So Many Books, So Little Time
Posted February 15, 2013 by Emily Boyd
I have always prided myself on being well-read. I imagine most people considering a career in the library profession feel similarly. Starting the GSLIS program at Simmons has led me to question whether I really am the great reader I have always claimed to be. Sometimes it feels like all of my classmates are better readers than me. One of my favorite classes this semester is Young Adult (YA) Literature with Professor Melanie Kimball. I love learning about working with young adults but this course is certainly putting my reading skills to the test. Along with professional development readings targeted towards young adult librarians, we are also required to read two or three YA books per week! So far I have enjoyed the challenge of keeping up with all of the readings but my speed and efficiency are being put to the test. Although I have moments of insecurity because I do not feel as well-read as some of my classmates, one assignment allowed me to gain some perspective by making me spend time reflecting…
The Role of Libraries in Emergencies
Posted February 13, 2013 by Julie Steenson
In my town in NH, we had only 30 inches of snow last weekend. We were very fortunate and didn’t even lose power. We were all surprised by this since we lose power so often, but we are a very self-sufficient community and generally well-prepared for emergencies. Everyone I know in town has a generator including a lot of our patrons. We remained open most of the day on Friday, and we did a very brisk business of DVDs as well as books for the storm in progress, and when we asked patrons what they would do with five movies if the lights went out, “Start up the generator!” was the typical answer. We know that many towns did not fare so well in this storm, and so I started to think about the role of libraries when emergencies happen. We play a much bigger role beyond providing recreational materials for the snowed-in crowd. Information! That is what we do, after all, and many patrons who came in or called during the storm wanted…
The Technological Advance: Moving Forward with Online Programs
Posted February 12, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
Anyone who has stepped into a library, museum, or archives in the last ten years has seen the field’s foray into technology. But what happens when not only the institutions in the library and information sciences field – but the education that provides the people to eventually staff those institutions – also takes the plunge into embracing technology? Completely online programs for awarding certificates – or even entire degrees – have rocketed to popularity, even with Simmons. Within the past year or so, the GSLIS program alone has installed two certificate programs – one for Digital Stewardship and one for Instructional Technology – and one master’s degree in Archives Management. Through these programs, Simmons has created an entirely online community where students interact with other students and teachers, attend office hours, submit assignments, give presentations, and have discussions. There is even a completely online orientation, which, in the case of the Archives Management Degree, included a coffee hour where Simmons sent Starbucks gift cards internationally and set up a Skype meeting space. Then, a professor…
Weather You Like It Or Not
Posted February 11, 2013 by Sarah Barton
Unless you spent the past 72 hours under a colossal snowdrift (which is quite possible), you probably noticed that snow bombarded Boston on Friday and Saturday. The weather gods vacillate between being a faithful friend and formidable foe to New Englanders, invoking elements ranging from oppressive humidity to debilitating blizzards, a nice summer breeze to bone-chilling winter winds, and beautiful spring days to crisp fall nights. I’d say that when it comes to the weather, New Englanders generally adopt one of two mindsets: 1) Bring it on! 2) Make it stop! Either way, when you sign up for GSLIS, you also sign up for the weather. The conditions are nothing new for some people, while for others they are a total shock to the system. I’ve spent my whole life in New England, yet the weather here never ceases to surprise (and sometimes even amaze) me. I dislike excessively sweating on a summer stroll to the T just as much as bundling up and trudging to the T in the winter, but I tend to…
Archives and Popular Media
Posted February 10, 2013 by lazylibrarian
My friend was watching an episode of White Collar the other night. I don’t follow the show so I was only half listening until I heard, “We are going to have to go check out the archives.” A meme/blog post has been going around recently about movies with library scenes in them and it set me to thinking about how archives are portrayed in popular media. For a lot of people, that’s how they see us, that’s their only interaction with an archives. If that is the case, we don’t look too good. This particular scene in White Collar had the archivist come out, show them into a room full of card catalogs drawers and filing cabinets, and leave them there. When one of the characters asked, “Wait, which cabinet is 1940?” the archivist called over her shoulder as she walked out, “All of them.” Now of course this is not true to life (hopefully!) especially since scenes in the archives are usually framed as a race against time, a scene that creates dramatic tension…
The Phantom Tollbooth: Fifty-ish Years of Things that Could Be, Rather Than Things that Are
Posted February 6, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
For Christmas this year, my parents gave me the esteemed gift of the 50th Anniversary Edition of my absolute favorite book in the world, The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster’s personification of a bored boy who travels into a world where words become literal (the “doldrums” are a place you can visit, where nothing gets done and everyone sleeps a lot) and the weird runs rampant is the key to unlocking the imagination of even the most stodgy and uptight reader – or even student, in the midst of papers and projects. Even though the actual fiftieth anniversary of The Phantom Tollbooth was in 2011, now is as good a time as any to reminisce about the importance of thinking like a child – which is exactly what this book puts me in the mind frame of. Especially the moral at the end of the story (*spoiler alert*) which is if you believe you can, the impossible is achievable. This concept of the impossible is one that rattles around in the brains of students quite often,…
Cream or Cookie?
