Doesn’t Hurt to Try [Farewell]
It is with a heavy heart that I must tell y’all this is my last post for Hack Library School. When I agreed to write for the site I did […]
Game On: Circulating Video Games at the Library
With the popularity of video games and more libraries circulating non-traditional materials, Burlingame Public Library experiments with offering a video game collection.
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Bygone Badass Broads: Perspectives Beyond Library World
Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the in glossy books of profiles of women in history, bringing alive stories that have been forgotten or ignored. […]
Tribal Collections [Series]: Sustainable Heritage Network
This series on tribal collections highlights three projects from across the libraries, archives, and museums space that focus on Native American communities and culture, using best practices set forth by […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Networking: Tips, Tricks, and Lessons Learned
Networking. It’s a word that’s thrown around a lot and is an inevitable part of professional life. Some previous HLS writers have given their thoughts on the topic. One wrote […]
Saving Money with a Second Master’s
In past installments, I’ve shown you how to test your job marketability with a deferred enrollment and how to cheat on the language skills section of your résumé. Today, we […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Resources Beyond the Library
I recently had the pleasure of writing a post about some topic modeling research I did for a Digital Humanities class I took last year for our fellow library blog […]
Making the Most of Winter Break
Some programs might be a bit different, but at my school, the University of Denver, we get a long break between our Fall and Winter quarters—from about mid-November to the […]
Tribal Collections [Series]: Warm Springs Sound Archives Preservation Project
This series on tribal collections highlights three projects from across the libraries, archives, and museums space that focus on Native American communities and culture, using best practices set forth by […]
The Best Interface Is No Interface: Perspectives Beyond Library World
I have three screens in front of me as I consider writing about The Best Interface Is No Interface by Golden Krishna, a book whose main thesis maintains that our […]
8 Simple Ways to Kick Start Your Research in Grad School
Hello! Paige and Suzy here from the team over at The Librarian Parlor (@LibParlor), a space for librarians and other information professionals to share their experiences with research.
5 Inspiring Interviews to Make You Excited to Become a Librarian
When you’re in the thick of the semester with a mound of reading and assignments ahead of you, you sometimes need a little inspiration. Amidst a polarized political climate, school […]
Librarians and STEM Diversity
Recently, I had the great privilege of helping coordinate Network Detroit 2018, a digital humanities conference at Wayne State University. The theme of this year’s conference was “Digital Humanities and […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
The Great Debate
That’s right, it’s time to talk about the great debate of library school students (and all readers, for that matter). The topic that leads to the most personal of classroom […]
Supporting Scholarly Communication (Part 2)
This is part 2 of a two part post about the ways in which a Liaison Librarian can help support scholarly communication. You can read part one which covers how […]
The Art of Science Librarianship: Why the “A” in STEAM Matters
When I started library school, I knew I wanted to be a STEM librarian. For those who aren’t familiar, STEM stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math”. I have an […]
What’s Your Teaching Philosophy?
During my recent library blog catch-up, I read this article from ACRLog about teaching philosophies. In it, the author speaks about how she was unable to answer a question in […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Let Someone Carry Your Excitement
A lifetime ago, in US Army Basic Training, there was a private in my platoon who took it upon himself at the completion of every long march, equipment inspection, or […]
Career Paths: Visual Resources
Are you interested in issues relating to the organization, access, and preservation of visual information? Interested in careers relating to data management, digital collections, cultural heritage, or art information? You […]
Should I take that Class?
When I first learned that I was accepted to library school, the first thing I did after telling my family and friends was looking at the class schedule. It had […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Supporting Scholarly Communication (Part 1)
This is part 1 of a two part post about the ways in which a Liaison Librarian can help support scholarly communication. Recently I was invited to interview for an […]
What’s the IFLA Trend Report and Why You Should Care
As ubiquitous as the ALA was to me even before starting library school, the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) was something I only learned about through a […]
Non-library Experience and Library Job Applications
Job searching is nerve-wracking, and one of the most daunting parts is putting together a resume or CV. It’s easy to get stuck on the treadmill of questions like “do […]
Tribal Collections [Series]: The Indigenous Digital Archive
(Image from the Indigenous Digital Archive: “The Pratt’s Quarters Carlisle Indian School housed 100,000 children between 1879 and 1918″) This series on tribal collections highlights three projects from across the libraries, archives, and museums space […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Guernsey: Perspectives Beyond Library World
The selections for my book club with friends can vary widely, but we often return to two major themes: books about books and World War II historical fiction. When we […]
Emotional Labor in Library School and Work
A typical day for me might include going to class, meeting with a professor or two, scouring LinkedIn, staffing the reference desk, grocery shopping, and talking to my mom. I […]
According to the Internet
The other day I saw a meme that made me pause. It read “The Dark Ages began with the closing of a Library”. It took me a bit by surprise […]
A Minnesotan Moves to Montreal
Last month, I wrote a Hack Your Program post about McGill University’s School of Information Studies.
