Conferences: NEA Spring 2024 Meeting
Posted March 29, 2024 by Regina Dziergas
One of the best (and sometimes, the most intimidating!) parts of grad school is the opportunity to attend and present your work at conferences, held by the numerous academic/professional organizations that support our disciplines. Conferences give you the opportunity to hear about and learn from what academic research and on-the-job procedures and issues are being discussed, debated, reassessed, and worked on in your field, as well as grow your professional network by connecting with information professionals from many different corners of librarianship. I recently got to present at the New England Archivists’ Spring 2024 meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, and it was both an incredible learning experience and a great first step into this part of our field. The New England Archivists (NEA) are a organization representing the New England region’s archival community, and their 2024 Spring meeting brought together archivists, students in LIS programs, other informational professionals, and people focusing on other disciplines who work in archives or do related community programming to talk about their work. (Regional LIS organizations are a great way…
How to Survive the Boston Transit System: Tips for Commuter Students
Posted March 28, 2024 by Olivia McGovern
I remember the days of living in a dorm and walking to class. Rolling out of bed, throwing on a sweatshirt and brushing my teeth before taking a casual stroll across campus. Then, later, popping back over to my room to take a nap or grab a snack. Now, as a commuter student, I’m a compulsive Google Maps refresher, with a 20 minute walk and a 30 minute bus ride. It’s tough being a commuter student, and it isn’t helped by the commuting options in Boston being unreliable at best and completely broken at worst. Here are some commuting tips from someone who’s walked, biked, bused, and braved the MBTA to get to Simmons. Always check before you go. The transit systems in Boston are constantly changing, and even if your commute is usually consistent, that can change on any random day. A holiday might mean that the buses are running on a different schedule. A road can suddenly be blocked off for construction. Don’t even get me started on the MBTA. If something’s down,…
Welcome New Student Blogger, Amy!
Posted March 27, 2024 by Amy Argo
Amy is a year into the program and in the Libraries and Librarianship Concentration. She studies at the SLIS West Campus site and is really interested in how libraries can work to recognize the needs of their communities and show through action how Libraries are for ALL. Something fun about Amy is that with her current work schedule, she has Tuesdays off and spends them with her grandma, running errands, playing games, and enjoying ice cream!
Welcome New Student Blogger, Olivia!
Posted March 27, 2024 by Olivia McGovern
Hello! I’m currently in my first year at SLIS, but I’ve been living in the Boston area for almost two years. I am in the Archives concentration, and I am the co-chair of SPECTRA, the LGBTQIA+ Affinity Organization at SLIS. I’m originally from Wisconsin, so by default I love mac and cheese and saying “ope” when I ask to “sneak on by ya there.” Before starting library school, I was a tutor for ESL and new immigrant high schoolers. Today, you can usually find me hunting for a geocache, crocheting, or reading a book.
Half-Way There Check-In
Posted March 26, 2024 by Aurora Daniel
It’s difficult to believe that the semester is halfway over! I started at Simmons this semester and the time has flown by. As a dual LIS – Archives concentration and History degree student I have enjoyed the balance I’ve had between learning Information Science procedures and continuing my studies in History. My favorite part so far has been the discussions in LIS 407 and HIST 568 regarding ethics, engaging with the public/users, and what role collections care and stewardship plays in both. In HIST 568 we had a site visit at The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum where we met with an archivist and discussed how some of these issues emerged in her day to day work. Part of why I chose the dual degree program was for opportunities like this— to connect what I’m doing in both degree programs as well as to think about how this will factor into my future career. I tend to be a bit critical of museums (blame my BA in Art History), but it’s a good…
Welcome New Student Blogger, Aurora!
