The Million Dollar Question
Posted October 21, 2015 by Jill Silverberg
Every now and then I journey home to Long Island, NY to spend time with my family, friends, and cat, Ella. This was the first time I was home since the start of the semester, so everyone wanted to know how my year had been going so far. Besides asking about the usual stuff (school, work, and my friends), I noted that there were two questions that everyone wanted ask me. And trust me when I say that that utilization of italics is not an overreaction. The first question, I guess, should have been anticipated: Are you ready for another Boston winter? While I do admit that last year’s winter was bad, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, at least not for me. Since I don’t have a car and can walk to everything I need, the only complaint I had was the fact that I missed one or two classes. Besides, I LIKE SNOW. So what if we have a lot of snow this year? I seriously do not mind. As for the second…
Talk to your advisor!
Posted October 20, 2015 by Alison Mitchell
SLIS assigns each student an academic advisor at the beginning of the program. As part of 401, students have to meet with their advisors to talk about course plans and get certain paperwork signed. I remember meeting my advisor last fall, having a pleasant conversation, and moving on. At the time, I probably thought that was our first and last meeting, since I knew what classes I wanted to take and what I wanted to do after SLIS. I probably even thought, I’m a grown-up, how much advising do I need? Plenty, it turns out. I’m struggling a little bit, attitude-wise, this semester, and wasn’t feeling inspired by any of the classes offered in the spring. In a last ditch effort to save my attitude, I sent an email to my advisor. I outlined my lack of enthusiasm and quickly had an appointment with her for the following week. That appointment was yesterday, and all I can say is that I’m really glad we met. She had some ideas for courses that I hadn’t considered,…
That’s not this week, is it?
Posted October 15, 2015 by Tara Pealer
-A statement said by me about all my assignments so far. A major part of my first semester at Simmons has been deadlines. Beyond the usual multiple assignment due dates carefully written in color coding in my planner, there’s the days I have to meet with group members (group members being new to a highly independent English major, but definitely welcomed), and, finally the important due dates of TOR and the LIS Program Planning Sheet. Both of which are due on the same day, and both of which were a little nerve wracking. The TOR(Technology Orientation Requirement) had been a breeze for me, until I reached the HTML coding section and a tiny monster inside of began to insist that I had no clue what I was doing. Which, notably, is the point of TOR. It exposes students to technology they may have some trouble with. Anyway, I shut down at that point, and haven’t looked at it since. I just need to sit down and allow myself to not understand something, to accept that,…
Star Struck at the Horn Book Awards
Posted October 9, 2015 by Katie Caskey
I think by now we can all agree that the SLIS programs at Simmons are pretty amazing. The small class sizes, the tight community, and the easy access to so many resources in and around Boston…all huge plusses. But, if you still need a bit more convincing, let me just say this…the Boston Globe Horn Book Awards! OK, the mere sound of these words may not make you jump and squeal like a schoolgirl (like they do me), but allow me to elaborate, and you will soon see why this is just the best. School. EVER! The Horn Book Magazine was founded in 1924 and is still one of the premiere publications in the field of children’s literature, with a fun mix of academic articles, book reviews, and editorial comments. Spawning out of this publication’s outstanding reputation, the annual Boston Globe Horn Book Awards work to recognize excellence in three categories of children’s literature: picture books, fiction, and nonfiction. And, because of Simmons’ close partnership with The Horn Book, guess where the awards are…
A Fine Balance
Posted October 8, 2015 by Tara Pealer
If you’re a junior or senior in undergrad, it is likely that by now you have friends in grad school. Your grad school friends seem like they have their lives together. They know what they are doing, and what they want to do, and how to get there. (This is a lie.) And it may seem, to you, as it did to me, that there are two types of grad school students. Type A, we’ll call them, is the type who is always studying. You haven’t seen them in months. You haven’t even seen them on Facebook in a while. They are doing well, you know, because they have always done well, but their entire life is now centered on completing their studies. You admire their dedication and passion, and have no clue how they manage to keep it up. Type B, on the other hand, seems to always be doing “The Things You Wish You Were Doing.” They’re the ones with pictures of fancy food they made on Instagram. They went to that supercool…
