And You Thought I Was Kidding About the Superhero Thing
Posted April 11, 2012 by Julie Steenson
Last week, in talking about career paths for librarians, I reminded everyone that Batgirl was, after all, a librarian. The day after that post, I headed off to the University Of Rochester in New York, to join my daughter on a grad school visit. The purpose of the visit was my daughters admission there this fall, but I had just read about the University of Rochesters Undergraduate Research Project for my Evaluation class (LIS403). This qualitative study was a fascinating account of how this one academic library adapted both their physical space and information access to better meet the needs of the population they serve. Naturally, I went off for a little library tour of my own to see the spaces I had just read about in the study.You can imagine my surprise at turning a corner in the Reference Room and seeing an amazing display of the League of Librarians: Research Superheroes at Your Service.
Experience, Experience, and More Experience
Posted April 10, 2012 by dunhame
Internships are very important to the Simmons GSLIS experience. Many programs have internship requirements built into their curriculums. The Archives Management concentration, which is the only one I can speak to with any kind of authority, features a 60-hour internship at the beginning of the program and a 130-140-hour field experience at the very end of the program. The first allows students essentially to get their feet wet before delving into coursework, and the second serves as an opportunity to apply everything learned in the program in a culminating, final experience. Especially because level/amount of experience is one of the most important elements potential employers consider when looking to hire new archivists, I really appreciate having the opportunity to gain hands-on experience as a part of the curriculum.
Librarians in Disguise
Posted April 9, 2012 by Sarah Barton
On Wednesday I went to an Alternative Career Panel sponsored by the Simmons Special Libraries Association (SLA). The panel consisted of three women, all of whom graduated from Simmons GSLIS in the past ten years and none of whom are employed in a library. (Gasp!) One of the panelists researches potential litigation cases for an economic consulting firm, and the other two, whom I will call techies for lack of a better/more creative term, work in the user access/user experience area of technology. On the most basic level, the first panelist does research (duh), and the techies collaborate with web engineers and graphic designers to simplify and enhance user interaction with a web interface. One of the questions for the panel was How do you define yourself professionally? The researcher said librarian (although no one she works with would refer to her as such), one of the techies said information scientist (but sometimes librarian when she really wants to blow someones mind), and the other techie said information architect. Technically, they are all librarians. Technically,…
Nearing the End
Posted April 8, 2012 by Danielle Geller
Ive really been enjoying reading the thoughts of my cohorts regarding their paths through the GSLIS program at Simmons and their future career goals. Elise talked about dropping the MA in History aspect of her degree, but I think Ill continue to pursue it. It means Ill still be in the program come the Fall of 2014, but in the end I think it will be worth it. I have a summer internship lined up with the Smithsonians National Museum of the American Indians Cultural Resources Center (pardon the long string of proper nouns) that Im really excited about. I also hope, within the history program, to focus my studies on Native American historybut up to and including contemporary issues like repatriation, energy, and access to education and information. On the other hand, I still have a month of spring semester classes to finish, and I really need to remind myself of that. Im really excited for the summer, but I have a lot to do first.
Simmons Perks!
Posted April 6, 2012 by Maya Bery
With the end of the semester just around the corner, everyone is predictably buried under end of the semester papers, projects, and group work. I know for myself, the mammoth practicum binder that SLT students must submit at the end of both of their practicum experiences has begun to infiltrate my dreams. My respite is delving into the stack of dark and depressing books I have chosen for my youth programming materials talk in two weeks time. But if you have some spare time, or you simply want to take a break, why not take advantage of that little blue card in your wallet? Yes, that one. The one that says “Simmons College” on it? There’s probably a very unflattering picture of you beneath the logo? Yes, that blue card. You may not realize it, but that Simmons ID card gets you two rather nice perks. You see, Simmons is located right in the midst of two of America’s finest museums: the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (which you…
Librarian or Batgirl?
