Dilemma
Posted February 20, 2015 by Alison Mitchell
Like many others, I was inspired by this Humans of New York story. It made me think about the impact teachers and principals can have, and, following that logic, public librarians in urban settings. When I applied to library school, I wrote part of my application essay on the need for quality library services for traditionally underserved populations. I want every child to have access to a great public library with materials and programming and technology and responsive librarians. I want to be one of those responsive librarians. Except that I work in a suburb with a decidedly not underserved population. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job and everything about it. But the other day, reading story after story about Mott Hall Bridges Academy and the inspiring Principal Lopez (and the even more inspiring Vidal Chastanet), I started to think that maybe I should be working in an urban library. Then, I saw a job listing for the same type of position I have now, but in an urban setting. I shouldn’t have…
Outsides and Insides
Posted February 19, 2015 by Hayley Botnen
Because of the snow, I had a hard time getting to the library these past couple weeks. Which is only unfortunate because I’m taking a picture book class which meets once a month, and in which we need to read 120 picture books. I was planning to check out about 10 a week, but when I missed a couple weeks, I ended up checking out about 30 picture books yesterday. I was mildly embarrassed simply because I don’t have any children, and, to a certain extent, I felt like I was taking away books from possible child readers. But then I reminded myself that the bookshelves were still full even after my two bags of books were removed. In really trying to give myself over to picture books, I noticed a few things about my preferences. I know my last post was also about picture books, but this is slightly more applicable to all books. I’ve said before that I’m terrible and I totally judge books by their covers. Well, in looking at picture books,…
Book Recommendation: The Map Thief
Posted February 16, 2015 by Alexandra Bernson
Despite cancelled classes due to Boston’s clearly insane weather system, I’m sure all of you are deep into your classes and the last thing you need is a book recommendation. But I would be amiss if I did not share with you a great new book that I just finished and absolutely adored, not only because it is so well-written but primarily because it is incredibly relevant to contemporary libraries, archives, and special collections. http://www.michaelblanding.com/mapthief/ The Map Thief by Michael Blanding is made only more intriguing by the scandalous subtitle: “The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps.” The story seems out of the plot of some sort of period film, but all took place within the last decade. Forbes Smiley, a Massachusetts native, entered the rare map trade in the 1980s when map collecting was just becoming popular. He loved the history and artistry of the maps and often worked closely with librarians at major universities as he was researching maps for potential collectors. He was instrumental in…
An Open Letter to Snow
Posted February 15, 2015 by Jill Silverberg
Dear Snow, You have been very busy these past two months, my dear friend. Since the end of January, not a week has passed where you haven’t unleashed yourself upon the city of Boston. I wonder, is this perhaps retaliation of some kind because the meteorologists were predicting a mild winter? Or perhaps, you simply enjoy covering Boston in your snowy blankets, changing the city into a winter wonderland? Whatever your motivation for delivering snow storm after snow storm upon my beloved city of Boston, I write to you today, as strong winds howl outside my apartment creating clouds of white, to ask you for leniency. Enough is enough. Please, can we not have anymore snow? I am fully aware that writing this plea to you is most likely folly, but with 45.5 inches of snow as today (according to CNN.com), a plea such as this can’t hurt. And yes, that’s right: 45.5 inches. That’s a lot of snow, especially in such a short amount of time. Let me list a just a few of…
Blizzard Books
Posted February 14, 2015 by Samantha Quiñon
If you are inclined to get carried away with the spirit of Snowmageddon 2015, below I offer you suggestions for books to read while you’re hunkered down in this mess or while you’re hearing about it on the news from far away (lucky you!). In retrospect, perhaps I should have complied a list of beach reads instead. Oh well. Here it goes: Blankets by Craig Thomason- The black and white artwork in this graphic novel makes the snow it depicts intense in contrast with the rest of the drawings. Set in the 90s during a heavy winter in the Midwest, this tale of young love will make you want to snuggle with someone to keep warm. https://mirrorsofchrist.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/44-blankets-by-craig-thompson/ Simila’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg- Secrets wait beneath the ice in this dark crime thriller that takes place in Denmark and Greenland. Simila, the protagonist, will make you re-consider the very structure of snow itself and all the trails you leave behind in it as she tracks down a child’s murderer. Snowpiercer (both volumes) by Jaques…