Posted March 25, 2024 by Aurora Daniel
My name is Aurora and I’m a first year student in the dual LIS – Archives concentration and History degree program here at SLIS. Originally from Oregon, I moved to Boston in 2018 after serving in the U.S. Army as a Motor Transport Operator and paratrooper from 2016 to 2018. I graduated from Wellesley College in 2023 with a BA in Art History with a specific focus on U.S. Art History and building preservation. During undergrad I had a few internships focused on museum collections management and loved the opportunity to connect what I learned in the classroom with my work. I am hoping to continue doing that throughout my career. I believe that Simmons’ program is providing nice groundwork to do so by balancing how to care for archival collections and the research skills to provide the most up to date and accessible information about them. Outside of my studies I love to knit, read historical fiction, and visit museums where I pick their curation apart. I also play and coach Ultimate Frisbee.
St. Patrick’s Day in Boston
Posted March 23, 2024 by Emma Hayden
One of the best parts of being in Boston during March is the city’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, which took place this past weekend (March 17th)! Everyone gets into the holiday spirit, and people from all over the greater Boston area come into the city to celebrate. A highlight of the holiday weekend is a yearly visit from Irish rock band the Dropkick Murphys at MGM Fenway, and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” can be heard in every neighborhood’s bars and pubs which are usually decked out in green decorations and Irish flags. While some like to get out of the city to avoid the crowds, I was really excited this year to see the annual South Boston St. Patrick’s Day/Evacuation Day parade. If you want to learn more about the parade’s history you can check out the website! As a dual degree student at Simmons, I am currently taking a public history course where we have been visiting and interacting with a lot of Boston’s history. Inspired by this class and conversations I have…
Archival Fieldwork for LIS 438
Posted March 22, 2024 by Clarabel Smith
For many Simmons MLIS students, LIS 438: Introduction to Archival Theory & Practice is a natural next step forward after completing their core classes, especially if they’re thinking of going into the Archives concentration. As someone who is currently in the Design Your Own concentration, I wanted to take LIS 438 to see whether the Archives track is for me, and in any case was interested in how archival practices compared to library and special collections. I was somewhat apprehensive of the field experience component of the class, even though I had been enjoying the concepts we’d been studying so far and I like to apply my learning in a hands-on way. I was worried that it would be more time than I was able to commit outside of class, and that I would be out of my depth in an environment where I didn’t know the people or the institution. However, halfway through the semester, field experience is my favorite part of my week. Field experience host sites are assigned with the help of…
Books about Librarians and Libraries!
Posted March 20, 2024 by Isabella Rodrigues
It’s not surprising that a great way to have a deeper understanding of library science is to read about it! Of course, many SLIS students will have read articles, research papers, and textbooks about information science, but I am going to list some “not-so-academic” fiction and nonfiction titles that will help you learn and also get you learning. Enjoy the odd cases and questions that come to Gina Sheridan’s circulation desk at her public library. These true short stories are a celebration of libraries and patrons as well as the quirks of working as a reference librarian. A deep dive into the more scientific side of libraries. When is it important for children to start reading on their own? What is the difference between reading on screens and reading on paper? How are libraries going to look in the future? Maryanne Wolf contemplates all this and more in her musings in this non-fiction work. Historians Andrew Pettegree and Arthur de Wedewen explore both the whimsical and dark past of libraries and their keepers. This book…
Spring Break: a Time to Relax?
Posted March 12, 2024 by Magenta Jasinski
Ahhh, spring break. The time when tired grad students are able to take some time off fromschool to decompress and relax. Right? Unfortunately, that isn’t the reality for most of us. Although no classes took place this past week (3/4-3/8), that doesn’t mean that we could just put our feet up and relax. With professors assigning hefty projects often due the day before classes start again (3/10), many are forced to put these assignments together in addition to going to work. If students opt to take time off of work and go on vacation (or a staycation) instead, like what myfellow Simmons student and partner and I did, there are additional logistics. Is it possible to finishthese projects before flying out, and can we afford to both not work for the whole week? Well,yes and no. I managed to finish my school projects and end up with products that I’m happywith, but I do feel a degree of guilt over RSVPing “no” to meetings and asking for extended workdeadlines. My partner, on the other hand,…