Online Classes : To Overthink or to Not Overthink, That is the Question
Posted October 22, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
Despite the fact that I have been the Facilitator for the Archives Management Cohort Online for almost a year and a half now, I personally have never taken a class online. I have taken face-to-face classes for almost 20 years, but had my first online class experience happened last Monday when my Management class was held online for Columbus Day. We had a fairly “traditional” online class, which required several hours sitting in front of the computer reading through articles, and then watching powerpoints, reading lectures, and participating in discussion activities – a fairly typical week in the life of an online class. I cannot speak for the other students, but I for one quite enjoyed the structure of the online class. It was laid back and didn’t require an hour’s travel to and from school (if you live around the Boston area, you’re familiar with the “reliability” of the green line…), but it was difficult to motivate myself. While we normally have classes on Monday afternoons, I found myself starting the readings on Monday…
Mastering the Master Plan
Posted October 21, 2013 by Sarah Barton
It happened. I got a job. My master plan – starting my job search in September, taking one class online and one blended night class for maximum schedule flexibility, and continually using this forum to express my job-related anxieties in hopes that someone would sense my urgency and offer me a position – came together last Tuesday when I was offered a job offer doing prospect research at Boston University. I will not be in a traditional library setting, but this is the type of research-oriented, special library/information center position that I have been interested in since I took the Corporate Libraries course in May 2012. I start on the 28th, so I will have about six weeks of overlap until my classes end in mid-December, but the scheduling could not have turned out much better. I gave two weeks notice at my internship and part-time job, which means that this and last week involve finishing up with those while simultaneously reveling in the glory of having mastered my master plan. Thus far, my glorious…
Baking Fun!
Posted October 19, 2013 by Jill Silverberg
If you haven’t noticed, we are already more than halfway through pumpkin month! It is kind of hard to believe that October is nearly over, meaning that I’ve already been a student at Simmons for two months. Time certainly flies when one is busy at work with their studies. But between learning about MARC, RDA, AACR2, and how to create a finding aid, one needs a little time to unwind. Well, considering that I love to bake and it is almost Halloween, I decided to take some time off between writing papers and MARC to try my hand at something new. Whoopie pies are something that I have known about for a long time but have never had an opportunity to make. Well, this past week I decided to take a break and try something new. Well, the whoopies pies I ended up baking turned out to be not only phenomenal but super easy to make. So the next time you feel like taking a study break, give this recipe a try. The results are…
That Time Already?
Posted October 18, 2013 by Emily Boyd
It’s hard to believe, but yes, this week I chose my courses for the spring semester! My new classes don’t start for nearly three months but I’m sure that will go by in the blink of an eye. I did not sign up for any online courses but who knows if that will change in the coming months. While looking through past course evaluations to determine which professor might be the best for the dreaded and difficult LIS 415 Information Organization, aka Cataloging, I got some great advice from the all knowing Student Services Manager Richard Gates. Prior to Wednesday I had never interacted with Richard other than reading his many emails providing students with crucial information about course registration and events on campus. He is such a wealth of knowledge and I gladly accepted his advice about potential courses and professors. Once again I was reminded how different my graduate school experience has been compared with my undergraduate. At Simmons it seems like there is always someone available to help, from advisors to professors…
Entry-level Expectancies
Posted October 14, 2013 by Sarah Barton
I spent some time with my brother on Sunday afternoon, and we were talking about school, jobs, life, and all that fun stuff. My brother just turned 22 and will graduate college in May. He must be living the life, right? One and a half more semesters of partying, hanging out with friends, partying, sleeping in, and partying. I can assure you that he has the partying part covered, but what is creeping closer and closer to the forefront of his mind is getting a job. Ugh…total buzz kill. The good news is that my brother is way ahead of where I was at this point during my senior year of college. He acknowledged that he isn’t sure what he wants to do, and said he’s having a hard time finding “entry-level” positions. (My response: Do those even exist anymore?) Compare that to when I was 22 and about to graduate college: I was positive that I wanted to go into publishing, and getting a job would be no problem. I could not have been…
Course Registration Jitters
Posted October 13, 2013 by Jill Silverberg
So it seems that it is already that time of the year again, that magical time when we the students are asked to pick our next round of classes for the following semester. During my undergrad years, course registration went something like this: at the end of October, the course list would be released and we would have about two or three weeks to figure out which courses we wanted to take. At Simmons, this process is a wee bit different. In the course of this upcoming week, not only will the official spring semester course list be released, but by Friday, I’ll officially be registered for the spring semester. Talk about covering a lot of ground in just five days! Although I, like my peers, do not know which courses will be offered this spring, I am thankful that I was able to sit down with my advisor to discuss registration. Fortunately, since I am still only in my first year, I still need to complete LIS 407. One class down, two to go. To…
Better than Thanksgiving or Christmas…It’s Registration Season!
