The Hardship of Librarianship
Posted March 4, 2013 by Sarah Barton
An eight-year-old girl who comes to the library multiple times per week with her older sister, and sometimes their mother, posed the following to me and a colleague on Thursday night: “Do you work really hard every day? I think being a librarian would be hard.” I don’t know what prompted her to say that, as my colleague and I were both sitting at the desk doing…well, we weren’t really doing anything. In fact, the girl’s next question was “What game is that?” when she noticed that I was playing Minesweeper. The library is open until 9pm on Thursdays, and nights are generally pretty slow, so I would not say that I was working particularly hard (unless Minesweeper counts as hard work). Librarianship is not hard like rocket science or physical labor is hard. I would say it is hard like fielding customer service calls or working in retail is hard. No matter what type of library work you do – reference, cataloging, research, archives, and/or whatever else – you never know what you are…
Ready for Outdoor Reading, Part 2
Posted March 3, 2013 by lazylibrarian
Last week, I brought you my top five reading spots in Boston. This week, check out the next five best reading spots in the area! 6. Copley Square Although busier than the inner courtyard, Copley Square outside of the Mckim Building also provides a nice place to read. There are benches around the green square which has the BPL on one end and Trinity Church on the other. There is also a fountain where one can dangle their feet in while reading on a hot day. However there are always splashing children around, so don’t take a book you don’t want a few stray drops of water on!
Study Abroad: Not Just for Undergrads Anymore!
Posted March 1, 2013 by Emily Boyd
After years of missed opportunities to travel abroad during high school and undergrad, I am so excited to finally say that this summer I will be going to Rome with GSLIS!! For several years Simmons has provided library students the opportunity to study abroad with courses offered in Yonsei, Korea, and this summer the program is expanding by adding an additional trip to Rome, Italy. Simmons GSLIS is collaborating with St. John’s University Division of Library & Information Science in New York and each school will be offering two courses from which students can choose. The program runs from May 23 through June 10 and I will be taking Intellectual Freedom and Censorship (LIS 493) with Professor Laura Saunders. The course will begin with readings and online forums several weeks prior to our departure and conclude with a research paper due after our return to Boston. This way our time in Rome can be spent focusing on discussions in class, and of course, exploring all of the wonderful culture, history, and food the city has…
Open Access, and the Story of Why Are We Paying to Access Important Information
Posted February 27, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
Open access is a topic I have been thinking about a lot lately. And not just the stories of glamorized and easily implementable “open access” that the media picks up and drops two weeks later – open access as a way that information is communicated. Anyone who has talked to me for more than five minutes knows that I am passionate about the way information is communicated, received, and re-communicated elsewhere – which serves as the basis of open access. The White House recently addressed the issue of open access in a memo, which stated that the findings and papers that come about as a result of publicly funded research will be made publicly available. While this is a huge step in the field, I can’t help but think that we are years behind. How many critical results of research have come and gone without garnering public attention, simply because the public cannot afford the astronomical prices to scientific journals? This is information that most people are unfamiliar with – mostly because the information is…
My Library School Library
Posted February 25, 2013 by Sarah Barton
I’ve written about a handful of different libraries in this blog, but I daresay I have neglected one that has been integral to my time at GSLIS: the Beatley Library at Simmons. During my first semester I was neither working nor interning, so I had a lot of downtime outside of class. To combat any and all inclinations to sit around doing nothing, I would go to a desk on the second floor of the library after my morning classes and before my afternoon class to get as much work done as possible. I find that the library is kind of like the gym – sometimes I don’t necessarily want to go, but I am fairly productive once I’m there. This and last semester, my increased extracurricular activities have reduced the amount of time I spend at Beatley. These days, I am usually only there for two-ish hours on Wednesdays, and I tend to splurge for the comfy chairs on the first floor instead of the studious desks on the second. Beatley is by no means huge,…
Ready for Outdoor Reading
Posted February 24, 2013 by lazylibrarian
