Apps-olutely none
Posted March 22, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
I know. It’s a terrible pun, but here’s my question: where are the amazing apps for librarians? Where are the “must-haves”? Where is the list that circulates around blogs by amazingly talented librarians, who stay informed on this topic? So far, I have found nothing. I was given an ipad this week at work to integrate into the information literacy course I teach. All hate/jealousy mail may be forwarded to [email protected]. So, I’m playing around on the ipad this morning and I’m surfing the magazines offered on the app store and American Libraries, the official magazine of the ALA, doesn’t show up! I also searched YALSA, and found nothing. NOTHING! What gives, people? I know we all love the incessant naggings of the list-serv emails that crowd our inboxes everyday, but frankly, I’d rather access all the latest library buzz and book trends from an app. Isn’t it about time a fantastic app was released by the ALA? I’m going to write them a letter, or an email, whatever form of communication from the past…
Slow Cooking and Library School
Posted March 20, 2013 by Julie Steenson
I have a special relationship with my slow cooker. It all started when my daughter’s community theater involvement required me to be in the car, rather than behind the stove at meal time. I was not very creative back then, and we had a few standby recipes that I could throw in the pot early in the day and then pride myself on serving my family a healthy meal 8 hours later. Then came library school and my library job. Working in a public library often means odd hours. Public libraries are usually open some evenings, and that night shift is often shared by staff on a rotating basis. To add to it, my classes are all a long distance from home on either the main or West campus, so my school days are long days. By 7 or 8 pm, when I get home, I want a good meal – no canned soup or grilled cheese. I am tired and hungry and want to be greeted to the aroma of simmering spices and a glass of…
A Special Track for a Special Librarian
Posted March 18, 2013 by Sarah Barton
Sensing a trend in my peers’ recent blog posts about different types of libraries and librarians, I will brief you on where I aspire to end up after receiving my degree in December. As Maggie’s, Julie’s, and Emily’s posts each reflect, everyone at GSLIS has his/her own sense of an ideal library job, and I will add a different perspective about what I want to be when I grow up. In past posts, I have referenced my work in my local public library. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy working there, but one thing that I have gleaned from the experience is that public libraries aren’t the best fit for me. I have also made references to my internships at a law library and a corporate information center. Don’t jump to the conclusion that I am a business-minded, money-driven, public service-neglecting shell of a librarian, but those internships have pushed me toward working in the corporate library world. I came to library school expecting to graduate with a job helping people find and obtain information….
Ladies and Gentlemen…the lovely and talented Nicole Giroux
Posted March 14, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
I have come across many fascinating people during my time in the GSLIS program. The majority of these awesome people turn out to be from the dual degree program. So I can’t help but want to get inside their brains. Seriously, what’s in the water in the Children’s Literature department? Is there an awesome ratio they require upon acceptance? They are sharp, creative and fiercely brilliant. Seriously, don’t cross a dual degree student. And with that, I present Miss Nicole Giroux from the dual degree Children’s Literature program. Q: If you could be a character in any book who would you be? A: Oh, sure, start with an easy question! This is so torturous to have to choose. I’ve gotta go with Hermione Granger (do I even need to say what she’s from?!). I could certainly use her time turner and magical skills. Besides, she’s named after a Shakespearean character and is an intelligent and strong female. What’s not to love? Though, I must admit, I totally identify as a Ravenclaw instead of a Gryffindor. Q:…
A View from the Inside – or How I Worked so Hard to Get into Prison
Posted March 13, 2013 by Julie Steenson
Back in April of last year, I was contemplating all the places where one might find librarians, and all the places we, as librarians, could choose to work. (Librarian or Batgirl?) Finding the right library niche is a personal journey. We can read about different kinds of opportunities, talk to our peers and professors, but I am finding that volunteering is the best path to trying on a new library for size. I work in a public library – a job I got by volunteering there first – and I am learning a lot about small town libraries and how they function in their communities. Recently, I started volunteering in a men’s prison library after a nine month journey to get there. You wouldn’t think it would be so hard to get into prison…without committing a crime. Early last spring, about the time of the Batgirl blog mentioned above, I started to read everything I could find on prison libraries. I read articles, books, and blogs. I watched prison videos. I read articles about recidivism…
