On Hobbits and Morning Classes
Posted January 28, 2016 by Tara Pealer
I woke up early on Monday morning– –after hitting the snooze button for twenty minutes and silently yelling at myself to put down the phone and make breakfast, that is. These past few weeks, save a few days of work and ALA Midwinter, I have had the privilege to sleep in until 9 or 9:30, laze around for half an hour, eat cereal, then another half hour later I’d make some toast, and then, an hour later, I’d make an actual breakfast with actual substance. By the time I had finished that, it was lunch time and the cycle could begin again. I have long ago accepted the fact that I am probably a hobbit. However, hobbits don’t have morning classes. I have two 9 AM classes this semester, which means that my hobbit-esque schedule is irreparably broken. Waking up at 6:00 am? Definitely something I have to re-accustom myself to. Luckily, my first class of the semester, LIS 488 (one of the options to fill the technology requirement), I have with two of my…
NDSR Residencies and Digital Repositories
Posted January 26, 2016 by Alexandra Bernson
Yesterday I had the opportunity of attending the NDSR Mid-Year Event, where NDSR Residents gave presentations regarding the progress of their projects at their host institutions. If you are like me and know nothing about this program, you would be completely lost as to what any of this means. Don’t worry – despite my own interest in digital preservation, digital stewardship, or any other areas within the ever-expanding world of digital libraries and repositories, I hadn’t been aware of this program either. Originally hosted by the Library of Congress, the National Digital Stewardship Residency (or NDSR) assigns its residents to libraries or repositories looking to improve or originate their own digital stewardship program. This cohort model, where residents and their “hosts” work together to analyze and implement new theories and programs, has resulted in successful programs at past host institutions. Potential applicants are all recent graduates from various iSchools or MLIS graduate programs, and many of them did not have digital stewardship tracks at their graduate program. Currently, the NDSR Boston has residents at Harvard,…
It Begins!: My Final Semester
Posted January 24, 2016 by Jill Silverberg
All throughout the Fall semester, I’ve been mentally preparing myself for this moment. However, now that the time has come, now that my final semester is about to begin, I’ve come to the realization that nothing truly could prepare me for this. That’s the funny thing about reaching the last stretch of a race or the final level of a video game; you’ve known all along that this would happen and yet you still can’t believe that you’ve finally made it. The finish line is in sight, the final boss is right behind that door. In other words, stuff is about to get very real! Last semester, I wrote a blog post about my semi-frustration with people asking me about my future. What were my post-grad school plans? Was I going to stay in Boston or contemplate moving away? Was there a PhD program waiting for me just past the horizon? Essentially, this was my life all throughout my Thanksgiving break: Ironically this scene also happens to occur during a Thanksgiving meal I didn’t know the…
300 Words or Less
Posted January 23, 2016 by Amy Wilson
This was the first week back to class and I am really looking forward to this very career-focused semester. As I have mentioned before, I want to go into legal librarianship. My classes this semester include: Wednesdays – Legal Information ServicesThursdays – Information Sources and Services& Spring Break (five full days) – Special Libraries I can already tell that this is going to be a lot of work, but I am going to throw myself into it because everything I learn is going to be directly applicable in a career. Even my Information Sources and Services course (also known as Reference) is going to be highly focused. I was worried that the broad nature of the topic would mean most of it wouldn’t relate to my career; however, Professor Froggatt made it very clear from the first night that she wants us to find our focus and use it as a lens in the class. This morning our group presentation sign-ups opened at 8am, and I set an alarm to make sure that I could get into the Special Libraries…
The First Day of a New Semester
Posted January 22, 2016 by Katie Caskey
Well, it’s that time again. Break has ended, we’ve all made our way back to Boston from our respective hometowns and states, and we are “ready” to start strong on a fresh semester of grad school. Here is this grad student’s minute-by-minute thoughts throughout her first day…and don’t judge. You all thought the same things! 10:00pm (the previous night) – “I’m going to set my alarm for 7:00 and give myself plenty of time to eat a good breakfast and get organized for class! Nothing like starting off on a healthy note!” 7:00am – “Curse you alarm clock!” 7:01am – “Snooze.” 7:10am – “One more snooze.” 7:19am – “Why, oh why, did I decide to get up this early?” 7:20am – “Ok, I’m up.” 7:30am – “Haven’t gone grocery shopping since I got back…guess it’s popcorn for breakfast.” 7:32am – “Yay! I found some cereal! My roommates won’t mind loaning me some milk, right?” 7:50am – “Nothing on this earth feels better than a warm shower.” 8:00am – “Nothing on this earth feels worse than…
