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.
Two Weeks!
Posted April 22, 2012 by Danielle Geller
Thats pretty much all I have left in this semester, and Im working (not too) furiously to wrap up all of the assignments I have to do. Today Im trying to finish writing my literature review, the subject of which is related to my summer internship! I am looking at the literature that describes the ethical considerations and debate surrounding the acquisition, preservation, and access to Native American collections in institutional repositories and archives. Historically, indigenous cultural materials were collected and described not by Native Americans themselves but by white collectors, anthropologists, historians, curators, etc, which has had devastating effects on Native American identity and cultural preservation in their communities. There has been a call to improve the relationships between museums, archives, and repositories that house Native American materials and tribal nations to balance the needs of researchers and the public good with the needs of indigenous peoples. While many people now sympathize with Native Americans and would argue in favor of repatriation, many archivists are faced with a conflict of interest.
Change in Curriculum for Fall 2013
Posted April 20, 2012 by Maya Bery
Recently, the GSLIS community received news that beginning with the incoming class of 2013, the curriculum will be changing. The core requirements are changing (Evaluation of Information Services will be replaced with a Foundations course), the program will increase to 39 credits, and most importantly to me, that there will be a new capstone requirement put in place. For me as a SLT student, my capstone experiences are my practica, both at the elementary and the high school level. It’s part of the state licensing requirements, but as I draw to the end of my elementary practicum, I realize just how valuable an experience this is, so much so that before this announcement was made, I was going to write a blog post exhorting new students to sign up for LIS 501, a 150-hour, hands-on internship. Here’s why I approve of this change.
Dig In
Posted April 19, 2012 by fox32
You don’t have to subscribe to online newsletters, blogs, and tumblrs – but since you are reading this you are halfway there… Librarians were and are some of the most profilic bloggers around and there are reams of lists and feeds from which to choose. I am going to just suggest two; the technical/rural Jessamyn West, and the user experience (UX) commentator Aaron Schmidt. Again, you don’t have to use twitter, leave comments on people’s blogs, or create an online presence for yourself – but I would recommend it.
All the Things that are Good for You: Broccoli, Shoveling Snow, and Group projects
Posted April 18, 2012 by Julie Steenson
You probably remember being a kid and being told, Eat your broccoli its good for you. As a parent, I have had said my fair share of Its good for you moments in raising my daughter. A couple of specific examples stand out: Stacking wood builds character, and I know it is hard to work in a group, but it is good for you. While I have no problem eating broccoli and I love to stack wood, I have had to eat my words on the group project thing. Just two days ago, on a visit home, as I was stressing about an end of term group project, my daughter gave me a sympathetic smile and reminded me that group projects are good for me. I have to admit that I wasnt prepared for group projects at GSLIS. I know we will work in a collaborative environment and so learning how to reach our goals with our peers is important, but there have been some real challenges.