/Spring 2012
Posted May 7, 2012 by Danielle Geller
With only one last class and one last presentation to give, Im facing the end of the semester, and I cant believe it went by so quickly! Ive had a great experience in my Introduction to Archival Methods and Services class, and I learned so much from my internship with the Cambridge Historical Society. The finding aid I created should be up on their website soon, and its given me a tremendous sense of accomplishment to process an entire collection from start to finish! This summer Ill be looking forward to an internship with the Repatriation Department of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indians Cultural Resources Center (phew, thats a lot of words). My internship starts on June 4th and lasts through the 10th of August, and Ive been doing a ton of reading and research on my own before it starts! I believe quite a few of us here intend to blog over the course of the summer, and Ill have a lot more to say about it once it starts! For…
Opportunites at Simmons
Posted May 6, 2012 by Maya Bery
One of the amazing things about Simmons is the people it puts you in touch with – faculty, students, and visitors. For instance, last week, Susan Ballard happened to be on campus. If you don’t know who Susan Ballard is, she’s the president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians. Susan was on campus because she’s also an instructor at Simmons (and an alumna!), involved in the post-graduate, online instructional technology program that launched this past January. While she was here, she asked to meet with the SLTP and IT students, which is how I came to be in a classroom with about ten other students and faculty members discussing the future of school librarianship with the head of my national organization. That’s pretty amazing, if you ask me.
Semester over | Now get back to work
Posted May 3, 2012 by fox32
Have to admit I am feeling a little lift of pressure after this last semester. Final projects and papers can be tense and working collaboratively (online) adds another dimension that tests your time-management, in a good way. So now that most of us have finshed it is time to do something for your community, your constituents, and yes for yourself. Join a local volunteer group (library or otherwise) and give of yourself a little. If you are a Somerville/Medford/Cambridge type volunteers are still needed for the upcoming S’Ville Library Spring Book Sale (May 17-May 20, set-up day May 12th). Email me at [email protected] for more info. We have also partnered with Somerville’s PorchFest to have a few performances in the forecourt of the library that Saturday.
Nine Credits Later…
Posted May 2, 2012 by Julie Steenson
My first semester is over. Three core courses complete! I have a great sense of accomplishment, mixed with relief (phew!) and just a touch of sadness. (And dread for all the neglected house chores awaiting me ) I cant believe how much I have learned in just a few months. I have met the most amazing people in this first semester at Simmons GSLIS. I have enjoyed sharing my first glimpse of library school with all of you, and look forward to sharing much more over the coming months. Many congratulations to my peers who are graduating! I love library school and have a great course line-up for the fall semester, but right now, its time to party in the library! Enjoy!
10 Things I Learned in Library School: Year 1
Posted May 1, 2012 by dunhame
Today, I turned in my last assignment of the semester, and I can officially state that the term is over. I tend to get self-reflective in moments like this, so I thought Id make a list of 10 things Ive learned in my first year of library school. The list includes not only some of the things I learned in my classes, but also some personal life-type tidbits that have popped up along the way. Hope you enjoy, and to anyone else finishing up an academic semester or year right now, congratulations! 10 Things I Learned in Library School: Year 1 The Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Classification systems in many ways reflect the stereotypical 19th-century WASP male worldview, and therefore have had to undergo revisions over time to erase those biases and include knowledge about marginalized groups. Most people in library school arent fresh out of undergrad, but people dont look at you TOO funny if they find out you are. The Massachusetts Historical Society digitized Thomas Jeffersons Notes on Virginia,…
Debunking the Conspiracy
Posted April 30, 2012 by Sarah Barton
This morning I saw a bumper sticker with these lovely words of wisdom: It IS as bad as you think, and they ARE out to get you. While I cannot attest to exactly what that Volkswagen-driving amateur conspiracy theorist has in mind, I can assure you that that phrase does not apply to Simmons GSLIS. I have nearly completed my first GSLIS semester (yay!), and not once have I felt that it is really that bad or that someone is out to get me. My undergrad experience left me with haunting memories of walking into class the week after taking a test or handing in a paper and having the professor say that half the class failed and the average grade was a 74. I didnt necessarily feel like my professors were out to get me, but sometimes it did seem that they were going out of their way to put us measly college students in our place. Thankfully, GSLIS has not rekindled that foreboding feeling of failure.
Power Moby Dick
Posted April 26, 2012 by fox32
I never understood the first line of Moby Dick, “Call me Ishmael.” Got it now though. The site Power Moby Dick doesn’t so much interpret Moby Dick but rather reveals the history and meaning of words in the text. Very helpful. You can make up your own mind on author’s intent. Plus they have links to every conceiveable related resource on the web and beyond. Fascinating if interested in Nantucket history and that of whaling operations and their minutia. Some drawn out passages sure, but ends with more violence than several Die Hard movies. Good stuff. Also put the Whaling Museum on your list.
End of Term Projects
Posted April 25, 2012 by Julie Steenson
Holy Overdue fines, Batgirl! I have so much to do this last week of the semester! I could plead an excuse why I dont have time for a fabulous blog entry this week, but then I thought, why not let you see what a sleep deprived GSLIS student has been up to? As part of a larger Tech tutorial project, I created a sample library website using Drupal Gardens. The actual tutorial is still in progress, but please visit my sample website and tell me what you think! I will be adding more content and improving the site in response to peer feedback, including yours. http://steenson123moretutorial.drupalgardens.com/ This website is the product of a How to… I created for my Technology class. Be sure to click on all the tabs, links, and complete the short survey and of course, follow the link at the bottom of the website to Like us on Facebook!
Getting Involved
Posted April 24, 2012 by dunhame
I know, I know. Its annoying to talk about how important it is to get involved in extracurricular activities. Weve been hearing about it in every stage of education since we were old enough to make our own decisions about how to use our time. I think it is important, however, to re-emphasize once again, even if only to myself, how crucial it is to make an effort to get involved in the student professional community during your short time in library school. For me, Simmons GSLIS was very different from anything Id ever experienced before in terms of how much effort it took to get involved. For the first time, Im attending a commuter school; this semester I only have to be on campus twice a week. Each semester Ive worked 3-4 days a week, and oh goodness, so much homework! How could I possibly find the time to drag myself to campus other times during the week to go to faculty and/or student group-sponsored events? Its true, theres no way to conjure up…
The New Grad School Try
Posted April 23, 2012 by Sarah Barton
I could have tried harder in college. In fact, I should have tried harder in college. For some reason it just didnt seem cool to do so at the time. When I embarked on my thesis at the beginning of my senior year, I realized that I was going to have to change my work habits. And change them I did. I daresay I enjoyed writing my thesis, and even finished it before the deadline. I relegated myself to the library for self-imposed Thesis Thursdays in addition to several hours per week when my former self would have been watching some stupid dating show on MTV. (Because clearly that was the cool thing to do.) My thesis went without a hitch, and I realized that investing myself in my work could actually be cool. After three and a half years in the real world (MTV pun intended), I entered GSLIS and promised myself that I would work hard.