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By LISSA West Co-President Alex Lent, September 29, 2009 5:18 pm

Hello Everybody,

Team LISSA has been hard at work planning this semester’s line-up of educational programming and social events. We had the First Day Breakfast, there’s Pizza and Party Girl this Saturday, and there’s much more in the works. Please take a moment to fill our our quick and painless survey to give us some feedback on potential events. Your participation is greatly appreciated, and will provide a momentary break from whatever scintillating textbook you happen to be reading.

To take the survey, just follow this link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=h7ogu14_2bekloHWPPeEKiwg_3d_3d

Thanks again!

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By LISSA West, September 28, 2009 4:24 pm

Join the LISSA West crew for pizza, assorted beverages, and crafting as we watch Parker Posey bumble around the stacks in Party Girl, an awesome library-set flick from 1995.

We’ll have lots of pizza and assorted libations. Bring your knitting, bring some beer or wine or whathaveyou to share, and sit a while with us in the GSLIS West office. We’ll be there after class (4:30) until about 6:30.

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By LISSA West Co-Vice President Graham Christian, September 28, 2009 4:19 pm

Please read the following GSLIS_Info list announcement from Richard Gates.

The GSLIS Business cards are a great deal and VERY useful over your time in the program – for handing out to your new friends and potential future employers!

Hi, Everyone!

I am writing to inform GSLIS MS Candidates of the opportunity to order
business cards. The cost is $16.50 for 250 cards. The deadline to submit
your order form is FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009. Printing of the cards takes 3-6
weeks. Many students in the past have found having business cards to be
helpful in their job search and professional networking as they transition
to a life beyond GSLIS!

Since the date of your (expected) graduation will be printed on your card
(example: “MS Candidate ’10″) you will want to be fairly certain of your
date of graduation. I would say a rule of thumb might be if you’ve
submitted a Petition to Graduate, you’re probably good-to-go to have “MS
CANDIDATE ’10″printed on your business cards.

Students who are planning to graduate at the end of the Fall 2009 semester
will want to print of their cards
“MS CANDIDATE ’10″ since your degree will be conferred in January 2010,
although you will have completed your course work in December 2009.

NOTE: at this time, this offer is NOT available to GSLIS
*graduates*…those students who have already completed their GSLIS degree.

Attached is an order form to order your business cards. Blank forms are
also available at the Student Services Center, P-212 Please be advised that
your check for $16.50 MUST BE SUBMITTED at the time you turn in your order
form.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Richard Gates
Student Services Manager
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Simmons College
300 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 521-2797 (phone)
(617) 521-3192 (fax)
richard.gates@simmons.edu

Get the form on the LISSA West Wiki here. You may need to log in.

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By LISSA West Co-President Alex Lent, September 18, 2009 8:32 am

New England Archivists Fall 2009 Meeting:
Appraisal: New Ideas, New Media, and Old Successes

UMass Boston
Healey Library/Campus Center
November 6-7, 2009

NEA’s Fall 2009 meeting will look at appraisal in archival work from many different angles, including appraisal of physical objects, electronic records, monetary appraisal, when to appraise, appraisal outreach, re-appraisal and deaccessioning, and more. Keynote speaker Richard Cox from the University of Pittsburgh will speak on “Arguing about Appraisal: From Hilary to Helen and Beyond.”

Workshops on Friday will include a half-day workshop on “Living to Fight Another Day: Basic Stabilization Techniques for Digital Accessions,” and a full-day workshop on “Arrangement and Description.” In addition, SAA will offer a full-day workshop on “Advanced Appraisal.”

Friday’s workshops and the NEA executive board meeting will take place at the Healey Library on the UMass Boston campus on Columbia Point. The Friday evening reception will be held at the beautiful John F. Kennedy Library, also on Columbia Point.

