Adjusting to Life in New England
Posted March 7, 2018 by Sarah Callanan
I have lived in nearly every part of the country except for the New England area, and it has been a bit of a transition. Every place I’ve moved to has its own culture and has been a different experience, and I’ve loved them all in their own way. Here are some experiences I’ve had that are unique to this region: The Driving: I have never been more terrified on the road. Double yellow lines apparently mean nothing here, and everyone is so aggressive on the road. Public Transportation: Even though I have lived in cities, I’ve never lived in a city that has had a super comprehensive public transportation plan like the Boston area does. Just today I rode the Commuter Rail, the T, and a bus. Learning to navigate the MBTA has been an interesting learning experience though. I’m so happy that we have the MBTA and that I can easily get in to, around, and out of Boston. The Accent: Why is Worcester pronounced Wooster? And Quincy pronounced Quinzy? I just can’t…
Welcome to Ashley Jackson
Posted March 6, 2018 by Katie Olivo
Hello everyone! We’d like to introduce our new blogger, Ashley Jackson. Please read a little about her below. Hi guys, I’m Ashley, and I am brand new to grad school and Massachusetts! I am in the MA for Children’s Literature, and I could not be more excited to have the opportunity to study at Simmons. I expect to learn a lot here and network to meet people. My undergrad is in English literature, and I have earned half (yep) of my MLIS from University of North Texas, which I may return to at a later date. I am truly stoked to have the chance to focus on Children’s Literature and see where that takes me (publishing hopefully!). I was born and raised in Texas and have lived there my whole life. So, this is quite the experience for me. I have spent quite a bit of time in England, so I’m not 100% in culture shock, but Boston is different than Austin; in a good way (hello snow)! I cannot wait to explore the city…
An Exceptional February Day
Posted February 27, 2018 by ShanTil Yell
Today, I had the supremely cool opportunity to join a group of my classmates on a tour of the Boston Athenæum (courtesy of the Simmons Panopticon chapter–y’all rock!). Also, spring decided to pop its head in early with sunshine and warm temperatures, so I was more than happy to don a peekaboo dress and roam into the city. The Athenæum is one of the country’s oldest libraries, and is filled with floor after floor of amazing pieces of fine art, as well as extensive circulating and special collections. A couple of my favorite bits of the afternoon included viewing part of George Washington’s personal library, and also getting to browse the original card catalog, now very much a relic of times past and tucked away in the building’s basement. Sitting pretty at 10 ½ Beacon Street…a cousin of Platform 9 ¾ perhaps…the Athenæum is located in one of the most historically rich parts of the city, and is itself a distinguished cultural heritage center. I trust the patron goddess of wisdom was pleased to be…
A Pleasant Surprise
Posted February 27, 2018 by Sarah Callanan
As a brand-new grad student, and a brand-new Massachusetts resident, I must admit I was extremely ambivalent about taking an online class my first semester. I don’t know anyone in Massachusetts except my parents, and I really wanted to get out there and mingle with my fellow students. Also, I only took one online class my entire time in undergrad and it was very much an individual experience, as in, I did not talk to my classmates, ever. I’m finding myself to be pleasantly surprised by my online LIS 407 course. I’m getting to know so much about my classmates and there is a lot of group discussion in the forums. In addition, while I was worried about not having the “student experience,” again, I was pleasantly surprised. Simmons is so good about sending emails about networking events through their student organizations like LISSA (Library and Information Science Student Organization), so I can come to campus and participate that way. I’m sure the next few years of grad school will be full of more surprises…
Introducing Two New Members To Our Blogging Team!
