Preaching to the Comforter
Posted October 1, 2012 by Sarah Barton
Is there anything more ridiculous than giving a ten-minute PowerPoint presentation to your empty bedroom? Having spent 55 minutes doing just that last night, I think I was more uncomfortable talking to an empty room than I will be when doing the actual presentation. Then I got to thinking, why was this my first time educating my down comforter? I can think of five presentations that I gave last semester, and not once did I elect to practice beforehand. How did I pull that off? On my first go-through, my ten-minute presentation took nearly twenty minutes due to stopping to iron out what I wanted to say. There was definitely swearing involved. If I hadn’t practiced, would my real presentation have gone like that? Then I discovered that it is quite easy to get sidetracked when speaking aloud to no one. I watched people out the window. Where is my neighbor going? I spun around in my desk chair. I filed my right thumbnail. I noticed some blemishes on the wall. I spun some more….
The Practicum Binder
Posted September 28, 2012 by Maya Bery
If you’ve ever known an SLTP candidate, you’ll know that these two words have a special power over us. The practicum binder represents the culmination of all the hours of work we put in at our practicum experiences – the rich experiences we have are condensed down into two, massive, three-ring binders filled with papers. Yet, it’s also really satisfying to see this tangible evidence of all you’ve worked to achieve. The practicum binder serves as the official documentation of the evidence submitted to the state by Simmons when we graduate, since our diplomas become our initial licenses. This way, if the state ever wants to audit the program, we will have the evidence to support what we said we did during our student teaching hours. The binder is a mammoth undertaking, one that must be completed over the course of the semester, within the 100 hours we are meant to work (most candidates work more, but 100 is the official minimum requirement). It breaks down into four major components (apart from a summary…
What’s Online?
Posted September 26, 2012 by Julie Steenson
I am having a great new experience this semester, by taking classes on both campuses. As you have all heard me whine just a bit about my lengthy commutes, it is no surprise that a recently minted GSLIS student on the Boston campus asked me, “It’s so far for you…have you tried out the online classes?” The answer is yes, I have now tried online, face-to-face, and blended, and they all have their advantages, but face-to-face is increasingly becoming my favorite. What you get online: Interaction and learning opportunities with faculty who are otherwise too far for you…this could just mean a different campus, but it could also mean a different state or university altogether. Access to classes not offered by Simmons but accepted as part of our Simmons GSLIS degree. Interaction with students you might not otherwise meet. The freedom or burden of managing your own time and schedule – I do think this is both a pro and a con. No commute. What you don’t get online: Morning text messages from your peers…
Extreme Makeover: Walmart Edition
Posted September 24, 2012 by Sarah Barton
I would say that inside of nearly everyone’s mind lives an image of what a library looks like. You may picture your local library, a library that you have visited, or a completely imagined state-of-the-art facility that you designed in your brain. If I didn’t know any better, I would assume that this Texas library would fall into the completely imagined category. Turns out it’s real. I don’t foresee myself in McAllen, Texas anytime soon, but dang do I wish I could set foot in that library. It looks awesome. A library with too much space? Unheard of, until now. I’ve heard of people getting lost in the stacks, but at this place it might be possible to get lost in the children’s room. And the coolest thing is that the new library building has attracted more than two times the number of patrons that the old one did. It’s amazing how redoing a library space can have such an impact on a community. It looks so bright and palatial and welcoming, like someplace where…
“Hello!”
