I am also very passionate about food. I love exploring different restaurants and trying new things, I will eat just about anything. Although I’m absolutely loving library school thus far, I realize I’ve been spending nearly every waking moment thinking about school and need to spend a bit more time relaxing. Enter restaurant week. Boston is a fantastic city with lots of fun events throughout the year and one of my favorites is restaurant week. Twice annually, once in March and again in August, this event is a time when many of the most exclusive and expensive restaurants in the city offer a limited three course menu at a fixed price, check out http://www.restaurantweekboston.com for more details! Many of my friends enjoy food as much as I do and over the past few years we have developed a game around restaurant week to select our destination. We start an email chain where, after pouring over the menu selections online, we each list our top five or ten choices….
How Cool Are You?
Posted March 27, 2013 by Julie Steenson
At this point in my education (just past the halfway mark), I am bursting with ideas of how to be a game-changing librarian. I am also eager to turn ideas into actions. After all, being a 21st century librarian is about a lot more than storytime (not that I don’t also love storytime!). In fact, no matter what your interest as a librarian, an opportunity exists for you to make a difference. If you need a little motivation, check out these cool librarians!