Saturday’s sessions will take place in the UMass Boston Campus Center, featuring spectacular views of the Boston skyline and Boston Harbor. UMass Boston is easily accessible by car from the Southeast Expressway or by MBTA via the Red Line (shuttle buses run almost continuously from the UMass/JFK subway stop).

NEA has blocked rooms at the Doubletree Club Hotel Boston Bayside, minutes away from UMass, at the rate of $119 per night, single or double occupancy. You can reserve a room here or by calling the hotel at 1-800-222-TREE (8733). Be sure to ask for the NEA rate. Rooms at this rate will be available until October 2, 2009.

Fall Meeting Program (PDF)
Fall Meeting Registration Form (PDF)

Spring 2010 Meeting Call for Proposals:The New England Archivists invites proposals for presentations for its Spring 2010 meeting, “The Open Archive,” to be held at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, on March 19th and 20th. The Program Committee seeks proposals related to the theme, including but not limited to topics such as access, diversity, appraisal, metadata sharing and portability, and archival transparency. Proposals from students and allied professionals are welcome. Proposed sessions may include individual presentations, traditional panels, as well as other formats.

Proposals should include the session title, an abstract, and the name, contact information, and brief biography of the presenter/s.

Please submit proposals to Mike Rush (michael.rush [AT] yale.edu) or Mary Caldera (mary.caldera [AT] yale.edu) by June 15, 2009.

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By LISSA West Co-President Alex Lent, September 17, 2009 5:32 pm

Interested in Special Libraries?
The Simmons Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, SLA@Simmons, is interested in extending their programming and events to students at the Mt. Holyoke campus. If you’d like to attend a meeting, run for office, or just want more information about the group please send an email to:
gslis-sla (at) simmons (dot) edu

SLA Boston Kickoff
The first SLA Boston event of the semester is the Boston Kickoff, sponsored by Dow Jones, on Thursday September 24th from 6:00-8:30 at the Hotel Indigo, Newton-Riverside.

Join colleagues and friends for an evening enjoying refreshments and networking. If possible, please complete and submit the online registration form by Tuesday, September 22 so that we may give an accurate count for catering. However, walk-ins are always welcome.

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By LISSA West Co-President Alex Lent, September 16, 2009 4:28 pm

The Library Association of the City University of New York (LACUNY) will be hosting a conference called Library Leadership: The Next Generation on Friday, October 23, 2009 from 9:00-3:00 at the CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York.

Mission Statement:

Academic libraries are undergoing a significant demographic shift that is dramatically changing the make-up of the profession. At the heart of this transformation is the large proportion of veteran librarians nearing retirement age. This development has prompted an examination of the attitudes and characteristics of the new generation of librarians poised to assume leadership. In an effort to contribute to the ongoing dialogue regarding the future of academic library leadership, this conference will address the following questions:

• Are academic libraries really experiencing a so-called “graying of the profession”? If so, what are we potentially losing in terms of experience, expertise, and institutional memory?
• What are libraries doing to ensure these qualities will be passed on to the next generation of library leaders?
• What are the characteristics of so-called “next gen” librarians and how will their entry into the profession impact academic libraries?
• How do we address generational differences within the workplace without fostering unnecessary stereotypes or division?
• How are changes within the profession influenced by or reflective of larger social, political, and cultural transformations?

The cost is $40 to attend this one-day conference.

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By LISSA West, September 16, 2009 4:10 pm

The Association of College & Research Libraries – New England Chapter’s Information Technology Interest Group will be holding its next meeting on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island �(time to be announced).  All are welcome to attend!

Presenters include:

• Joe Murphy (General Science Librarian and Instruction Coordinator) @ Yale University on Iphones http://mobile-libraries.blogspot.com/2009/07/librarian-extraordinaire.html

• Bonnie Buzzell (Senior Knowledge Systems Librarian) @ Brown University on Mobile Catalogs

• Pat Crawford (Head of Access Services) @ Bryant University on Kindle Loans

• Jenifer Bond (Assistant Director) @ Bryant University

More details to come!