Librarians vs. Archivists
Posted March 12, 2013 by Emily Boyd
There are two camps in the library profession, the librarians and the archivists. Sometimes it feels like they are rival gangs and everyone has to pick sides. This doesn’t seem to be much of a problem because most students enter GSLIS with a clear idea which side they are on. But what about the rest of us? I see so many interesting ways to pursue this profession and I have wavered back and forth about whether to choose courses with an archives focus or take the librarian path. Two roads diverged in a wood one could say. After much internal struggle, I have chosen to take the librarian track with an emphasis and goal of working in a public library. Given that I had six different college majors, only time will tell if this current path ends up being my ultimate direction. If I end up in a public library I may very well be responsible for maintaining a small archives collection. Especially in rural communities, it is common for the public library to also…
Ode to Spring Break
Posted March 11, 2013 by Sarah Barton
As a graduate student, I feel a little awkward telling people that this week is Spring Break. I mean, Spring Break is soooo college, right? Last year I felt better about discussing my Spring Break plans, as I spent a week in the great outdoors of Arizona and Utah – far, far from the dreary New England winter. This year, however, my Spring Break involves a trip north (but not too far north) to my parents’ house in Portsmouth, NH for a few days. It isn’t going to be any warmer or less snowy in Portsmouth, but a different setting will certainly be welcome. This year will make for a far less exciting Spring Break story, but I am looking forward to it just the same. I am not generally a restless person, but this year’s winter weather has made me quite edgy. I have been spending an excessive amount of time wasting away in my apartment, and my weekly routine has been feeling even more routine than normal. Enter: Spring Break, exactly the elixir…
Digital Preservation Course
Posted March 10, 2013 by lazylibrarian
This semester I am taking a class called Digital Preservation. I haven’t had much previous experience with coding and such so this class has really taken me out of my comfort zone yet I can see just how useful it can be in not only the current archives field but in libraries as well. I see more and more advertisements for technology librarians; we no longer live in a print-based world in America. Having mused over these things I began to wonder about the set-up of Simmons’ Archives Program. As a dual degree student I am studying both archives, under the broader Library Science program and History as a separate entity. Some schools, like U.T. Austin also place their archives programs under Library Science or in the case of Drexel, under Information Science. However, some institutions place their archives programs under their History programs, like UMass. I have never been a part of the UMass program but as I delve deeper into these tech classes I can’t help but wonder how you obtain those technical skills…
What does your library look like?
Posted March 6, 2013 by Julie Steenson
I took a week off from blogging because I recently started a new volunteer/intern-ish position at a prison library, and I am still trying to embrace the new work schedule and commute, along with my job in a public library, and two classes. (We won’t mention laundry and housework as I am pretending they don’t really exist…) In the midst of my frenzy the last couple of weeks, my sister sent me a very fun link: The 30 Best Places To Be If You Love Books http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/the-best-places-to-be-if-you-love-books Take the time to go have a look at these amazing photos. The site quotes Mark Twain, “In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.” I could relate to this quote, and I imagine that many of us are here at GSLIS because this is how we feel whenever we walk into bookstores and libraries. So, enjoy visiting these unique book places…hard to choose a favorite but I…
Challenge accepted?
Posted March 5, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
So… I’ve always loved this youtube video. The more time I spend in Beatley, the more I really, REALLY want this to happen here at Simmons. We deserve some musical theater spontaneity in our lives. This is all there is from me today. This blog is a plea, nay, a challenge! Sing in your local library TODAY! It’s probably best to clear all box steps with the librarians first. Just a thought.