Productivity and the Spring
Posted January 22, 2015 by Hayley Botnen
How is it already Spring semester? I feel like the break just flew by, and to be honest, I didn’t even really do that much! I volunteered a couple of times. I had my book club meet. I read ten books or so. I watched a lot of movies. I watched an entire season of Scandal, and Cousins on Call. (I watch an honestly embarrassing amount of television shows.) But I didn’t really do that much. I have the hardest time compelling myself to do things if I’m not busy. If I have a whole bunch of things happening, I manage to get a whole lot of things done. But if I’m completely free all day–I do absolutely nothing. Well, I don’t stare at the wall. I read stuff online. I spend a lot of time on Tumblr or twitter. I watch a lot of TV. But I feel like once the semester starts again, I’m more productive. Of course, there’s always the initial confusion of trying to get back into the swing of things,…
What’s in Store
Posted January 17, 2015 by Samantha Quiñon
I started a job last week at the Snell Library at Northeastern University. It’s in the Circulation Department (called Access Services there) supervising work-study students at the information desk, doing interlibrary loans (ILLs) and working with reserves, and a variety of other basic things. I think it’s a great way to get my feet wet at a large, academic, research library. I also started my cataloging internship at WGBH at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Unlike at Snell, I feel really confident about what I’m doing here. I have experience with digital collections and metadata from my internship last fall at Emerson College’s digital archives. I’m sure I’ll catch on and feel right at home at my other job soon though. Classes start next week. I’m taking Principles of Management (LIS 404 with Mónica Colón-Aguirre who could read the phone book and make it interesting), Subject Cataloging and Classification (LIS 417 with Danny Joudrey who literally wrote the book–the textbook–for Organization of Information, LIS 415), and Metadata online (LIS 445-OL with Kathy Wisser who…
My 2014 Reading in Review
Posted January 12, 2015 by Alison Mitchell
For most of my adult life, I’ve had a loose goal of reading 52 books a year (one a week, or roughly four a month). I keep a handwritten list of all the books I read, but I don’t always count them or hold myself to 52. This year, however, I realized I was at 50 on December 29, and powered through to get to 52 by the 31st (yay! or, maybe I’m too obsessive about an arbitrary number!). Jessamyn West at librarian.net is always setting goals for her reading, like more women or more authors of color. I was planning to analyze my list that way and see where my holes were, but typing it out I realized that I read a pretty diverse range of books. Fiction, non-fiction, YA, classics, men women, international authors… I definitely read more than just tales of women battling the patriarchy, as my husband would have you believe. (Please note that he says that very kindly, of course.) Thoughts on my 2014 reading: Re-reading most of Harry Potter…
Holiday in Summary and a Return to Boston
Posted January 10, 2015 by Samantha Quiñon
This year was my first Christmas at my family’s home in Florida while in library school. Holidays are about more than gifts, but I am going to talk about them anyway, because I was surprised by how many were book-themed. There were book ornaments, books drawn on PJs, book-print socks, a mug with lines from famous books, actual books (of course), and more. It’s strange having this new identity, which I don’t mind, but it’s definitely odd. I’m the same person I’ve always been. I’ve always loved books. No one gave me anything book-related when I majored in English literature for my undergraduate degree, and that actually had a lot more to do with books. I guess people are always happy to find another way to relate to someone as a way of showing love and support, and libraries and books are something everyone understands and has experienced. Beyond being slightly puzzled, I’m grateful that my family seems genuinely happy to see me start a new part of my life and cares enough to bond…
The Fabulous Book Club
Posted January 7, 2015 by Alison Mitchell
For the last fifteen years, I’ve been part of the modestly named Fabulous Book Club. In January 2000, we were a group of mostly single 20-somethings living in Somerville and Cambridge and Jamaica Plain. Over the years, we’ve somehow turned into a group of mostly married 40-somethings living in far-flung suburbs (although I’m holding fast to Somerville!). We’ve had high highs and low lows. Some women moved away, others moved in. Today, about 6 of us meet monthly for dinner, conversation and book discussion (really! We do talk about the book!). We have a pretty good system, and I think we’ll go for at least another 15 years. Because I’m sure there are legions of people out there wondering how we’ve stayed together for 15 years, here are my tips for keeping a book club going long term. We also have fifteen years of really great book lists, which I’m happy to share if anyone is interested. So. To start and keep a book club, you need… People. In January 2000, a friend and I…
