I’m sure you’ve been wondering where our blog posts have gone. I apologize for our absence! We do have some exciting news – our blog has moved! To continue reading our lovely posts, please go to this site: http://simmons.edu/gslis/admission/experience/.

Thank you!

For all Summer 2013 applicants, February 1st is also the final deadline for applications. Those of you applying for Fall 2013 but do not need/want priority aid, the final deadline is March 1, 2013.

To check on the status of your materials and application, please visit this page and click on the “check your application status” link. This will allow you to sign in and view any applications you’ve begun or submitted and the status of each requirement necessary to complete the application.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call our office at 617-521-2868 or email us at gslisadm@simmons.edu.

Enjoy!!

Read what Americans have to say about libraries in this post on the Christian Science Monitor…

http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2013/0122/Libraries-are-still-vibrant-say-Americans-but-need-to-keep-up

I’m not sure, but listening to Florence & the Machine helps. I also recently bought some new records, so I plan to crack open my record player and get lost in some vinyl while writing my seminar paper tomorrow.

In the meantime, I’ll watch some YouTube videos to help de-stress. How’s this for some hilarity:

Track cycling – how cool is this?

However, I have to admit that I’ve been less than pleased with NBC’s coverage, as well as their technological decisions. It seems the Olympic Games are not open and available for everyone.

It started with the opening ceremony.  NBC did not air live online coverage of the opening ceremonies, even though BBC did. I guess television ratings were more important for the network.  But soon it was quite clear that watching the Olympics this year would be different than previous events.  For those of us who work during the day, we’re stuck waiting for the primetime coverage to come on at 8pm.  One of my roommates, a pre-school teacher, is not too fond of the scheduling, as she goes to sleep well before coverage ends.  Luckily, we have a DVR and she can watch what she missed the next day.  However, plenty of people do not have that advantage, which means they’re stuck looking online for results.  And let’s face it, if you don’t want to know the results ahead of time, you basically have to stay off social networks, sports sites, and even boston.com. 

How are people in our country supposed to support and believe in our teams if we can’t even watch events? I tried to watch the U.S. women’s soccer game vs. Japan online today, at least to put it in the background while I work, but in order to watch it on NBC, I have to sign in with my cable provider. Really? That’s just an unneccessary step.

But, more importantly, I’d rather not watch what NBC thinks I’d like to watch. Primetime events are chosen based on the likelihood that viewers will watch. In the gymnastic coverage, I would have loved to see more men on rings. But, they only showed four individuals during the event finals. I remember when I used to know the names of foreign athletes just as well as US ones, but not as much anymore. Of course, I’d like to watch my country win, but I’d also like to know how other countries are faring.  It’s a great thing I can look it all up online on my own time, I guess. It’s a shame that some poeople won’t do that, however, and they’ll only know about the events and athletes that NBC chooses to show. 

I’ve got to get back to the live blog feed I’m watching from the NY Times, so I can stay updated on the women’s soccer game without really watching. Check it out and GO USA!! http://london2012.nytimes.com/soccer/womens/gold-medal-game-1

This comes as a shock to me – I’m pretty happy with my education. And after reading the article, I think there are some important things to point out.  Obviously, I have a counterargument, but I’m not the only one. ALA President and Simmons GSLIS graduate, Maureen Sullivan, responded to Forbes.com’s claim on July 10th.

I’ll pull out a quote from her press release, as it is a great starting point for my personal response -

“The profit-centered, corporation-based measures valued by Forbes suggest that pay rates and growth are the only valid reasons for selecting a career or seeking an advanced degree.  While it is true that for some individuals these factors are the principal focus, for librarians the primary motivation is job satisfaction derived from the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of others” (2nd para).

Well said, Maureen Sullivan. I absolutely agree. While our culture is quite materialistic, we’re not all in it for the money. Not only do I feel as though my education will enable me to make a difference as I interact with those around me – my field allows me to preserve and maintain the very essence of our society.  Put a price tag on that.

Also, I think it’s fair to point out that Forbes.com considered that all graduates with an M.S. in Library Science will become a school librarian, reference librarian, or library director.  While these may be common choices, as Forbes.com points out, there are so many other opportunities for us – museum curator, records manager, preservationist, conservator, information organization/technical services, webmaster,  etc. The list could go on and on.  Library school is about much more than just libraries and librarians so don’t believe Forbes’ narrow view.

Interestingly enough, computer science is the second-best advanced degree listed in this article. There is even a quote from Payscale’s leading economist Katie Bardaro - “In a technology driven world, the need for those who not only understand, but can improve upon technology is high” (2). The library science field revolves around an understanding of technology – in the last year I have learned to write computer code, build websites, and effectively manipulate search engines. I’d say our graduates will be well prepared for this advancing technological world, and that gives us another edge.

I encourage all of you to read both articles and weigh the costs and benefits of getting a Master’s degree – as all higher education candidates should. My main purpose in writing this post is to do just that, make all of you aware of both sides of the argument in order to provide you with a more informed decision. I’d love to hear any thoughts or questions both from current Library Science students and those considering the field. I personally believe it is always important to have an open discourse.

