Professional Organizations: A Brief Intro, and How They Relate to You
Posted March 26, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
SAA, SLA, MLA, ALA… in the world of the library and all its’ properties, it seems like almost every three letter combination stands for a professional organization. And, unlike the title suggests, you don’t have to be a “professional” to join them! Many professional organizations are organized to help budding entrants into their fields. Because this is my first year into the library science world, I’ve been researching many of these organizations, trying to evaluate if they will be helpful to me pre-graduation, and what resources they offer. Here’s a quick glance at some of them: ALA, the American Library Association: the quintessential professional organization for anyone in the library field, ALA costs only $33/year and supplies its’ student members with newsletters, updates on the job market, free round tables, and even online classes! One of the biggest perks of joining ALA is the conference that is held once a year, usually in June, which brings librarians together to talk about the latest and greatest inventions, problems, and advances in the field. SAA, the Society…
Midterm Madness
Posted March 25, 2013 by Sarah Barton
Last week I had my first ever GSLIS midterm. It was open note, so beforehand I spent a few hours going through my notes and the slides from class to create a four-page cheat sheet of sorts. Compiling everything into one document like that works wonders for reviewing how much I have actually learned, and it was refreshing to have a succinct four-page final product rather than dozens of pages of printed slides that I hadn’t looked at since the class in which they were presented. I felt pretty good going into the exam. I felt pretty good upon leaving the exam, too. My cheat sheet came through for a few nit-picky details and definitions that I would have not so eloquently remembered on my own, and the time that I spent making it was definitely well spent. All things considered, it was pretty painless. But enough about the midterm – where is the madness? The madness is not directly related to the exam; rather, it’s a reflection on how completely crazy it is that…
Finding Archiving Principles at PAX
Posted March 24, 2013 by lazylibrarian
With a computer programmer/gamer boyfriend there was no way I was going to forget that PAX East, one of the country’s biggest video game conventions, was this weekend. Not being a gamer myself, I steered clear of making it a four day event complete with the Pokemon pub crawl (gotta drink them all!) like he did. I did, however, tag along Sunday out of curiosity. (And I would have you know that I beat, nay, alienated three men in Ticket to Ride) Upon seeing there was a panel on the preservation of video games, I also dragged the aforesaid three men along. I was greatly amused to listen for two hours to five panelists discuss the job of an archivist without ever saying the term. The panel was sponsored by The American Classic Arcade Museum (ACAM), a non-profit organization in NH that strives to preserve pre-1980s arcade games. Also present was a researcher trying to track down the original names of some of the early game designers, a professor of game design, and a gentleman…
Book Talking
Posted March 23, 2013 by Emily Boyd
Last week was spring break, so I took the week off from blogging. Most of my break was spent catching up on schoolwork and working, but I was able to escape home to Vermont for a couple days of much needed relaxation. One of my favorite parts of my trip home was visiting my local public library and attending a meeting of the “What is on Your Nightstand?” book club. The premise of this book club is that it is not a book club, at least not in the traditional sense. There is no chosen book for each monthly meeting. Instead, on the second Tuesday of every month, anyone who is free to talk about books is welcome to come to the library and share what they are reading. The librarian running the meeting keeps a list of all the titles discussed and the conversation is always lively and interesting. Before moving back to Boston to start school in January I was home in Vermont for eight months and had the opportunity to attend almost…
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…