The Five Stages of Discussion Posts
If your classes are asynchronous, you probably have to write posts and responses about class readings. This format is not isolated to LIS programs. In a former graduate program, I […]
How to Cheat on the Language Skills Section of Your Library Résumé
I recently came across a charming phrase at the University of Oregon, where the Ph.D. candidate in linguistics can fulfill a language requirement through knowledge of “library languages, such as […]
Serving English as a Second Language Patrons
I still remember how scared and nervous I felt the first time stepping into a library in America. I didn’t really speak English. I looked different than most typical patrons. […]
Podcasts, Data Models, and a Library Student
What does a data model for long term storage of podcasts look like? For a person just entering into library school this may not seem like an obvious question you […]
Book Talk: So You Want to Talk About Race
(Photo courtesy of Ijeoma Oluo, 2018) Like all forms of oppression, racism is fraught with history, guilt, complexities, nuances, multiple perspectives, and it can be a contentious discussion topic. Having […]
Social Justice Librarians: Planning for Your Own Social Justice Group
In December 2017, after the conclusion of the University of Denver’s Fall quarter, I met with students from the first Privilege and Equity special topics course to discuss creating a […]
The Library at the Edge of the World: Perspectives Beyond Library World
Reading about your profession in a work of fiction is an interesting experience. You’re on the alert about its portrayal and possibly sensitive about its accuracy. When you are a library school student and/or working in the library field, you can be hyper aware of your livelihood’s perception.
Beyond Sir and Ma’am: Gender Inclusive Libraries
Take a look at your library. What works in the collection are from LGBTQ+ authors? Are the public restrooms gender-inclusive? Is gender a category on your library card application, and if so, are there options beyond M/F?
These are just a handful of the gender diversity issues for libraries that we explored in a recent gender diversity training for public library staff.
A New School Year, a New Leadership Team!
Hello everyone! We’d like to a take a moment to quickly introduce the new editorial team for the blog.
A Week in the Life
Way back in the day, when I was a future library school student, I was always interested in what the daily life of a MLIS student looked like. With that […]
A Big Thank You and Farewell to Melissa Dewitt!
As we say hello to another academic year, we say farewell to graduating members of the Hack Library School team. Our graduating writers have said their goodbyes already, but we […]
Ode to the “Information Professional”
Lately, the Gutenberg Press has been on my mind a lot. It has been for the last couple of years. Evelyn (Evie), a main character from the 1999 movie The […]
Governing Library Board: An Interview with James E. VanderRoest
When I first started working as an aide in the library, I sometimes helped on the circulation desk. I remember one time when this nice lady came in to drop […]
Notes in the Margin: Against the Sacredness of Books
What did you think the last time you checked a book in and found notes in the margins, or passages underlined, or pages dogeared? Most of us, I’m sure, are […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
My Summer at the Smithsonian
Did you know that not only is the Smithsonian made up of 19 museums it also has 21 libraries? I, for one, will readily admit that I had no idea […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Hijack your MLIS Part 2: Make the Most of Your Least Favorite Classes
In the course of library school studies, we all have at least one (face it, probably more) class that we just don’t like. It might be because of a conflict […]
Claim Your Name: Get Your ORCID iD
Chances are there is at least one other person in the world that shares your exact same name. You might have used multiple names during your lifetime, and you may […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Preschool Sing-Along
Earlier this summer, I shared that one of my tips for surviving and thriving during Summer Reading in a public library was “sing with toddlers.” While this tip was a general encouragement to find joy and delight where you can in a busy season, as a children’s librarian I was […]
Why Your School?
Almost one year ago, when my first year of library school was starting and I was preparing myself to go into my grad school orientation, I remember addressing the same […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Things I wish people had told me about the job search
First of all, the good news: I have a job! (Almost—waiting on the background check.) Keep an eye out on my Twitter for the official announcement. Getting to this point, […]
Records Management–LIS in the Corporate World
Image by Pixabay from pexels.com In January of this year, I started an internship working for a large corporation. I’m a Corporate Records Intern–I assist the Corporate Records Administrator with […]
Libraries Matter
If you belong to the library world and are in any way involved with social media (aka. if you’re reading this sentence), then you definitely heard about the disastrous Forbes […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
The Library’s Role in Gentrification
Here’s an ugly word: “gentrification”. There are some beautiful words floating around Detroit right now. “Resurgence”, “booming”, and “exciting” are shouted boldly from large headlines. Without a doubt, over the […]
Tales from the Basement
Chezlani Casar is currently the Program Leader for Earl’s Garage, a non-profit makerspace that encourages kids to become inventors and problem solvers. Nope, definitely not a library! As I mentioned in my farewell post last spring, my first professional position after finishing my MLISc was an unexpected contract role in […]
ALA Bill of Rights Amendment: What Happened? What Can We Do?