Posted February 27, 2018 by Katie Olivo
Hello everyone! We’d like to introduce two new student bloggers, Sarah Callanan and ShanTil Yell. Please read a little about them below. You will see their first posts very soon! Welcome Sarah! My name is Sarah Callanan and I recently moved to Massachusetts from Raleigh, North Carolina. I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BA in Communication Studies with a minor in English. I have previously lived in Colorado and Michigan, so snow is not as much of a foreign concept to me as one might think. I started my MLIS degree in January 2018, and am pursuing the Archives Management concentration. My love of research, reading, and the fact that my living area was slowly but surely becoming a library is what prompted me to start my journey to getting this degree. I’m really enjoying getting to know the Boston area and all it has to offer. I’m so excited to be at Simmons and to be on this ride with all of you. Welcome ShanTil! Hi y’all, I’m ShanTil! If you couldn’t tell,…
Leadership in Libraries
Posted February 26, 2018 by Megan Ondricek
Nature is teasing me right now with some shockingly mild and beautiful weather for February, making everyone think that spring is coming. As such, I’ve been thinking about seeds. Not the kind that are already trying to sprout in my backyard, but rather, the kind that germinate in one’s mind to invoke new ideas and ways of thinking. This semester has planted the seeds of some new ideas in my mind – ideas that I never thought I’d have. Our professor for Academic Libraries is currently the Dean of Library Services at her institution, which is academic-speak for “the boss.” As such, she brings the very interesting perspective of library management and library administration – one that I have not gotten much of in my other courses at Simmons. What makes this doubly interesting for me is that my dad, who has spent his entire professional career as an English professor, has also recently found himself in a position of leadership and administration. Both my Academic Libraries professor and my dad have been thrust into…
Winter in Boston:
Posted February 23, 2018 by Josie Snow
Winter in Boston: The Autumnal colors left, and the chill air changed, carrying the scent of frosty leaves, and a crispness that makes it hard to stay outside. Here the wind sweeps in, and that combined with the wet cold makes the feeling of cold settle in your bones whenever you go outside. Everyone walks around in a bundle of coats, scarf, gloves–and yet, they are still very stylish. Fashion,it seems, still applies even when one must layer constantly. I also found the winter weather to be very mercurial, shifting constantly. One day it is rainy and cold, another day sunny and chilly, then rainy and warm, or perhaps snowy. The snow here comes in bursts and then doesn’t stay long, it turns to ice, or is washed away in the rain. I keep finding new things to marvel at as far as the weather is concerned.
Librarianship is Lifelong Learning
Posted February 14, 2018 by Megan Ondricek
I’ve always thought that a good librarian is essentially a jack-of-all-trades. It’s one of the things that drew me to this field. I couldn’t settle on one particular subject or discipline, so my reasoning was that I’d learn a little bit about all of them and become a librarian – an information specialist. I want to be an academic professional that dabbles in many subjects, while helping others to be successful in whatever endeavor they’ve chosen. The great thing about librarianship is that many of the skills we are learning have strong tie-ins to so many other fields. Tell me which academic discipline does not require finding and using quality information resources. Let’s talk about how many careers involve customer service, marketing, and outreach. Can you think of many occupations these days for which an understanding of IT terminology is not extremely valuable? At the root of it all is that I just love learning. I love researching and finding information. So far I have found the field of librarianship to be vast and diverse,…
Bookish Thoughts:
Posted February 13, 2018 by Josie Snow
This semester has introduced me to many books, here are some of the books I have enjoyed or found interesting so far: Books that taught me things I didn’t know before Danza: Amalia Hernandez and the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico by Duncan Tonatiuh The Noisy Paint box: The Colors and sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy by Richard Michelson Eyes of the World: Robert Capa, Gerta Taro and the Invention of Modern Photojournalism by Marc Aronson Books that provoked an emotional response: Unleaving by Jill Paton Walsh Push by Sapphire Shizuko’s Daughter by Kyoko Mori House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Old favorites that I get to see in a new light: Marcello in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
Staying Sane (and Productive) in the New England Winter
Posted February 8, 2018 by Megan Ondricek
This is the New England winter in a nutshell, courtesy of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day: We’re approaching that part of the season when it really does feel like winter is all you will ever know. The New England winter is soooo long. You can expect everyone to start talking about and anticipating spring around mid-March, but the spring-like weather won’t actually show up until May. It is not uncommon to have snow in April. So if you’re thinking of moving here from a warmer location: you’ve been warned. That being said, there are a lot of healthy ways to cope with the winter and you certainly do not have to love the cold to love New England. Here are a few of the tips and tricks that I have found effective for chasing away those winter blues: 1. Embrace the beauty and necessity of winter. Every year I have to prepare myself mentally for the winter ahead. Accept the fact that it’s going to be very long and very cold. Now look for the…