Flash to 502
Posted January 19, 2016 by Alexandra Bernson
Last Saturday I showed up to the Concord Free Public Library ten minutes late, pumped full of adrenaline, wet from the rain, and clutching a Dunkin Donuts coffee and old-fashioned donut. It wasn’t necessarily how I wanted to start my very first day at my 502 internship! The night before, after playing board games with friends, I set four different alarms for the next morning. I was prepared to wake up around 7AM, get ready, make breakfast, and hop on the Fitchburg Line for a 9:18AM arrival in Concord, Massachusetts. When Simmons had originally ranked potential internships, I had chosen those with weekend or late night hours within the Boston city limits. When I found out I’d have to hike all the way to Concord, I was initially disappointed. But the prospect of the collection excited me – I’d be working with the records of the Concord Minute Men re-enactors, one of the first and most respected re-enactment groups in the United States. I had worked at Renaissance festivals and been to battle re-enactments before…
ALA Midwinter
Posted January 15, 2016 by Tara Pealer
A scene: You walk into the Boston Convention and Exhibit center. It’s 7:30 on a Saturday morning, and the sun is still struggling to break through the dawn and clouds. You rush to the table you’re staffing for the day, check in, and then head over to pick up your pass. You made it. You’re at ALA Midwinter. It’s official. You have a pass and everything. They even gave you a free tote! And then, as you’re heading back to the table, you see it. A wonderland. A dream come true. A place better than Neverland. It makes you feel how Cinderella must have felt looking upon the Prince’s Castle. You’ve caught your first glimpse of the ALA Midwinter Exhibit Hall. Above the crowd of stations and booths, rise recognizable signs for Ebsco, JStor, and McFarland. Hidden in this huge arena, you know, reside the numerous tables for Penguin and Random House. Authors and illustrators are preparing for signings. Free books, posters, and tote bags are just within reach. Already, the scene is alive, bustling…
Attending ALA
Posted January 13, 2016 by Jill Silverberg
This past Friday I attended the American Library Association’s mid-winter conference which was held at the Boston Convention Center. Not only was this my first time attending an ALA conference, this was actually my very first library conference in general! Talk about exciting. While I had known that the ALA mid-winter conference was going to be held in Boston for quite some time, at first, I wasn’t certain if I should go. Since my focus within the field of library science is archives and cultural heritage, I was slightly concerned that, despite being a wonderful opportunity, I wouldn’t have too much to do beyond wandering around the exhibit hall. However, after speaking with a cousin who is a librarian in the Queens, NY area, I reconsidered a few things. To begin with, the conference was being held in a city that I was currently living in. One of the primary reasons I had opted out of attending the Summer ALA conference (previously held in San Fransisco) was the cost of finding a place to stay…
New Year, New Conference
Posted January 8, 2016 by Tara Pealer
Happy 2016! I hope everyone had a good break and is ready to face the New Year! I spent my break back home for a couple weeks, chilling with my family and my puppy, catching up on netflix shows, and generally destressing after my first semester as a grad student. My friend and I went to a local art museum/historic house, and I ended up antiquing with my father and sister, both of which were interesting and fun. My family and I also went to see Star Wars together. I didn’t do much beyond, well, relax. With the close of 2015 being rounded out with a game of Heads Up and a Taylor Swift music video (and wine), the start of 2016 is pretty packed. I picked up a friend from the airport, met her cat, cleaned my apartment, and started to round up scholarships to apply for. Boston itself is prepping for the influx of librarians and information professionals for ALA midwinter this weekend, which is beyond exciting. The official conference runs Friday to…
Finished with Flying Colors
Posted December 17, 2015 by Tara Pealer
I officially finished every assignment for this semester on Tuesday, and I’m currently only waiting on one grade to find out my GPA for my first semester in Library Science School, in order to humble brag on Facebook. I’ve returned all my books, organized all my notes, and printed the last thing I’ll print for this semester. And as exciting as that is (Yay! I’m done!) I can’t say that this hasn’t been a whirlwind semester. I’m still getting used to public transit, I keep forgetting to do my laundry, and the world of library science is much larger and cooler than I expected. I can definitely say I’m happy with where I am. With the first semester winding down, some of my friends and I were talking about why we chose Simmons. For most of my friends, who are archives students, the scale was easily weighted in favor of Simmons because it’s the number one school for archives in the nation. Another friend said that she decided to go to Simmons because of the…