If you’ve opened Twitter in the last couple weeks – and follow as many librarians as I do – I’m sure you’ve heard of the ALA Bill of Rights Amendment […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Diversity: Am I Doing Enough?
Have you ever had an “AH-HA” moment when you were doing your readings? That feeling is the best! It happens mostly when the text echos with my own situations and beliefs, or when the text enlightens you with insights you have never thought about before.
Two Databases in the Rough
As you work through your time in library school you are going to become intimately familiar with many different databases. You will know the ins and out of those hosted […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Digital Humanities, Service to Graduate Students and Why Future Academic Librarians Should Care
This article presents a brief overview of the digital humanities and the reasons why future academic librarians ought to pay attention to it, and focuses on a somewhat neglected area of service–service to humanities graduate students
Stay Organized with Trello
In library school, as with any academic program, we not only have to manage schoolwork and projects, but we also have to keep track of related information like registration schedules, […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
A Place for Us [Farewell]
Last semester, as my graduation date loomed closer, I began to experience end-of-school anxiety. Not because I was anticipating the stresses of job hunting, but because I was panicked about […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Summer Reading Survival
If you work in a public library in the United States, you are probably currently in the throes of that glorious time known as Summer Reading. If you are in youth services, you are at the forefront of the work by helping young people find and choose books, leading creative […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Tips from the Trenches: Library School While Parenting: Wins and #Fails
Tips for how to hack library school while being a parent from parents who’ve been there.
Social Justice in Library School Education
Social Justice, Privilege, Equity, Inclusion. These terms are all terms that each of us as MLIS students have heard with some level of frequency. Libraries are commonly thought to be […]
Presenting Posters at University Poster Sessions
Photo by user woodleywonderworks via Flickr Commons Presenting at a poster session is a great way to gain professional experience. Many positions, particularly those in academia, are looking for young professionals who are interested in ‘giving back’ to the LIS field. Presenting a poster doesn’t always have to be at an […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
The International Librarian
Hello, HLS readers! I’m Kait, and I’m excited to present to you my first post on international librarianship. This is a subject that HLS has tackled before, but I want […]
Get Ready! The 2020 Census is Coming!
2020 will be a very interesting year. The United States will have another presidential election. The James Webb telescope, Hubble’s replacement, is scheduled to launch into space. And the United […]
Trying New Things and Accepting Failure [Introduction]
For my first post with HLS, I want to talk about everyone’s favorite topic: failure. A few HLS writers have written about this topic, but for me failure in library […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Deferring Library School (and Getting a Library Job)
The ink has only just dried on my first semester grades for my MLIS program. As proud as I am of the five months’ hard work that went into them, […]
Friends, Waffles, Work [Farewell]
If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you may have noticed that I disappeared (pretty suddenly) a few months ago. I’ve discussed my unconventional path on the blog before, […]
Trauma and Belonging in Library School [Introduction]
A few times a week, I take a bus across campus to the university pool, where I swim for about thirty minutes before my job at Special Collections. Usually these […]
My Experience as a Woman of Color at the Reference Desk
Working on the reference desk at a public library, I answer patrons’ questions every day. As many of you may know, these questions vary from finding a book, to more […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
Dance with Them that Brung You [Introduction]
Hello everyone! This is my first post as a new writer for HLS, and I am very excited to be writing for y’all! I wanted this first post to act […]
A day in the life : Substitute Librarian III, Hilo Public Library
Chezlani Casar is a 2017 UH Manoa and Hack Library School alumni. She is currently a “freelance librarian,” meaning that she subs in the public system when possible and spends […]
Hijacking your MLIS Program and Making it Work for You
The most difficult questions I received during the summer after I completed my English MA and before entering my MLIS program were questions like, “Huh, so why are you getting […]
Nonbinary Gender Identities in Libraries and Beyond
From an annotated bibliography on nonbinary gender identities in media, written by nonbinary scholar and librarian Charlie McNabb, and adopted by the American Library Association (ALA), “Nonbinary identities are those […]
Weekly Spotlight!
Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week […]