Posted April 4, 2012 by Julie Steenson
Library and Information Science that is the degree program we are pursuing and the name says it all. The Masters degree program years ago was just Library Science, but as the world changes, so does the role of librarians. We are not just librarians, but information and technology specialists scientists, in fact. If you think you know what your librarian does, think again. This is a much bigger world than checking out books. We are Superheroes of the Information Age! Earlier blogs discussed our personal journeys to discover what area of Library and Information Science we wish to pursue. I, like my peers, have changed my mind countless times in these first few months. Why? Because there are so many choices! Here is my short list of career paths I have considered: Tradition public librarian with a modern technology twist database management, technology public outreach (iPads, kindles, etc.), web development, social media. Reference librarian in an academic library. Faculty librarian in an academic setting Yes, librarians are now embedded in university departments, as…
Program Change
Posted April 3, 2012 by dunhame
For the second week in a row, Danielles post has provided a great springboard for mine. She discussed how many of her friends/colleagues in the program have been questioning their concentrations in GSLIS. I began my career at Simmons GSLIS as a dual-degree History/Archives student. For a better part of this semester, I had been questioning whether I wanted to continue to pursue my MA in history. After much debate (as outlined below), Ive concluded that, while I will continue to maintain an archives concentration in the MLS program, I will no longer be pursuing an MA. There are three main considerations that guided my decision pursue the dual degree: An MA would make me a more competitive applicant than the MLS alone would. Archivists make collections available to and work with historians, so being a historian myself would help me be better at my job. Academia is fun! I like thinking hard and writing and exploring new avenues of thought. Especially over the past semester, as Ive learned more about myself and the field…
Dungeons and Dragons or: Libraries and Librarians
Posted April 2, 2012 by Sarah Barton
On Friday, to conclude the Best March Ever, I went to The Future of Reference hosted by Simmons GSLIS. The keynote speaker, Joe Janes, Chair of the MLIS Program at the University of Washingtons Information School, ended the evening with a bang. He championed the idea that librarians are important. He was, of course, preaching to the choir, but I tend to have a hard time justifying my existence as a library student. Arguments I have heard against libraries include, but are certainly not limited to: When was the last time that any of our friends went to a library? and Libraries are like dungeons. (Does that make librarians fire-breathing dragons?) But Mr. Janes unleashed the dragon in his talk called Information makes us human. He said that Our profession is central to what we are as a people. We make humanity more human. That message had me breathing sweet hot librarian fire. Libraries may seem like dungeons in the incandescent world of Google, but over time libraries have preserved information in a way that…
In Flux
Posted April 1, 2012 by Danielle Geller
A lot of the friends, acquaintances, and colleagues Ive made since my time began at Simmons have been or have started to question the direction theyre going in library science/archives school. I cant say Ive been exempt! Through the classes Ive taken, internships Ive had, and even internships Ive applied for, Ive been molding and trying to figure out the course and shape of my future career. Do I want to work in a corporate or academic environment? Out of all the areas and time periods of history that interest me, which do I want to continue to pursue? What will be the topic of my dissertation? Yes, Ive definitely been weighing that one in my head, even if its still two years down the road. Do I even want to continue pursuing history? One thing Ive learned, which seems quite obvious but isnt necessarily always black and white, is that Ill never be happy in a job that doesnt interest me. Friends of mine that arent enjoying their internships find the material boring, and its hard…
Simmons MSLA-SIG Conference Tomorrow!
Posted March 30, 2012 by Maya Bery
I’d like to take this blog post to shamelessly plug the annual Simmons MSLA-SIG conference happening tomorrow in the Main College Building from 8:30-3:00 p.m. Though I admittedly had a personal role to play in organizing the conference as the secretary of the Simmons student interest group of the Massachusetts School Library Association, I would encourage anyone interested to come because it promises to be a great day. We’re featuring panelists discussing “how to survive your first year” and “teaching middle school” as well as two presentations that were given at the 15th annual AASL conference this past October in Minneapolis on fostering collaboration and getting multicultural literature off the shelves and into the hands of readers. I think this conference also demonstrates what is so wonderful about Simmons and the GSLIS program in general. The MSLA-SIG is a student-run organization, though the wonderful Dr. Fran Zilonis serves as our advisor. This conference, which has been going on for several years now, is entirely student organized, and attracts phenomenal speakers from across the state each…