My final, closing point is this: Graduate degrees are a personal decision. Everyone has  various motivations for pursuing certain fields, but I believe it is important to make up your own mind. Don’t let Forbes.com (or me!) convince you either way – make yourself happy.

But, just so you know, librarians also rock at trivia

Taking an online class certainly requires some adjustment.  Our system, Moodle, is a very easy system to adapt to, but the online environment is a bit different.  For the first time, I feel like I am truly in control of how much I learn. Granted, I was always in control of the amount of information I digested or whether or not I did the readings, etc., but this time no one is lecturing to me and I have to read and record the information in a way that I will learn it on my own. It requires more responsibility and thus far, I’m not that sure how I feel about it.

First of all, I know that all of you understand the trials of group work. Well, group work online is far worse than in a traditional classroom. Also, there are some days on the weekends when I like to avoid doing work and that just is not as feasible with an online class. For the past few weeks, we’ve had discussions that had to be done on Saturdays and Sundays, and some assignments due by Friday night. And, yes, those assignments were group oriented, so even if I wanted to get some of it done ahead of time, my group members were not always of the same mind.

But, I’m not writing this post just to complain. I’m actually enjoying the class quite a bit despite these inconveniences. We’re debating the intricacies of MPLP – More Product, Less Process. If you’re thinking about entering library school, I suggest you google this and read up – it will be a major issue in archival institutions in the foreseeable future.

On a more fun note, I’m attending a beer festival this weekend in Worcester. I’m hoping that it is as awesome as it sounds – http://www.the-festival.us/tickets/. There are going to be some top-notch cider, mead, and beer brewers there from all around the world and I’m pretty stoked. Nothing like talking to people about good cider all day long. I love the Northeast.

First of all, I learned that lynching was not just an activity that occurred to slaves before the Civil War. Actually, it proliferated after the Emancipation Proclamation. When African Americans were slaves, sadly enough, because they were someone’s property, they were protected more than after they received their so-called freedom. When they belonged to a white farmer, other whites could not harm them without suffering penalties.  But, of course, once they were considered freedmen under the law, white mobs could accuse a black male of any number of crimes and subsequently lynch them. Thus, lynching was most frequent in the early 1900s, especially during Jim Crow laws.

If that isn’t disturbing enough for you, here’s the kicker: people sent postcards of lynchings. It was a popular affair. You’d gather up the family and travel to see someone hanged, or burned. Then you’d get a picture postcard and send it to your distant relatives in the North or out West. It is possible that the idea of a picnic came from these types of events, although the word originated much before this. Check out the Snopes article on it and see what you think – http://www.snopes.com/language/offense/picnic.asp.

Now, there is an online repository of lynching postcards on a site called Without Sanctuary.

I’m not going to include any of the examples in this post, but if you feel inclined, it is a pretty powerful site to visit. Each picture includes information about the postcard and anything known about the individual(s) lynched.  Some of the inscriptions or messages on these cards are absolutely appalling, but this is an important part of our history to remember and recognize.

Any comments about this topic are welcome. It’s a pretty touchy subject, but I think burgeoning sites that display lesser known archival materials are really important. It’s also great to bring awareness to lesser known archival projects so that they may proliferate and benefit a wider audience.

Next time, look out for some awesome Archival Access and Use information! I just started my online class on Monday and I hope to let you all know what I think about the new online system, Moodle, and the class!

Last week, my boyfriend graduated with his Master’s degree in Taxation (scary stuff!) and I couldn’t have been more proud to see him walk across that stage. Now he’s going to take his CPAs this summer and then he starts a full-time job in the fall. Somehow I feel like I’m falling behind since I’m still in school and only working part-time. And yet, I don’t want to rush. I have the rest of my life to become a slave of society’s standards and live day-in and day-out doing the same thing, so instead of pouting in my seemingly never-ending schooling, I’m living it up.

In fact, I’m already back in school. Yup, no glorious summer vacation for this kid. My summer history class (I’m a dual-degree Archives and History major) on race and media in modern U.S. History started this past Monday. I already have a book to read this weekend in addition to two articles. This doesn’t bother me though because I’m hoping for some glorious weather that will allow me to lay out in my backyard with a nice cool drink and get some color on my pasty skin while I delve into the sticky questions about race and how film, television, etc. dictates our impressions of each other. I’ll certainly keep you all updated about the class.

If you want a quick refresher about Reconstruction era racial relations, watch some clips of Birth of a Nation, a film from 1915.  It is basically the only example of cinema that portrayed society’s fear of the freedmen and what would happen with the dawn of inter-racial relationships. It’s pretty controversial stuff, but it also reminded me how little I remembered about Reconstruction (besides the fact that it failed miserably).

Next time, I’ll tell you all about where to find lynching photos from the 19th and 20th centuries. I think it’s a pretty interesting collection, while simultaneously disturbing.