Posted February 5, 2013 by Julie Steenson
In case you missed it, here is the Library World’s brief moment in the limelight at the Super Bowl! http://youtu.be/rIDaX0eMeIk What I really want to know is who whispers in the library?! Is this still our image? I work in a public library and we are a noisy, fun place, although we try to offer quiet spaces for those patrons who desire quiet work areas. And the librarian…What’s with the finger shaking? And the cardigan? At least she didn’t have her hair in a bun…
Lobbying for Library Cards
Posted February 4, 2013 by Sarah Barton
On Saturday I spent three hours lobbying for library cards. During the month of February, the Somerville Public Library is competing against the Arlington, Belmont, and Lexington Public Libraries to see which can sign up the most new library cardholders. I donned my “Libraries: Shhhh Happens.” t-shirt (which received many comments and compliments) and stood at the entrance of the Somerville Winter Farmers’ Market trying to attract potential cardholders. I was surprised by how many people already had a library card, delightfully surprised by how many people are avid library supporters, and happily surprised by how many people said “I’ve been meaning to get one of those!” It was great to see such positive levels of interest and support from a random sample of locals. It felt equal parts strange and refreshing to be representing the library outside of a library setting. Branding, marketing, and publicizing are all aspects of public libraries that can never be overdone and can always use improvement, and talking to unsuspecting farmers’ market dwellers was a great environment for putting…
A Blend of History and Archives
Posted February 3, 2013 by lazylibrarian
As a dual degree student in Archives and History, I have one foot in the LIS (Library and Information Science) world and one in the CAS (College of Arts and Sciences) at Simmons. At times it can be a little frustrating since I’m dealing with two different departments but a lot of the time there is more overlap then I would have imagined. Currently, I am taking a Public History course. I have never taken one before and I love it. I almost wonder why I never thought of Public History as a career choice before. I have a Bachelor’s in both English and History and saw Archives as the wonderful combination of the two, but as I continue through this dual degree program, Public History seems the perfect combination of Library Science and History to me. We are currently reading Museums, Monuments and National Parks by Denise D. Meringolo about the evolution of Public History in America. One of the key points of the book, pointed out from the very beginning in the prologue,…
Library Lovers Month
Posted February 2, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
That’s right folks! It is indeed that time of year. Love is in the air! Love for LIBRARIES, that is. I genuinely resent the Hallmark holiday that gets us all hot and bothered. In college I remember taking my friends out for margaritas, mocking the holiday and celebrating my love for them. While margaritas are always an excellent idea and cherishing friends is always at the top of my list I think Library Lovers Month offers a new way to channel my love. First, take a second to think about the following questions. Why do you love libraries? What have libraries done for you lately? Have libraries changed your life? Those reading this blog, besides my mother, are most likely interested in the field of library science. And why not? Library science is where it’s at people! So I think it’s time we remembered to honor those hallowed halls of learning and discovery that brought us to this field of study. Your library deserves a hug of some kind. Here are some ways in which…