Call Numbers: Why they are Awesome
Posted November 26, 2013 by Jill Silverberg
For those of you who don’t know, when one enters the Simmons GSLIS program, there are a number of core classes that they must complete. Besides an introductory course, LIS 401, there is another core course that they suggest we take in our first semester, LIS 415, Information Organization. Within LIS 415, we learn about the processes behind information organizations, which includes topics like classification, descriptive metadata, and resource types. Whenever I’m asked by my non-library friends to describe this class, I summarize it by saying that, essentially, we are learning all the behind the scene processes that make a library function that way it does. Amongst the variety of things that help ensure that a library isn’t one massive chaotic mess, librarians use call numbers to make sure that every book has a place on a given shelf. If you have ever gone to a library to find a book, then I am sure that you are acquainted with call numbers. Without them, it would be like trying to find one specific needle in…
It’s Not You, GSLIS, It’s Me
Posted November 25, 2013 by Sarah Barton
I just checked the syllabus for each of my classes to confirm what I have been suspecting but had not bothered to verify. For nearly two years I’ve known this day would come, and now that it is almost upon me I’m finally aware of its exact date. On December 11, 2013, GSLIS and I will be officially over. Done. Through. Broken up. In theory, December 11 will be just another Wednesday at work followed by a night class. In reality, it will be my last day spent living with the guilt of cheating on GSLIS with my new (very sexy) job. As I wrote last week, I am ready to separate from GSLIS, but it turns out that our divorce cannot be finalized until December 11. I have no idea how I’ll feel when I walk out of class that day, or after the holidays when I find myself spending nights and weekends relaxing without GSLIS constantly pining for my attention. GSLIS is soooo needy, and I’ve had enough. Will I miss GSLIS? I…
Bring Your Classes to You!
Posted November 23, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
I get a lot of sass from classmates when I talk about my work. Yes, I happen to work at the greatest library on the planet. Yes, my boss is the most incredible mentor and knitter in the continental U.S. Yes, I am rather lucky to be surrounded by a library with unlimited resources. No, you cannot have my job. Still, it has been a year of ogling the wondrous resources at my disposal and I have begun to ask myself: What I am bringing to this incredible community ? Tentatively I have begun to propose small programs and evaluations to my director. And do you know what happened? She was thrilled! Now, I am NOT saying I am God’s gift to programming in the library. However, I have begun to use my projects and papers from Simmons as springboards for ideas to bring to my director. Why is that, you might ask? Simply put, it is because every professor I have ever taken a class with at Simmons has only ever assigned practical assignments…
Where were you 50 years ago?
Posted November 22, 2013 by Emily Boyd
My answer to this question would be nowhere, my mother was six and my father was thirteen so I was not even a thought fifty years ago. Despite their young ages both my parents remember exactly where they were, and so do the majority of patrons walking into the library today. The mood is really interesting as each patron sees our book display and instantly starts to reflect about where they were and how they felt when President John F. Kennedy was shot. With all the media buildup to the anniversary of this infamous day I have become somewhat desensitized and didn’t give any thought into how I would feel on the actual day. I’m so interested to hear more stories as the day goes on and to reflect on how one event changed our country’s history. Working with the public every day as many pros and a few cons, today the pros most certainly outweigh any cons. Today I am so grateful to get to work in an environment where I can learn more…
Study Tips and Tricks to Help Get you Through Finals
Posted November 21, 2013 by Jill Silverberg
As I enter the final weeks of my first semester as a member of GSLIS, I’m somewhat in shock with the realization that it is almost over. Of course, it won’t be officially over until I get past the dreaded final weeks of the semester. Basically, in college terms, I’m stuck in the middle of what I affectionately call ‘academic crunch time.’ To anyone who has ever been a college student, they are probably familiar with this window of time; it tends to usually crop up whenever there are midterms or finals floating around. Now, as a four-year seasoned pro when it comes to dealing with finals and midterms, I’ve developed a few strategies for handling the stress. Of course, now that I’m in the big leagues that is grad school, I’ve had to adapt to a few changes, the fact that I’m not within proximity of a my school’s library being the biggest of them all. Now I know that I am not the only one who has to cope with the changes that…
When Can I Start Making Money? A Look at the 2013 Salary Survey
Posted November 19, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
Recently in one of my classes, we did an exercise that was probably the most memorable of all my classes’ exercises: we went through the annual salary survey for librarians. In the October 15th edition of the “Library Journal,” the salary survey highlights many different statistics from all areas of the field of libraries. It includes important information about the “status of 2012 graduates,” where the annual salary for women in the northeast in this profession is $44,083. It also breaks down average salaries by school – Simmons is $43,285; starting salaries, salaries by job type, and salaries by gender and race. This information was incredibly relevant and interesting to me as an upcoming graduate (May 2014). Despite the fact that most people have mentioned that “you didn’t get into this career to make money,” a small part of me is screaming, “but I DID! I would love to make money! I have student loans to pay!” and then I look around at my classmates and wonder to myself, “am I the only person who…
Get Me Outta Here!
