Friends
Posted October 4, 2012 by cdelnero
I never thought I’d go to library school. I wasn’t even sure I’d get a master’s degree at all. So you can imagine how amazed I am at the fact that not only am I here, but I am here with one of my oldest and best friends, Michelle Fredette. Shelly and I met on the bus to kindergarten. She had chubby cheeks and a love of The Beatles. Even then I could tell she was smart. This was only confirmed through elementary, middle and high school. Shelly took honors classes, played sports, was in the band and was eventually accepted to the English program at UMASS Amherst. I on the other hand was sort of a slacker. I was an average student, and was also in the band, but other than that I had little ambition. When I finished high school I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go to college. I ended up enrolling at local community college, taking only pre-requisites. Eventually I found my niche which was English, just like Michelle. I…
The Teacher Connection
Posted October 3, 2012 by Julie Steenson
Working in a public library (and a small one, at that), I deal with varied patrons with varied needs. In any given day, we have toddlers arriving for storytime, teens coming in to use the iPads, middle-aged job seekers, homeschooling parents seeking educational resources, seniors looking for help with technology, boy scouts borrowing our telescope, and anyone and everyone seeking a good read or new movie to take home. Interestingly, I don’t see many teachers. Enter the Teacher Tea, a.k.a. The Library’s Educator Open House. This afternoon, I am joining my colleagues at the public library in re-introducing our public library’s wealth of resources to our local teachers. Truth is, most of our teachers turn to their school librarian for resources and some, who commute here from other towns, don’t realize all we have to offer. While my colleagues will be introducing our downloadable audiobooks, library programming, and reminding all teachers that working in town entitles them to a free library card with no checkout limits, my job is to demonstrate the eReaders we have…
Field trips aren’t just for kids!
Posted October 2, 2012 by cdelnero
One thing I love about GSLIS professors is they are always making sure that we aren’t just sitting in a classroom trying to absorb information. They really want us to get real experience and therefore they encourage us to visit libraries, talk with librarians and meet our future colleagues. These are often the best learning experiences! Last weekend my Literature of the Humanities class was held at the Hillyer Art Library at the Smith College Museum of Art. Not only is Smith located in one of the coolest towns in the state (Northampton), but it also has an amazing campus with beautiful buildings and a great library. We met with Barbara Polowy, art librarian at Hillyer. She did an informative library instruction session on how to locate art resources in order to answer art-related reference questions and she even baked us cookies! In addition to this mini-trip, several of the core courses here at GSLIS require students to visit and/or observe all types of libraries. I have been to a lot of the local campuses…
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…