Beginner Status

Greetings from New York,

This is my first official post as a new contributing writer for Hack Library School and I’m psyched to share a bit of my experience from the past week (08/20/11 to 08/27/11) both as a new library school student at Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science (SILS) and as a transplant to New York City.

[Series] Library School Starter Kit – Questions and Advice

This is a collaborative post between Teresa Silva, who is entering her first year of library school at the Pratt Institute of Information and Library Science, and Turner Masland, who is entering his final semester of Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management.

Teresa: Finally, after months of waiting, I’ll be a student once again. I’m excited and eager to get going. Following various blog source recommendations including a recent post, I’ve started a blog, I have a twitter account, and after years of having a cell phone solely for dialing and texting, I’ve upgraded to a smart phone. I’ve registered for my classes, all core, which I figure will give me a better idea of what I’d like to concentrate in, so come second semester I’ll be able to take classes with more of a focus. Now it’s just a matter of attending orientations and various introductory activities before school at the Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science officially begins on August 29th.

The next two years will be dedicated to learning as much as I possibly can about the realm of information and library science. I’d like each class that I take to be challenging, to learn how to effectively relay information to the public in which ever concentration I choose, to be able to engage with my professors and classmates and develop strong professional relationships, and to reach my goal of graduating and finding a job in something that I enjoy.

Now, I’d like to ask my fellow collaborator, Turner Masland, some questions about his first year experience.

[Series] Library School Starter Kit – a class checklist

If you didn’t read Zack’s post on Monday, (Library School Starter Kit) check it out here. Otherwise, read on for some suggestions about classes as you start library school!

You are probably “stuck” taking required (core) courses this term, and that’s good! If you took what you WANTED to take, you might not be challenged. You might be missing out on some good foundational information about LIS. You might not meet your favorite group member. You might miss your favorite instructor! You might miss an opportunity for your cohort to make an inside joke that will last for years to come! You might not realize that even though you really WANT to be an academic librarian, you really SHOULD be a public librarian. Library School has a way of helping you find yourself.

So, while you’re taking those first couple of required courses, you’ve got to peruse the course catalog! You may think you have just started classes, but before you know it, an adviser will be contacting you and announcing class registration dates and times and instructions. Be prepared. Here’s how.

[Series] Library School Starter Kit – The First Term

Below is a timeline that roughly follows my own experience in library school and what I have noticed other successful library students doing. Most of the activities are simple non-time intensive ways to help create opportunities to improve the quality of your library education.

Hack Your Library School Application – Pratt SILS

John Tomlinson

John Tomlinson is an MLIS candidate at the Pratt Institute in New York City (degree expected in December 2011), and communications manager at Synergos, a nonprofit organization that fights poverty around the world. He’s also website manager for SLA@Pratt, a student chapter of the Special Libraries Association. He’s realized that library school exacerbates many of his neuroses, and is now trying to really own those neuroses rather than fight them. JT has mainly lived in the Northeastern US, and also spent a couple of years working in China. He has a BA in East Asian Studies from Harvard College and an MA in International Relations from Yale University.

It may sound silly, but the main reason I went back to school was for intellectual stimulation – I’ve worked at the same place (a small, global nonprofit organization) for more than 15 years and was a little bored. I also was interested in learning more about knowledge management, which would be useful in my job. And I’ve always loved books and classification schemes.

So I toyed with the idea of going back to school for a few years, and when the economy turned bad I decided I’d apply in case I got laid off and needed something to do for a few years. As it happened, I wasn’t laid off, and went to school part-time when I got in.

I only applied to one library program – for an MLIS at Pratt’s School of Information and Library Science – because I wanted to go to school in Manhattan, where I live and work.