(To learn more about the Information Technology interest group, visit our website @ http://www.acrlnec.org/sigs/itig/

OR become a fan on their Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/ACRL-NEC-Information-Technology-Interest-Group/94498255372?ref=mf)

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By LISSA West Co-President Alex Lent, September 15, 2009 9:32 am

The Garage Annex School (GAS) offers workshops in traditional and non-traditional book arts, printmaking, and the conservation of books—all taught by expert instructors. Workshops are held in the GAS studio in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Use your LISSA Professional Development Reimbursement Funds to offset the cost of tuition!

Upcoming Workshops:

9/19-20: Book Repair and Restoration for Beginners
This class is a two-day book repair intensive for those who want hands-on experience and instruction in evaluating and correcting book problems and damage. You will practice basic techniques, and through the use of “reveals” (examples of partially repaired/exposed books and paper) will experience a wide range of age, injury, structural and material defects in books. Operation and function of different book structures will be examined as they relate to repair, restoration, and conservation of paper, cloth, leather, and other binding materials. Source lists of materials, tools, and supplies will be provided, and each participant will leave with an understanding of their various applications. Emphasis will be on practicing the skills necessary to complete basic repair techniques. You can expect to complete at least ten sample repairs during the two days of class. You will also learn about other resources for your continued study and practice of book repair and restoration. Students are encouraged to bring a cloth bound book and/or papers that are in need of repair. These are for practice and should have no value. No previous experience is required.

9/26-27: Creating Decorative Papers on the Etching Press
What is the difference between craft and art? This course will explore the boundaries of these concepts, and redefine them. We will use oil base printing inks in conjunction with monoprint, collagraph, and relief printmaking techniques in order to make patterns, textures, and images suitable for end papers and journal covers that emulate the art side of craft. We will print from wall papers, found objects, cutouts, and natural materials. The scientific method will be used, abused, and then reused—all in two full days in the studio. This will be a printing marathon! Expect to come out of the class with up to 30 papers. No previous experience is necessary, just an enthusiasm for and enjoyment of the unexpected. The following techniques will be covered: relief rolling, multiple plate printing, intaglio and collagraph printing, stencils and cutouts. A brief but important part of the course will emphasize color mixing using luminous, sturdy, and highly-pigmented inks. We will be printing on thin Japanese papers suitable for collage work and book arts.

10/3-4: Two Days, Two Boxes
11/7-8: A Book of One’s Own: Versatile Journal and Sketchbook Designs
11/21-22: Asian Albums
12/5-6: Wooden-Leaf Books

For More Information:
Email the Garage School Annex at contact@garageannexschool.com

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By LISSA West, September 14, 2009 5:21 pm

At the top of my Super-Helpful-During-My-First-Semester-of-Library-School list is having set up a personal wiki. There, I organized my sources for Reference (and referred back to them there during the final), stored in-process papers, jotted things I was panicky about between classes, took notes when doing readings I knew I wanted to reference in papers later, and so forth. I still use it, and like that it’s sort of a sandbox / memoir of previous semesters’ endeavors.

Linnea and her awesome crew of Boston GSLIS tech lab folks can set you up with one within a couple hours: Check it out here. Then, note all the other new tech links at right.

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By LISSA West Co-Vice President Graham Christian, September 14, 2009 4:48 pm

The New England Library Association has requested the attendance of Library Science students at the upcoming Annual Conference, this year held October 18-20 at the Connecticut Convention Center.

Stephen Abram, keynote speaker on Monday,  is said to be very informative.  GSLIS West faculty,  Shelley Quezada and Barry Hennessey are also presenting.

If you have any interest in attending this conference as a GSLIS West group, please email the officers, lissawest@simmons.edu, or post a reply to this entry. Also remember, this a great way to tap into the Professional Development Reimbursement Fund.

See the following letter from Vickie Turcotte, Chair of the NELA Educational Assistance Committee.

Continue reading 'NELA Conference Looking for Student Attendees'»