Health Comes First
Posted October 7, 2015 by Jill Silverberg
Does anyone else remember the days when they would pretend to be sick to get out of classes? I certainly do. Back during my high school days, I would sometimes wish I would get sick just so I wouldn’t have to get up at 6:20am and endure about eight hours of mind-numbing and soul breaking school. During those days, I would have to be strategic; pretend to be sick too much and the parents would certainly catch on. I doubt I missed a total of ten days throughout my entire high school career and certainly at least three or four of those times I probably truly needed to miss school, but I’ll be honest, those days when I could stay home and relax were always worth the risk of getting caught faking it. Ironically, high school would be the last time I ever truly enjoyed getting sick. In my first semester as a freshman, I caught the Swine Flu, H1N1, and missed an entire week of school. Not only that, but my parents had to drive four…
Confession
Posted October 6, 2015 by Alison Mitchell
Here’s a confession. Sometimes I forget I’m in school. This morning, a friend asked me how school was going, and I launched into a story about a conversation I had with my older daughter’s teacher. My friend listened politely, then said “I mean your school.” Right. I’m in school. It’s kind of hard to believe I could forget about it, since my assignments and deadlines are always on my mind. But right now school seems a little more abstract than it has other semesters. Part of it is that I’m not physically on campus as much as I have been in the past. I’m taking one online course and one evening course, so I’m only there Thursday nights. Part of it is that my kids need a little more attention this fall, both physically (I drive the two of them to more gymnastics practices than I thought humanly possible) and emotionally (one is feeling the stress of a harder grade and more classroom work this year, and the other just likes to tell me every….
Building Foundations
Posted October 3, 2015 by Amy Wilson
We are a few weeks into the semester, so it seems like a good time to reflect. Making it Work This is probably a good time to talk about my workload and plans for time management. I have chosen to take two classes each semester, and attend during each of the spring, fall, and summer terms. That should allow me to finish the required 36 credits (two 3-credit courses per semester) in two years (six semesters). I’m pacing myself this way because I also work 37.5 hours a week (9 to 5:30) at a law firm in downtown Boston, in the records management department. This semester, I am taking classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8:50pm, and my boss has agreed to let me leave at 5pm on those days so that I can make it to Simmons on time. As the semester goes on, I will learn how to balance my homework and spread it out through the week. My professors also have listed the entire semester’s readings on their syllabuses, in case I want…
Exploring Fantasy Worlds in Your Own Backyard!
Posted October 2, 2015 by Katie Caskey
I have to give a shout-out to my Science Fiction and Fantasy professor for introducing me to this week’s blog topic! Last week our class was given the assignment to go and experience the map exhibition currently on display at the Boston Public Library. If you’re like me, you may be skeptical of this venture, wondering just how interesting could it be to go look at a bunch of maps in a quiet room somewhere in the depths of the library. Wait, hang with me, because I haven’t told you the best part yet…the maps are all from fictional lands of children’s literature!!! Running now through October 25, the “Literary Landscapes” collection is on display in the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the main branch of the BPL (the one in Copley Square). Featuring both 2D and 3D maps (take that in…3D MAPS!), the exhibit introduces visitors to the extensive and detailed imaginary worlds created by some of our favorite authors. When you first step into the map room, you are greeted with a…
The Weeding Monster
Posted October 1, 2015 by Tara Pealer
I am good at weeding. I’d go as far to say that I like weeding. Weeding, to me, is a relaxing way to organize, understand, and address the usage of not only a library’s book collection, but my own as well. I look at the book to see if it’s been read, if I would want to read it, if I would read it again, if I really want to keep it, and, finally, if there’s a place I can give it to improve the chance of it being used. Books that don’t make the ‘cut’, and are removed from my shelf, get donated to book sales, or, if it’s a textbook in good or new condition, with relevant material, donated to the academic library I used to work at. I also give children’s books to my five year old niece and other books to my friends if they want them. Cue, now, the looks I got from my LIS 401 classmates when I say this. How could I? Why would I? To that I…