PIN IT!
Posted December 8, 2012 by Maggie Davidov
Yes, this is about the field of library science. For serious, it is. I promise. It just takes all those pesky listserv emails to a whole other visually pleasing and not annoying dimension. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of the idea of sharing and consulting with other professionals in the field when it comes to library questions. But does anyone get tired of the incessant emails? Because I do. Between all the clubs, the Simmons info, the tech lab, and my Moodle classroom forum posts, I’m awash in a sea of email that I must wade through to get to the nuggets of pure gold. As it is officially the holiday season and the end of the semester I am BEAT. I have no patience. All I want is pretty, shiny, sparkling lights and peppermint cocoa and “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?” I want things that make it easier to be inspired.This is how I came to pinterest. Ok, this isn’t how I came to pinterest. There was actually a…
And so it is over
Posted December 7, 2012 by Maya Bery
2.5 years at Simmons is officially over for me. The last project has been submitted, the second practicum binder has been handed in, and I am ready to move on to the next chapter and start my professional life. Last Friday, I went in for a job interview for a maternity leave position, a long-term substitute. I got the job (hooray for gainful employment!), but more than that, this week has shown me just how thorough my preparation for this role has been. When the person I am substituting for didn’t come in Tuesday, I didn’t hesitate to jump right in. Were there bumps? Sure, but that’s to be expected, especially when working with younger students who thrive on routine and consistency. What counts to me is that I know now, after just three short days of observing and teaching, that my time at Simmons, my coursework in the SLT Program, and my two practica experiences have more than prepared me to step in, take charge, and hopefully take this position, or any future positions,…
The Opposite of Rejection…I hope.
Posted December 6, 2012 by cdelnero
My last post about being rejected for a job I really wanted was sort of sad. Sorry about that. But really, I was depressed about that job. It sounded so cool. But that very day I was called about another job that I had completely forgot I applied for and was asked to come in for an interview. Even though I wasn’t as excited about it, I said that yes, of course I would interview. The job is for a library assistant position at a medical library in Hartford,CT.I have worked in the medical field for three years and people constantly ask me if I want to be a medical librarian and I always say no. I don’t really enjoy my current job all that much and I’ve been dying to get OUT of the field…until I had this interview. When I walked into the hospital I was immediately impressed. The facility is beautiful. There are restaurants and lounge areas and everyone was so friendly! I met with someone from Human Resources who explained their…
“And Time Goes Quicker…”
Posted December 6, 2012 by Katie Olivo
The title of this post is a line from one of my favorite Florence & the Machine songs, “What the Water Gave Me.” I thought it was a fitting line for the end of this semester, as I am extremely dumbfounded that I only have 3 semesters left (Spring, Summer, Fall). Now that normally seems like a long time, but I sincerely remember moving to Boston just yesterday and freaking out about starting life in a new city. Yet, here I am similarly having a meltdown about what I still have to accomplish: landing an internship for next summer, choosing a thesis topic and possibly traveling to research for it, passing all of my other classes in between, and somehow working full-time while trying to land volunteering gigs that will look awesome on my resume and expand my archival knowledge/experiences. How is this all possible you ask? I’m not sure, but listening to Florence & the Machine helps. I also recently bought some new records, so I plan to crack open my record player and…
Librarian Olympics and Other Fun
Posted December 5, 2012 by Julie Steenson
We all know that librarians are awesome at bookish endeavors, but time and again, my professors (and my experience) tell me that the ability to unjam a stapler is an extremely important librarian skill. This is right up there with troubleshooting the fax machine, clearing the paper jam in the printer, learning the new phone system, and my most recent nightmare….using the new projector and sound system at the library’s movie night. The problem with all of these minor technical horrors is that one usually must deal with them on the spot, with patrons waiting. Time is of the essence, and well, to be honest, I am spending all this money on a Master’s degree and I don’t enjoy being stumped by a fancy new remote control. It’s embarrassing. What we need is Librarian Olympics! Imagine a convention hall packed with hundreds of different types of copiers, fax machines, and e-readers and teams of librarians competing to troubleshoot the uncooperative machines in the shortest time…The training sessions alone would turn us all into brilliant mechanical…
22-24 of 36
