Monday, March 14th:

*SCoSAA – Berklee College of Music Archives Repository Tour
11:00 am – 12:00 pm – Berklee College of Music MS150-LIB, 1140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
SCoSAA members are invited to tour the Berklee College of Music Archives, led by Sofía Becerra-Licha, the Archivist. This is a great opportunity to see the inner workings of a repository that serves both an academic and arts audience, and gain an understanding of their policies and procedures. Spaces are limited, so register: https://scosaaberkleearchivestour.eventbrite.com

*Weekly Guided Meditation and Relaxation Sessions in Palace Road
1:30pm – 2:00pm – Counseling Center Conference Room (P-312)
Learn techniques to better manage stress during these short meditation sessions (about 20 minutes). Sessions are appropriate for all individuals, especially those new to meditation. Email questions to [email protected]

Tuesday, March 15th:

*Lunch Conversation with Amy Ryan
12:00pm – 1:00pm – P-310E
Discussion will include topics such as career networking, fun, and advancement. Please stop by and bring your own lunch, we will provide snacks and dessert!

*Amy Ryan Office Hours
1:00pm – 3:00pm – Dean’s Conference Room (P-111)
4:00pm – 5:30pm – Dean’s Conference Room (P-111)
SLIS Advisor-in-Residence, chair of the Digital Public Library of America, and former President of Boston Public Library Amy Ryan is holding open office hours. Please take advantage of this opportunity to chat about your future career plans or request a review of your resume or to hold an information interview. Time slots are available for 30 minutes, so please email [email protected] if you want to meet with her.

*SCoSAA – Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives Repository Tour
4:30pm – 6:00pm – Symphony Hall – 271 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
We will be touring the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives, hosted by the Senior Archivist, Bridget Carr. Carr was responsible for organizing and developing the BSO Archives, and thus has a unique perspective on both their holdings and the repository more generally. Spaces are limited, so register https://scosaabsoarchivestour.eventbrite.com

Wednesday, March 16th:

*LISSA/SLIS – Q&A with Dean Abels
5:00pm – 7:00pm – Faculty/Staff Dining Room (Lower Level MCB, Near the Fens)
Join LISSA for a stimulating conversation with Dean Abels about all aspects of SLIS–bring your questions, comments, and concerns! Come and stay for the whole event, or just as long as you can. Appetizers and beverages will be served. Can’t make it? Follow along/join the conversation on Twitter with #AskAbels. If you would like to submit questions anonymously online, please use this form.

*ASIS&T – Coders Without Borders
5:00pm – 7:00pm – Collaboratory (P-314)
Coders Without Borders is an excellent opportunity for CS and LIS students to work on non-school related projects in the company of SLIS Tech Lab staff and other students. Come join this supportive community and work on a specific project or hone your coding skills! Snacks will be provided. Coders Without Borders will take place every other week. Come for a little bit or come for the whole time!

Thursday, March 17th:

*Public Lecture Series: Gerry Benoit – POSTPONED
4:00pm – 5:00pm – Collaboratory (P-314)
Project Participation: creating your own interfaces for image collections

Using materials provided by the Boston Public Library, this presentation demonstrates designing your own interface, using the API, and basic computing skills – the same taught in LIS488, LIS489, LIS531z.

Friday, March 18th:

*UXPA – Harvard User Research Center Tour
1:30pm – 2:30pm – Lamont Library, 11 Quincy St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Join UXPA@Simmons for a field trip to the Harvard User Research Center! Our host, Amy Deschenes, Library UX Specialist, will give us a tour of the space and talk about the work the center is doing, helping the Harvard Libraries with usability studies. Please RSVP on Eventbrite. Note the different travel options available and register accordingly!

1. Meet at 12:30p.m., in the Palace Road Building Lobby at Simmons. UXPA@Simmons will pay for your one-way M2 bus ticket (M2 registration due Monday) to the center; if you have a Harvard ID, you can ride the M2 for free! OR
2. Meet at 1:20p.m., in front of Lamont Library. If you want to meet us at Harvard, feel free to do that!

*SLA – WGBH Archives Tour
2:00pm – 3:00pm – WGBH
Tour WGBH’s Media Library and archives! Please RSVP to tour WGBH’s 40,000 square foot climate-controlled vault and hear a brief presentation about the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, a collaboration between WGBH and the Library of Congress to preserve and digitize public media content from stations nationwide. Tour limited to 15 people. We will be meeting at WGBH. RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wgbh-archives-tour-tickets-22230156998

Saturday March 19th:

*PLG – Prison Book Program
10:00 am – 4:00 pm – United First Parish Church, Quincy
It’s Prison Book Program time again! A PLG officer will be there for sure from 2-4. If you want to come a little earlier and stay a little longer that’s totally fine! The church is super close to Quincy Center on the Red Line, and if you drive, there are a handful of parking lots nearby that are free on Saturdays. More detailed info on their website: http://prisonbookprogram.org/about-us/directions/

Register Now!

*DERAIL Forum
March 26, 2016 – SOM 501/502
The Diversity, Equity, Race, Accessibility, and Identity in LIS (DERAIL) Forum is a student-organized event to bring SLIS students together to discuss how systemic forms of oppression operate within LIS, and how social justice frameworks can guide our work as students and practitioners. Registration is live.

Survey for Capstone Project

*Bias in Subject Headings
A research study is being conducted as part of a SLIS capstone project to examine the effect of bias in subject headings on the language that MLIS students use. The first part of the study is a voluntary, confidential online survey, available at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2629578/Bias-in-Subject-Headings. If you are a Simmons student pursuing your MLIS, you are invited to participate in the survey. It will be open until March 16, 2016.

Your participation is greatly appreciated. Please note that on the survey form, you may elect to volunteer for further participation in the interview portion of the study. Preliminary analyses of the data will be discussed at the DERAIL forum. Please contact the researcher, Erin Butler, at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

Conference Scholarship Opportunity

*Apply for the SCIRRT Scholarship to attend IFLA’s annual conference!
March 30, 2016 (Deadline for Submission)

The 82nd International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) General Conference and Assembly (http://2016.ifla.org/) will be held in the U.S. this year from August 13 to 19, 2016 at Columbus, Ohio! In an effort to encourage students to attend, the Simmons Student Chapter of the ALA International Relations Round Table (SCIRRT) will be offering a scholarship to cover the $282 conference registration fees for one Simmons SLIS student.

Applications are available online here:http://goo.gl/forms/GjnTcbZYsP
For more details, please see the scholarship guidelines at https://goo.gl/IEWw7L
Contact SCIRRT Co-Chairs Reham Alshaheen ([email protected]) or Anna Wada ([email protected]) with any questions.