2015 Reading Challenge
Posted January 5, 2015 by Hayley Botnen
It’s a brand new year! And while a lot of people enjoy making new year’s resolutions, I’m not really one of them. I try to always keep certain resolutions in mind (eat healthy, exercise as much as I can, love myself more), but one of the few resolutions which I love and keep up with is reading challenges. Last year, I wanted to read 100 books in a year, and I made it to 140. This year, I’m aiming for 150 books, and I stumbled across this challenge which will be a great way to make a dent. There’s 50 categories here which will end up with 52 books (one challenge is to read a trilogy). I’d love to hear if anyone is going to attempt this challenge too! I am so excited for this challenge, and I will be keeping track of this book on my goodreads account under my popsugar challenge tag. Happy 2015! -Hayley
Takin’ Care of Business
Posted December 20, 2014 by Samantha Quiñon
Good news! I have a cataloging internship for the spring (January-May 2015). It’s at WGBH (a Boston TV and radio station that produces two thirds of the country’s public broadcasting, like Masterpiece Theater, Antiques Road Show, and Frontline) at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB). Besides cataloguing, I’m going to contribute to their blog and sit on an advisory sub-committee for PBCore (Public Broadcasting Core), the metadata schema the archive is using and developing for audiovisual material. I’m really excited. It’s been tough for me to find a cataloguing internship in the Boston area. The internship isn’t paid, so I need another way to make money. Fortunately, I was able to schedule two of my classes on the same day and one over Spring Break, so I have a flexible schedule to accommodate work. I’ve been applying for a lot of jobs, and I have interviews for three. Two are at local education institutions, one is at a museum, and they all are at libraries. Most of the employers that want to interview me…
Movie Time
Posted December 19, 2014 by Hayley Botnen
For today, I wanted to do something a little bit different. Now that the semester is over, I have time to pursue some of my other interests, and if you’ve looked at my profile, you know that one of the things I’ve been trying to do for the last few years is watch through Empire Magazine’s 500 Greatest Films. So here’s my own take on the handful of films I’ve watched since the semester finished. 312. Suspiria 1977 Terrible. Truly. The music that accompanied this film gave both me and my roommate a headache within the first five minutes. I think if it hadn’t been for the terrible sound-editing, it may have been an okay movie. However, even the special effect sounds were obnoxious. I literally wanted to sit in absolute silence after this movie was over so my ears could recover. 142. Almost Famous 2000 I had no idea how many well-known actors were in this! Also it starts with the Chipmunk’s Christmas song and a discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird,…
Just like they said in class!
Posted December 18, 2014 by Alison Mitchell
Yesterday, at work, there was a dilemma. It was a fairly sticky issue, and had multiple perspectives and points. (I know, you’re rolling your eyes, thinking: what kind of crazy problem could there be in a Children’s Department? Just take my word for it.) As the librarians debated how to handle the situation, reviewing library policy, professional ethics, and good sense, I said “This is exactly the type of thing we discussed in my 401 class! I can’t believe things the professors teach us actually happen in a real library!” Actually, I can believe it. The SLIS program is a professional degree, and the focus is on teaching the skills we need for a particular job. Our professors know what employers are looking for, and they make sure that we’re exposed to the practical, applicable parts of library science. We learn how to handle problems, use particular skills, and take what we’ve learned and apply it to different situations. We are getting a top notch education that can be put to work in the field…
Free Time
Posted December 15, 2014 by Samantha Quiñon
This week was blissfully uneventful. Mostly, I stuck to my routine. I had class (for the last time this year), volunteered in the library at the Boston Arts Academy, and finished my internship. Things happened that were outside of my routine too. I interviewed for jobs and internships for the new year, which was both stressful and exciting. (I won’t tell you which ones, because I don’t want to jinx it.) I also went to a holiday party at my friend Meaghan’s apartment and went to the movies and out for dinner with my roommate to celebrate the end of the school year. On a more productive note, with all my newfound free time, I ran dozens of errands I’ve been procrastinating, so my eyebrows now don’t resemble Frida Kahlo’s and my wardrobe is newly expanded with clothes I finally got dry-cleaned. On top of that, I checked out a lot of books from Beatley Library (Simmons College Library) to read over the break. Currently, I’m in the middle of The Night Circus, a fantasy…