Summer Wrap Up and First Week of Classes
Posted September 11, 2024 by Aurora Daniel
It’s so nice to be back at Simmons after a jam-packed summer! I was a fellow for Warrior-Scholar Project, which is a nonprofit that helps veterans and active duty service members transition to college through one to two week bootcamps focused on building core study and writing skills as well as providing information about how to apply to schools. Over the course of the summer I worked at Yale University, the University of Notre Dame, Cornell University, and the The California Institute of Technology. I was a participant way back in 2018 and wouldn’t be in grad school now without it so it was wonderful to be able to give back. Additionally, being a fellow ensured getting some teaching experience under my belt, which was one of my goals for grad school. I led morning study groups and evening college success sessions, helped grade problem sets, and tutored students on their writing and physics. On top of getting to travel and building my professional skills I also made friends and had a lot of fun…
Summer Reading Recommendations
Posted May 2, 2024 by Olivia McGovern
Whether it’s laying out a towel at the beach or setting up a hammock at the park, there’s nothing better than reading a book on a beautiful summer day. Even though I’ll be taking a Summer Semester class for part of it, nothing and no one can keep me from getting an iced coffee and reading in the sun! Here are some of the books on my list to finish this summer: Fantasy The Dreamblood Duology by N.K. Jemisin N.K. Jemisin has been one of my favorite authors since my mind was blown by The Fifth Season several years back. I’ve now finished two of her fantasy series, and I think it’s time to tackle another. In this duology, priests of the dream goddess roam rooftops to collect the magic of sleeping minds, until one priest becomes entangled in a murderous conspiracy. World building? Check. Magic? Check. Conspiracy? Murder? I’m in. Science Fiction The Vanished Birds by Simon Jiminez I picked up a copy of this book in the used section of Harvard Book Store,…
Having Fun During Finals
Posted May 1, 2024 by Aurora Daniel
All throughout the semester I try to make sure there is time for hobbies and other enjoyable activities and finals is no exception. For myself, that means getting to coach and play ultimate frisbee! This spring Boston has had decent weather so I’ve been able to coach my kids every weekend, play in a weeknight hat league, and attended my alma mater’s annual fundraiser tournament. Ultimate frisbee was a huge part of my undergraduate experience and I didn’t want to quit the sport just because I had graduated. I think part of getting through grad school is finding ways to adapt your hobbies in order to have them fit into a new schedule that prioritizes the increased demands in course work and job responsibilities. I don’t have time to be gone for weekend long tournaments most weekends anymore, let alone the regular two hour-long practices three times per week. However, a once or twice a week hour-long commitment is something I can do. It is a great way to exercise, connect socially outside of Simmons,…
In Search of Green Spaces
Posted April 19, 2024 by Olivia McGovern
I’m from a town in Wisconsin where open farm fields and forests are less than a 20 minute drive in any direction. When I moved to Boston, a big part of my initial culture shock was the lack of nature. But I’ve lived here for almost 2 years now, and after some searching and exploring, I’ve found a couple of good spots to touch grass, sit under a tree, or get out in the wilderness. The most central place in all of Boston to sit in the shade of a tree is the Boston Common and Public Gardens. The first time I went, I started by walking through the willow trees in the gardens, crossing the foot bridge and looking out at the pond, where a few ducks swam past. Since then I’ve visited an art exhibition, walked around the Central Burying Ground trying to find the oldest dates, and got rained out at the 2023 Pride Festival. The Common is a great gathering place and easy to get to, but it’s not the first…
Feeling Stressed? Talk to someone!
Posted April 17, 2024 by Isabella Rodrigues
As the semester comes to a close and the sun comes out, it is tempting to look longingly out the window rather than prepare for finals. While of course studying and working on classes is important, taking charge of your mental health and getting vitamin D is also vital. Stress about summer internships, jobs, or the end of classes can have many students in a downward spiral. Taking walks and getting out with friends is productive, but don’t forget to utilize our counseling center on campus even if you are feeling a little overwhelmed. The counseling center (located in One Palace Road, B-308) takes appointments and is ready to help! You don’t have to be in crisis to make an appointment; I highly recommend it if you are feeling anxious in the slightest. If you are like me, you might de-stress by venting to your friends, but speaking with a professional is even better. Graduate students might be directed to the Student Assistance Program to set up an appointment.