It is snowing. AGAIN. I admit I am getting a little stir crazy. So far this weekend I’ve done homework in my bed, at my desk, in the tech lab, at my boyfriend’s house, at Pete’s Coffee (where I was continually interrupted by an adorable five year old next to me) and now I’m back in my room again. But come spring, oh come spring….i love to read outdoors in Boston! I’m the kind of person who if it’s too quiet I can’t focus. I think it has something to do with growing up with four younger siblings and a dog. So I love reading outside in the city there where there is just the right amount of noise, not enough to be overpowering but enough that I can’t zone in on one conversation and get too distracted. So in anticipation of that, my next two posts will display my top ten favorite spots to read outside in Boston. All pictures are mine because I’m also that chick that snaps a cellphone shot every five…
Infographics make me smarter
Posted February 23, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
What are infographics and why are they awesome? This customermagnestism.com post is an infographic, you guessed it, about infographics! Wild, I know. Essentially the infographic distills all relevant statistics and facts about a topic into one pretty picture that relaxes the mind. Margaret Rouse says it best when she defines infographics: “Infographics (information graphics) is the display of information in such a way that it can be easily understood at a glance.” You’ve probably come across a bunch of infographics in your information consumption lifetime. I did, but didn’t really know why I was more likely to process the information from an infographic than from say a 30-page journal article my professor wanted me to read for next Thursday. Both are valid forms of conveying information. I just think that after reading 400 pages for classes this week I’m way more likely to read an infographic post sent to me by a colleague than a New York Times article about the exact same topic. Think about it then next time you get a fascinating article sent…
Transferable Skills
Posted February 22, 2013 by Emily Boyd
Last week my reference professor asked how many of us had ever worked in a restaurant. At least two thirds of the class raised their hand. The point he was making, quite successfully I might add, was that we already have skills from past work experiences that will help us succeed in this field. Excluding a few hours volunteering for my hometown high school library, I have no firsthand experience in this field. That said, my résumé boasts a long list of service based positions. I have worked as a ranger for the National Park Service, as a customer service representative over the phone, as a server in a local restaurant, and currently as a hostess, and I’ve realized it’s all the same. Whether you describe your clientele as patrons, guests, customers, clients, or visitors, it really is all the same. Being kind and helpful is just as important as understanding the needs of a patron regardless of context. My reference class has devoted a lot of time to practicing the proper way to conduct…
The Digital Divide Meets Everytown, USA
Posted February 20, 2013 by Julie Steenson
Over and over again, you have heard (or read) about my small town in New Hampshire. We are the proverbial small New England town, complete with General Store and a gazebo on the Town Common. We have strong agricultural roots, but we are not a hick town. 97% of our population has education beyond the high school level, with almost 42% having a bachelor’s degree or higher (http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml). While many in town still don’t have high-speed internet access, we have a lot of patrons who come in to use our Wi-Fi. I really don’t view the Digital Divide as just an access issue, but one of how to benefit from technology and internet access. Whenever I read about the Digital Divide, I tend to think of it in terms of big cities with wide socioeconomic and educational gaps. Yes, there is a digital disparity with our older population, but they are quick and eager learners. To be honest, the Digital Divide hasn’t seemed that relevant to my present situation, until recently. Enter Roxanne…okay, that is…
Dr. Disorganization or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb that’s Apparently Gone Off in My Apartment
Posted February 19, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
This winter, Boston has gotten snow – a lot of snow. Like, an inordinate amount of snow. And I am from Wisconsin. What a smart move, to the one place on earth that apparently gets more snow than my hometown. With that being said, I have spent a lot of time at home lately – because winter makes me feel cozy and antisocial; because I’ve been snowed in; because I’ve been doing all of my work at home, take your pick. But as I walked through my apartment most recently, taking a break from Describing and Arranging a hypothetical archival collection for a class, I stopped in front of my personal bookshelf. I found myself wondering how exactly I had managed to arrange all of my personal belongings so that I can find them. If someone came into my house and wanted to find, say, my old wedding planner – would I be able to locate it? Would I be able to tell someone else how to locate it? Where had I put it, and…