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.
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…