Don’t Judge a Donated Book by Its Cover
Posted November 5, 2012 by Sarah Barton
I work at a small branch library, and I was surprised to learn that we are not supposed to take book donations. One or two books here and there is ok, but an “I’m moving tomorrow and here is my entire book collection” drop off is too much. It’s not that we don’t want them, but since the main library is better equipped to handle donations people are encouraged to bring their books there. I don’t necessarily agree with the policy, but after reading this I might be more inclined to enforce it. If I were going through donated books and came across a gun, I probably would have uttered a few choice words other than “Oh my.” A gun…in a book? The write-up doesn’t make it sound malicious, but still, a gun…in a book? Knowing nothing about guns, I would say that gun actually looks kind of cool – like something a cowboy would tote in a saloon. But that’s not the point. What is the real story? Why was that cool looking gun…
Tweeting NEA
Posted November 4, 2012 by lazylibrarian
Blake Spitz@bgspitz At the mothership in Boston @simmonsgslis for #NEAfall12. Excited for a full day! The event/conference of the week was the fall meeting of New England Archivists (NEA), hosted by none other than your very own Simmons College! Since I currently work in a library and not an archives I did not have the option of excusing myself for professional development and missed the workshops and banquet on Friday night. (Though I did go to Guy Fawkes Pub Night on Friday and drank Samuel Adams with Samuel Adams’ spirit in the Old State House!) But living in the dorms means that I rolled out of bed at 8 am and walked over to the academic campus where sessions started at 9. I tweeted the conference through my twitter handle (which until last night was simmonslazylibr now it’s puschartwarrior) so here is the day in tweets! Stacie Parillo@stacieparillo Every room I’ve been in seems really young. I wonder what the average age is of NEA attendees? #neafall12 Since Simmons hosted there was A LOT of Simmons grad students present,…
Ladies and Gentlemen, Hannah Gomez
Posted November 3, 2012 by Maggie Davidov
I met Hannah while dissecting the motherboard of a PC in LIS 488. I think we had the most fun of anyone in the class because we made up names for the parts we didn’t know. She is a dual degree Children’s Literature/Library Science student here at Simmons, so she’s a superhero in my mind. Enjoy meeting Hannah Gomez, with these incredibly serious interview questions that really get to the heart of who GSLIS students really are. 1) If you could be assume a role in a book who would you be? As I kid I was always jealous of Dinnie in Sharon Creech’s Bloomability because she got to go to international school, which seemed so much more exotic and intellectual and independent than plain old school. Now that K-12 school is behind me and that’s not an option, I can’t think of anyone in a book I really love whose life I’m not already living (hence my liking them). 2) What’s been the most exciting part about being in the dual degree program so…
“We’re Open to Serve You During Storm Recovery”
Posted November 2, 2012 by Maya Bery
Unless you live under the proverbial rock, you know that this week, the east coast was battered by Hurricane Sandy before the remnants of the storm moved inland to cause further havoc as far west as Wisconsin. It was a pretty remarkable sight seeing essentially every school in the state closed for the day on Monday, and on Tuesday, many districts still opted to stay shut, but it’s back to business here now. We got extremely lucky in that Boston was spared a lot of the damage that places further south of us, namely New York and New Jersey, have had. Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with libraries. Well, earlier this summer, I wrote about how the libraries in Boston were opening as cooling centers on some of the hottest days of the year – a place where those without air conditioning could come, for free, and be safe and cool. In the winter, libraries often offer the reverse service – a warm place for those in need of protection…
Crossing the Finish Line
Posted November 1, 2012 by cdelnero
My last post was about yoga, and this one will be about running. But first, I need to provide a disclaimer: I don’t do fitness. I’m not claiming to be in shape or know anything about how to get there. I am someone who is completely new to the idea of physical challenge but I am finding that it can be just as rewarding as challenging myself intellectually and I want to share my experience. Last weekend, a close friend and I ran our first 5k. And by “ran” I mean jogged. And by “jogged” I really mean jogged 1 out of the 3.1 miles, and not consecutively. Regardless of this, the rush of adrenaline I felt when I crossed the finish line was incredible. There was a crowd of people cheering us on and waiting to congratulate us on finishing. We took our time but accomplished something great and didn’t even come in last place! I know it’s cliche to compare running a 5k to other non-physical accomplishments (like getting a masters degree in…
A Hurricane Can be Good for Library Business