Posted November 18, 2013 by Sarah Barton
The end of the semester is quickly approaching, and frankly it cannot get here soon enough. September and October seemed to fly by, but November has been dragging along. I think the combination of starting a job, looking forward to the holidays, and knowing that I am only three assignments away from never having to do schoolwork ever again has me in a bit of a rut. In short, I’m ready to graduate. When I started at GSLIS, I was a full-fledged student. I wasn’t working or interning, so I really threw myself into my studies. These days, I spend far less time doing schoolwork, yet I find myself more and more perturbed by it. Like, why won’t my research paper just write itself? Yes, I am complaining, and no, I do not expect any sympathy. Just need to vent a little. I came into this program with a full head of steam, and now I’m running on fumes. This is not particularly unique or surprising, as I imagine that most GSLIS students experience similar…
Study Break
Posted November 16, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
I believe Jack Prelutsky speaks for all of us with this poem. I leave it to you on this Saturday of endless study. Homework! Oh, Homework! Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink, if only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You’re giving me fits. I’d rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework my teacher assigns. Homework! Oh, homework! You’re last on my list, I simply can’t see why you even exist, if you disappeared it would tickle me pink. Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink! Prelutsky, Jack, and James Stevenson. The New Kid on the Block :Poems. 1st ed. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1984. Print.
All About Going Abroad
Posted November 15, 2013 by Jill Silverberg
Having the chance to study abroad is something that I think many students want to strive towards when they begin their career as college students. While a number of my close friends did indeed get to experience the wonders of studying in a foreign country, I unfortunately did not. With the idea that my opportunity to go abroad had finally passed, you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered that GSLIS offered its students a number of study abroad options. Yes you are reading this correctly; you can study abroad in graduate school! Who knew? For those of you who are curious, GSLIS will be offering two study abroad options this summer, one in Seoul, South Korea, and the other in Paris, France. For two whole weeks, groups of students will have the chance to take LIS classes, experiences the wonders of another culture, and get to explore locations they have only dreamed of! Just to clarify, for each trip, two different course options will be offered. As for the classes themselves, there will be a total…
The Mid-Semester Blues
Posted November 14, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
There is something about this time of year when everyone’s creative juices seem to be flowing – except for mine. It’s right after Halloween, recovering from making costumes (my husband and I were the 11th Doctor [Who] and the TARDIS, respectively!), but it’s too early to start thinking about Christmas gifts (although that hasn’t stopped me…). I’m finding it harder to get out of bed in the morning without a pumpkin spice latte to wake me up; what’s the point of doing laundry, yet ANOTHER load of dishes? I’m even lacking the motivation to start writing the papers that are inevitably due; normally, writing papers comes fairly easily for me, but this time around it was like pulling teeth. Actually… I might prefer getting teeth pulled. With the mid-semester slump, it’s hard to find the energy to keep going, to take the train an hour to campus each day, but luckily family, holiday cheer, and amazing food is right around the corner. Soft snowfalls, happy holiday music, gifts, crafts, and parties will be…