Posted October 12, 2013 by Maggie Davidov
If you’re like me and you’re finding the Christmas fliers in your mailbox irritating, then I invite you to celebrate a new season: Registration! Yes, ’tis the season to be planning your future. What classes will you take, and with whom? Talking to friends and colleagues is a great way to get started but another option when checking out professors is look at their ratings. Ever wonder why we fill out those reviews in the tech lab at the end of every semester? It’s so people like you can say, “Hey, I’ve heard that Storytelling (LIS 423) is a hoot and a holler. Why shouldn’t I take that? It should be an easy A.” If you read the evalutations though I’m sure it would say the opposite. Storytelling is an intense class involving a lot of research and performance. I know this because I’m taking it, and I also reviewed the class in those handy binders outside the student lounge on the second floor of the Palace Road building before I took it. It is…
Long Weekend!
Posted October 11, 2013 by Emily Boyd
This semester started just over a month ago (although it feels like longer) and I’ve been going nonstop, this weekend it’s time for a break. Three of my closest friends from college are coming up to Vermont to enjoy the long Columbus Day weekend and I cannot wait for them to arrive! On Sunday we will be running in Harpoon Brewery’s Annual Oktoberfest Road Race and enjoying the festival afterwards. I am researching the Boston Beer Company (aka Sam Adams) for my Business Reference class so I can count sampling Harpoon beers as research, right? In more library related news, both of my Monday classes will be online this week instead of meeting in person. This works well because it allows me an extra day off to enjoy time with friends and a great opportunity to experience an online class. Registration for the spring semester starts next week (hard to believe) and I’m hoping this week of online classes will help me choose which format will work best for my schedule next semester. Finding balance…
Okay Google Now…
Posted October 8, 2013 by Julie Steenson
I need to talk about Google. Most librarians have a love/hate relationship with Google as it is such a useful tool, the ultimate federated search, but also often perceived to be the biggest threat to our job security. With my last tuition payment this month (cheers all around!), I celebrated by finally joining the smartphone world. I opted for a Motorola Droid phone as they have good antennas and I live in the boonies, and I expected to love being able to check email and have a really nice camera with me at all times. I did not expect to fall in love with its excellent voice recognition software and my ability to ask Google whatever I wanted to know. I remember when a computer with far less processing ability than my little phone would literally fill a room, so I am enthralled with the power in this little device. My favorite feature is “Okay Google, now…” which allows me to ask it anything. Gasp! A librarian who is having an affair with Google…. We…
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Posted October 7, 2013 by Sarah Barton
Well, here it is, folks: The last installment of my “What classes is Sarah taking this semester?” posts. I suppose it is bittersweet (for lack of a better cliché), although at this point it definitely feels more sweet than bitter. I think that I have taken about all I can from GSLIS, and am ready to start applying my newfound knowledge and skills to a full-time job. But enough about me, what about my last two classes? Online – LIS 401; Foundations of Library and Information Science This is a new core class, and all students are now required to take it in their first semester. So why am I taking it now, as one of my last classes? Well, it fits my schedule (my class is completely online, but there are also sections that meet exclusively in-person), and I thought it would be patently poetic to finish the program by taking a course that is now required to start the program. Not surprisingly, many of the lecture topics are familiar to me, but the…