Picture Books and Graphic Novels
Posted February 5, 2015 by Hayley Botnen
Picture Books. At some point in our lives, we’re all told that we need to move on. We need to read “at our age level”, whatever that means. As a future children’s librarian, I’m required to take two different classes centered solely on the picture book. So why do we encourage young readers to move beyond such amazing and poignant book forms? Picture books can be a lot of different things. There can be no words (but still have a very meaningful story). There can be a lot of words (have you ever looked at illustrated fairytales? sometimes those have a lot of words!). But one thing we’re usually taught as we grow up is that picture books and graphic novels are totally different forms. Usually we’re taught that in high school by someone who reads graphic novels or maybe by teachers who are open to graphic novels as a form. The ALA Youth Media Awards kind of brought the question of graphic novels to the foreground. First of all, congratulations to all the winners…
Snowpocalypse and the Brunch Bunch
Posted January 31, 2015 by Samantha Quiñon
I survived “Snowpocalypse” (as work called it)! Clearly, librarians love melodrama. It was my first blizzard in New England, and I actually kind of liked it. I walked around in the back yard in the middle of it, and it was so quiet that it didn’t feel like I was in Boston at all, more like I was on vacation in some winter wonderland. The only real trouble was AFTER the storm. No one knew where to put all the snow, so pedestrians couldn’t walk on un-shoveled sidewalks and a lot of streets were only one lane even after being plowed. So commuting was a nightmare all around, for drivers and public transportation users. I waited an hour for a bus that never came and another 40 minutes for the T and by that time I was running so late that I hailed a cab, so it cost me more money to get to work than I actually made that day. On the bright side, I had brunch with some friends the Sunday before the…
Time Management
Posted January 30, 2015 by Alison Mitchell
About ten years ago, I had a very high profile job. I carried a Blackberry (when that was a new, cool thing), was on call all the time, and regularly handled work issues at night and on the weekend while doing something else. It was not unusual for me to be working while I was at book club, or away for the weekend with my husband, or at the beach. I totally thrived on the stress and excitement. Then I had kids, and realized that talking to a newspaper reporter while my children were in the bathtub was not something to be proud of, so I left that job. I stopped multitasking and honed my scheduling and time management skills. I ditched the Blackberry, and waited several years before I got an iPhone. I realized I not only loved doing just one thing at a time, but I performed better when I did things one at a time. I was present, in the moment, with my kids. I found interesting freelance work that fit my…
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Posted January 29, 2015 by Hayley Botnen
So I was wondering if winter was ever going to hit the Boston area. Coming to Massachusetts from Montana, I was told by everyone, “Watch out for their winters! It’s colder out there! Make sure you’re prepared!” I’d been a little let down by the weather so far. I’m not particularly a fan of snow. In fact, I usually say that I don’t like it. But growing up in Montana, you get use to snow starting around October and lasting through about March. Occasionally, it snows outside that time, like when I went to my Freshman undergrad orientation, and it snowed in June. That was unusual, but I just bought a pair of socks and a pair of sweatpants from the school store and called it good. Now, I can say that I’ve finally learned what a Boston winter is like, and it wasn’t as bad as I expected. It was a lot of snow. But what surprised me the most was how everything shut down. I never had a snow day growing up. It…
Welcome to 2015!
Posted January 25, 2015 by Jill Silverberg
Fourth semester at SLIS. Here we go! Indeed, it seems that the month of January has just flown on by. But unlike some of you, I have spent about 95% of it here in Boston rather then home with my family. The reason? Well, it’s because the offices at my job, as a student worker at the student services center (haha shameless plug), were open as we prepped for both the New Year and new students. With so much to do, I’ve lost track of the time. Instead of spending the days at home, lounging around, I was on my feet, running around and performing key tasks. Working from the perspective of being behind the scenes, I must vocalize my respect for all of those who are part of SLIS faculty and staff. These men and women are some of the most dedicated individuals I’ve ever seen. In the days leading up to the Spring 2015 Orientation, I watched as everyone in SLIS came together, both student workers and members of the faculty and staff,…