‘Tis the Season to be Reading!
Posted December 15, 2012 by Maggie Davidov
Indeed! Classes are over. Perhaps you have a vacation of sorts on the horizon. Whatever shall you do? Well, I’ll tell you what I’ll be doing. I will be doing some professional development. Wait! It’s not as boring as it sounds. Here’s my rationale: I’m going to a wonderful school that costs a lot of money. I’m not fully taking advantage of everything the school/faculty/facilities have to offer. I’m going to get on that. Here’s a holiday list of books to read about the library profession, libguides to peruse, and people to bug about how to really get the most out of your Simmons Education. Also, I’ve included a fun list of holiday reads. What’s Christmas without a giggle or two 🙂 1) The Librarian’s Guide to Writing for Publication by Rachel Singer Gordon I’m loving this book that reminds every librarian, and librarian to be, that it’s important to contribute to the field of library science scholarship. Gordon quells the reader’s fears, by putting forth a baby step approach to writing about a field…
What’s under your tree?
Posted December 12, 2012 by Julie Steenson
With all this technology related gift-giving at holiday time, I did something really radical for my family this year…I bought them all books for Christmas. (And if you haven’t seen Katie’s blog last week with the YouTube video, “Books for Christmas,” it is a must-see!) Yes, books….no computers, no fancy telephones, no tablets, no video games. I picked out some of my favorite picture books for the youngest crowd, graphic novels for the middle schoolers, and the latest YA fiction for the teens. I am not against technology and I love my Kindle Fire (and after successfully completing Database Management (LIS 458), I long to take a programming class). The reason for giving books is just that it is so much fun to get a book you didn’t pick out, to discover a new unexpected world. It stays with you forever. In the age of gift cards, the giving and receiving of books is a lost art. The Bloomsbury Review posted the following picture on their Facebook page and I think it explains it best:…
Breaking Down My Winter Break
Posted December 10, 2012 by Sarah Barton
My classes ended today, so I am officially 66% of a librarian. I need only twelve more credits (four more courses) to hit 100%. Yowzer. Next semester will entail two classes, a new internship, and continuing with my part-time public library job. My schedule will be similar to last semester’s, except for the welcome change of having two classes instead of three. Speaking of change, last week I found myself twiddling my thumbs after submitting all of my final assignments. Over the course of the semester, I would come home from class and do a few hours of homework before heading to work. Last week, I came home and just sat there. I wasn’t lamenting my lack of homework, but it was strange to have a midweek chunk of free time. Am I going to go nuts during the twelve days before my Christmas celebrations start? (“On the seventh day of break, My boredom gave to me, Seven hours of reality tv.”) As much as I am looking forward to a reprieve from classes and…
End of Semester Party
Posted December 9, 2012 by lazylibrarian
The semester is finished! At least for GSLIS, I still have a 25 page history paper to do but that didn’t stop me from celebrating with my fellow library students on Friday night. GSLIS put on a very cool end of the year party. It was great to be with all my friends outside of the context of a class. But we are librarians so we couldn’t pass up the chance to be educational and learn new information. Members of the faculty offered 5 minute presentations on any topic they wished. We learned about an amazing accordion book that unfolds to show the Amazon River, about using Social Media to connect with colleagues, some of the great photos in Harvard’s collections and other great topics. One that really made me think was Prof. Joel Blanco-Rivera’s talk on Archivists Without Borders. Archivists without Borders was started in Spain and is currently in the process of setting up a US Chapter. Archivists without Borders is dedicated to “cooperation in the sphere of archives work in countries whose…
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,…