Posted October 30, 2012 by Julie Steenson
In honor of Hurricane Sandy, my Monday class at Simmons was cancelled so I filled in at work at my local library for a colleague who has a long drive. All the local NH schools had also cancelled and to be honest, I didn’t expect it to be a busy day. What a surprise! With the winds still mild and the showers light in the morning in NH, we did a brisk business as everyone scurried in to stock up on books the way squirrels stock up on nuts. The last storm left us in the dark for ten days so we had to be ready. When Governor Lynch urged us all to go home and get off the roads by 3 pm, we reluctantly closed at 2:30 pm, just in time as the winds really started to howl. Power and phone were knocked out a couple of hours later and I am writing this on my laptop with my DSL modem hooked to the generator. It was a good day at the library. It…
Fathoming the Frankenstorm
Posted October 29, 2012 by Sarah Barton
I tend to not get too hyped up about storm forecasts. I recognize that people need to be alerted about the potential severity of a storm so they can prepare accordingly, but I personally don’t get caught up in the 24-7 Weather Channel or local news coverage. (Confession: in small doses, I do enjoy watching the live reporters who can hardly stand up due to the driving wind and rain. And how do their microphones not pick up any of the wssssh sounds from the wind?) On Sunday morning I picked up some bottled water and non-perishables, tested my flashlight, and collected some candles, so I felt like I was more than prepared for Sandy the Frankenstorm. Sunday evening I was surprised to see that many Massachusetts schools announced Monday closures. Then I received an email from my Monday morning professor that she was cancelling our in-person meeting and putting the lecture notes online. Then Simmons called, texted, and emailed me to say that the campus would be closed on Monday. Are people overreacting to…
Current Trends and Topics in School Librarianship
Posted October 29, 2012 by Maya Bery
One of the best ways to get a sense of whether or not school librarianship (or really, any aspect of LIS) is right for you is to explore what the current trends and topics are in the field. The school library field is a particularly rich one to investigate from the comfort of home because even if you don’t have database access to the leading journals, there’s a lot of great stuff out there that can give you a sense of what we school librarians spend our time thinking and talking about, and better yet, they’re free! Blogs: The wonderful (really, I’ve met her in person, she’s fabulous!) Joyce Valenza can be found over at NeverEnding Search, her blog at School Library Journal. Buffy Hamilton blogs at The Unquiet Librarian, and closer to home, Michelle Luhtala publishes her thoughts at Bibliotech.me. SLTP Professor Rebecca Morris is also active in the blogosphere at School Library Monthly. There’s so many more diverse and interesting voices from the field out there, so go explore! Webinars: YALSA offers webinars, both for free and for a…
Boston Book Festival
Posted October 28, 2012 by lazylibrarian
Two weeks ago I wrote a post about volunteering for conferences and other events around Boston. Well Saturday was one of my favorite events: The Boston Book Festival. The festival is only in its fourth year but it has amazing organization and a huge turnout. Of course being in Boston, and being affiliated with the Boston Public Library allows the festival to bring in some big names. This year Lemony Snicket himself was the keynote speaker for the children. That’s one reason I love the BBF. Its not just for one group, there are children’s programs, teen programs, and adult programs, and except for the keynote speaker, all are free. Last year I volunteered and enjoyed it so much that I did it again this year. Both years I have been assigned to the children’s room helping the costumed characters. Last year I got to meet Moe Williams and helped with Elephant and Piggy as well as Geronimo Stilton. This year I worked with Frog and Toad and Curious George. The kids LOVED Curious George,…
Seriously Folks, It Only Takes ONE
Posted October 27, 2012 by Maggie Davidov
I wonder if it’s common for anyone in their chosen profession to watch someone else in the same field with trepidation. And when I say trepidation I mean fear. And when I say fear I mean an acute sensitivity. Pre-Story information/philosophy: I’m a new resident of Brighton. One of the first things I did upon moving was go to the library to get a library card. For some people, it’s internet or electricity. Me, I wanted to have a library card because that’s how I connect to a community. The library is the place where people can come to learn about what their neighborhood has to offer. The library is a space to see new things and meet new people. None of this can happen if librarians are barricaded behind the desk. I say all this because I believe in libraries. I think that much is plainly true. I go to library school. I work in a library. AND, AND, I don’t buy books on the principle that anything I want to read I should borrow…