Posted September 22, 2012 by dunhame
As we at GSLIS welcome autumn and enjoy our first “official” pumpkin spiced lattes and cinnamon-rimmed adult beverages of the season, we also find ourselves already in the thick of Fall Semester 2012. For many of us, including myself, this September we have noticed our 1-year anniversary of moving to Boston to embark upon the journey that is library school pass us by. Realizing this has inspired me to step back and think about how far we’ve all come together since those first days at GSLIS. The year-ago version of myself looked about the same as I do right now: sitting at her cluttered desk in Allston, typing out something or other on her laptop that could pass as a candidate for a donation to a computer history museum. There’s something quite different about this year’s version of me, however. This year’s version went to campus this morning and said “Hello!” to, give or take, 10 familiar faces. Perhaps, for you that seems like a small number, but for me, saying “Hello!” to a handful…
Practicum Experiences
Posted September 21, 2012 by Maya Bery
This afternoon, I had the opportunity to attend a Boston Arts Academy pep rally for the whole school at Fenway Park. Now, I’ve been to Fenway before, but always surrounded by legions of fans. Today, however, the park lay entirely empty, save for some groundspeople and a few (slightly confused) tourists, and it was pretty cool. The reason I got to do this was because I am doing my high school practicum at Boston Arts/Fenway High School, and as a library intern, the librarian wanted me to be introduced to the student body as part of her staff, but it really stood out to me as a hallmark of the experiences we have as practicum students. Though we are only at our schools for a few short months, and though the time flies by really quickly, the schools and the librarians take great effort to welcome us and make us feel included. To my mind, this makes the experience that much richer, because it gives you a sense of every aspect of the librarian’s role…
Stylish Librarians
Posted September 20, 2012 by cdelnero
A fellow student complimented my shoe choice last week. She noted that many of the GSLIS West students were stylish. I thought about it and realized that she was not only right about GSLIS West students, but librarians in general. The times, they are a-changin’ and so are libraries and the image of librarians. Gone are the days of the “shush”ing librarian. Gone also, is her pencil skirt and tightly pulled-back hair. As libraries across the country morph into modern hubs for technology, learning and socializing, librarians are keeping up with hip wardrobes. Of course, within dress-code allowances. I decided to look into this further and found that there are actually entire blogs just about library fashion. One called, “Librarian Wardrobe,” comes with the tag line, “Not always buns and sensible shoes.” The blog features men and women who work in libraries and aren’t afraid to show a little flair now and then. Forget typical work-wear, these folks are wearing bright colors, fun accessories and anything from flats to five-inch heels. I think librarians (even…
Filling the Big Shoes
Posted September 19, 2012 by Julie Steenson
Last week, I did some marketing of my town library at the local elementary school Back-to-School night. I was lunching with coworkers a few days later, chatting about the event, and someone remarked, “No one likes the new principal.” Someone else replied, “No one ever likes anyone new, and he has very big shoes to fill. Mr. Brown was so popular and was here for twenty years!” This struck home when another staff member turned to the guest of honor of our luncheon, our departing daytime librarian who was going off to bigger and better things, and said, “Now, remember, if you don’t like it there, you can always come back!” This was met with enthusiasm by our little crowd. Ouch. Since I was the one filling the soon-to-be vacant position and moving from nights to this better day job, with more responsibilities, I felt a little bit like my entire library team had just announced my second-best status and expendability. Thanks, guys, that makes me feel great. Lest you all think I am a…
Library Lesson Learned
Posted September 17, 2012 by Sarah Barton
The other day at work I was shelving books when a woman asked if I work there. Eager to be helpful and put my developing library wisdom to use, I said yes. She said that her daughter, who was there with her, had just finished The Trumpet of the Swan and was looking for other books by E.B. White. I asked if she had read Stuart Little or Charlotte’s Web, and she said yes. I think my next utterance was something along the lines of “ok…hmm.” The girl then proceeded to give an effusive summary of The Trumpet of the Swan, hoping that I could come up with another book that she might like. I don’t know much about children’s literature, and suggested that she ask the children’s librarian. Needless to say, my first official readers’ advisory opportunity was a total bust. In my reference class last semester we talked about readers’ advisory resources, so I know they are out there. But in that moment, with the girl looking longingly at me as I struggled…
Archivists in Library School
Posted September 16, 2012 by Danielle Geller
Last week, I briefly mentioned that I decided I no longer wanted to pursue my Masters in History (at this time!), and I will be focusing solely on my Archives Management concentration. I made this decision due to a number of factors, including cost and time constraints, but also a desire to just get out there and work. The reason that the decision wasn’t easy for me to make is because I truly believe that history as a discipline has a lot to contribute to the way that archivists think about archives. There are a number of articles out there that talk about the intersection of history and LIS departments and the subsequent evolution of archival education in the US. (Joseph M. Turrini published an article titled “From History to Library and Information Science: A Case Study of Archival Education at Wayne State University” in Information & Culture: A Journal of History this summer, which is available through ProjectMUSE. For our archivists in training, you can find an abbreviated version of his discussion here). Due to…