Course Registration Is Upon Us!
Posted April 9, 2024 by Aurora Daniel
In the midst of the last few weeks of the semester is another crucial time: course registration for summer and fall. I’ve decided to take one summer course this year, LIS 488, in order to wrap up the general degree requirements so I can take an elective course in the fall. Since it’s my second semester I have to take LIS 438: Intro to Archival Theory & Practice as well as HIST 597: Historical Methods in order to complete general requirements for my Archives Concentration and my MA degree. That leaves me with one course I can choose to register with what I want. Right now I haven’t decided if I’ll take LIS 446: Art Documentation or LIS 532Q: Museum Studies. That’s always the hard part: what do you choose when there are so many options? While taking a summer course may seem like an easy decision so I could knock out requirements I did not make it lightly. I’ll be working full time this summer and want to avoid getting burned out. The summer…
An Unexpected Archive of the Universe
Posted April 4, 2024 by Klaire Chandler
I hope everyone is having a great Semester so far! Mine has been super busy since I started a new job as a Curatorial Assistant at the Harvard Plate Stacks Collection last fall. The Plate Stacks Collection is stored at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and includes over 550,000 glass plate negatives and spectral images of the stars, which represent the first full image of the visible Universe. 146 women astronomical computers helped to create, store, and analyze this collection over about a century and many of them, such as Henrietta Leavitt and Annie Jump Cannon, have become famous for their groundbreaking discoveries. Before starting the archives program, I would have never imagined working at an archive of this type. However, archives come in an amazing range of shapes and sizes. My field placement involved an archive full of historical medical records, equipment, and human remains. My first archives job includes hundreds of thousands of glass plate negatives representing the entire visible universe. Beyond my work experiences, I have learned of thousands of…
The Simmons Zine Collection
Posted April 4, 2024 by Olivia McGovern
About a month ago, I started a new job working in Beatley Library on campus. I got my very own cubicle, equipped with a computer, a scanner and a label printer, but one corner is dominated by two boxes of uncataloged zines. I came to learn that Simmons houses a sizable collection of zines that have been curated for years, and it was the job of my predecessor to catalog and process them. Unfamiliar with zines? Here’s the rundown: “zines are a noncommercial, nonprofessional, small-circulation magazines which their creators produce, publish, and distribute themselves” (Duncombe). There is usually a DIY crafting component in the creation of a zine, followed by photocopying, folding, and stapling into pamphlets. Zines are inexpensive and easy to make, which has led them to play an important role in activism. The Simmons librarian, Dawn Stahura, who really kicked off the zine collection wrote (in a zine): “Zines are not only creative they are unique primary sources, a gateway into the lives of the marginalized, the silenced, the overlooked.” A unique cataloging…
Pushing Through Spring Semester
Posted April 3, 2024 by Isabella Rodrigues
If you’re like me then you might already be hoping for summer to start. The weather, seemingly, is getting warmer. People are getting antsy in class and in the streets. In a few weeks, the swan boats will be on the pond, crowds of baseball fans will overrun Fenway, and tourists will swarm the city. Whether you stay in Boston over summer break or go elsewhere, we all still have the same hurdle to jump. Ending the semester. We are about a month out from the end of the semester so everyone is cracking down or about to crack down on finals. Here are some helpful tips on staying focused while also keeping yourself healthy.
SLIS West: A Few of My Favorite Things
Posted April 3, 2024 by Amy Argo
I love the feeling of being part of the smaller cohort out on the SLIS West campus! Since we’re smaller in numbers, classes feel like weekly gatherings to talk with friends about important issues surrounding librarianship. It’s been really cool to get to connect with like-minded peers and hear about their experiences from a variety of educational backgrounds, institutional settings, and life experiences. These connections build week after week and semester after semester. It is also an incredibly supportive and welcoming environment – on my first day in January 2023, I was worried about finding lunch companions between classes. While I was in line at Tailgate Picnic, the deli in the Village Commons, one of the people from my class invited me to eat lunch with them and their friends in the office. Little did I know how consequential that would prove to be, as it got me involved with LISSA West, our branch of the student organization out on the West Campus – fast forward a year, and I am the President of LISSA West! I…