Posted December 3, 2012 by Sarah Barton
Surprise! I bet you weren’t expecting to hear more about my GSLIS course credits this semester, but this is it, I promise. In addition to my three classes this semester, I had an Independent Study doing an internship at a law firm library. The perks of my internship have been gaining practical experience, building my résumé, bolstering my arsenal of talking points for future interviews, and spending time on the job with a library professional. I spent twelve hours per week at the law firm doing a variety of tasks including research, collection upkeep, invoice organization, and basic cataloging. I did not have any designated internship-long projects, and was, for the most part, subject to whatever tasks cropped up on a given day. It was a great introduction to the life of a solo librarian in a special library environment. The internship culminated in writing an article about the benefits of having an internship. I had almost too much material to work with! With the help of the GSLIS professor who proctored my Independent Study,…
For a Snowy Day…
Posted December 2, 2012 by lazylibrarian
Well it’s starting to look a lot like winter. A blanket of snow, though very thin, was coating Simmons Campus yesterday. It was a day to stay inside and cuddle up with a coffee. Good thing I had a 25 page history paper to write or I might not have known what to do! But if you are ever in the same position and need some librarian things to read here are some of my favorite librarian blogs/tumblrs/twitter feeds! 1. The Art of Google Books Regardless of where you stand on Google Books and their scanning project (and their horrible metadata), this tumblr is fun to look at. It includes pictures of some of the interesting things the employees come across in their scanning. Odd books, odd pictures, little written notes inside old books, stuff a library-history dual degree student drools over! 2. Better Book Titles Ever judged a book by its cover? Or by its title? This website posts book covers with new humorous titles that better explain the book. One of my favorite submissions is…
Stress Busters for the End of the Semester
Posted December 1, 2012 by Maggie Davidov
I am a stress champion. Normally, I take a break from stress at Thanksgiving before the season of giving and stressing begins. This year, however, I took the reigns for Turkey day and fed 11 people with a 20 pound turkey. So, my stress levels are still pretty high and everything is coming to a close. I always tell my students not to stress: all will be well in the end, and if all is not well then it is not yet the end. A little bit of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel that never hurt anyone. I tell them this but never heed my own advice. In an effort to do just that I am passing on study tips, stress busters, and words of love I have compiled for all those who are feeling the end of the semester crunch. TIPS: Teach what you’re studying. If you can teach it, you know it. Teach your dog, your brother or your roommate, or look in the mirror and teach yourself. Remember, no one can ask any more than…
Finishing My School Library Teacher Degree
Posted November 30, 2012 by Maya Bery
If I am not mistaken, this blog entry represents my penultimate contribution to the Simmons GSLIS admissions blog. For I, dear reader, am exactly one week away from finishing my library school career after 2.5 years. I am excited about that, but it’s also bittersweet, but that is not the focus of this post. This post is about how I finished my high school practicum yesterday. Yes, 150 hours, a 22-page practicum log, six lesson plans with reflections, 12 artifacts of different types, and a lot of paper later, I am done. It’s a tremendous sense of accomplishment seeing this giant binder come together with its pretty colored dividers, the cover page, the table of contents. I’ve taught lessons galore on how to find non-fiction books and generate keywords to run effective searches in the OPAC and in the Gale databases. I’ve learned to use iPads and researched a dozen apps that have really, really cool implications for students with special needs. I created a rocking pathfinder for students researching Romney and Obama’s positions on…
Rejection
Posted November 29, 2012 by cdelnero
About two weeks ago, I got notification of the *perfect* job. It was a full-time information-literacy librarian position at a small, private college close to home. In my mind, I fit all of the qualifications. The pay wasn’t great, but as someone without much library experience, I thought it would be the best opportunity to get my foot in the door. As soon as I saw the posting, I got to work on updating my resume and writing a cover letter. I applied and heard back very quickly. I was initiated into the first round of the interview process and you would have thought I was a 13-year-old with Bieber fever, I was that excited. The first step was to write a proposal about how I would spearhead an initiative to integrate information literacy across all levels of the curriculum. I was super-confident. I wrote up my proposal and had it proof-read by my peers, my boss, by anyone who would read it. They all gave me great tips and told me it was excellent….