Editor’s note: This article was originally published on December 16, 2013. For the past few months, in addition to being a full time student, I’ve also been working as a librarian at an elementary school. The other day, I was talking to a friend about my job, and she excitedly […]
For the low cost of free, these apps and websites might just help you out.
Back in 2013, Hack Library School made connections with the creator of Hiring Librarians, Emily Weak, in hopes of bringing even more insider information to the readers of both sites. As a website dedicated to helping library and information science professionals learn the ins and outs of landing jobs at […]
One grad student’s experience dropping a course
Editor’s note: This article was originally published June 4, 2014. For the next installment in our technical services mini-series, I’m delighted to introduce long-time HLS commenters and all-around great guys, Jason W. Dean and Elliot D. Williams. When I was first starting library school, I basically cold-called both Elliot and […]
This is a guest post from Scott Richard St. Louis. Trevor Owens. The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018. Day by day, our digital […]
Whether you’re a library user, board member, or staff member, you may find yourself in the position of pitching or defending video games for your library. There are many ways […]
Ah yes, it’s back-to-school season, friends. Time to get ourselves refamiliarized with the sensations of lectures, discussions, and homework. If you were lucky, you had the summer off and had […]
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on June 5, 2019. For the sake of context, I’m going to talk about myself for a moment. In addition to being a […]
This is a guest post from Elizabeth Szkirpan. Elizabeth’s first post can be found here. It’s no secret that the last two years have been exceedingly challenging for new LIS […]
Before stepping into the world of public librarianship three years ago, corporate America was my stomping ground. I spent the first twenty years of my career doing just about anything […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published January 14, 2015. I mostly read HLS posts from my fellow contributors and nod along – I learn new things all the time […]
This is a guest post from Elizabeth Szkirpan. My MLIS program was a blur. The various papers and hundreds of discussion posts seemed endless at the time, but I look […]
If you are anything like me, reading the words “you must complete a group assessment” at the beginning of a semester, fills you with both surprising joy and overwhelming dread. […]
I recently celebrated the end of the summer with a somewhat impulsive trip to Providence, Rhode Island. As a native Coloradan, my landlocked background thoroughly equipped me to enjoy the […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on February 13, 2015. Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Nancy Albers Shore, a master’s candidate at the University of South […]
Disclaimer: This post represents the perspectives and experiences of a current student at the University of North Texas. This information is accurate only at the time of publication, and the […]
Once a month(-ish), we bring you an update from a few Hackers on things we’ve been reading, enjoying, and learning that month, whether that’s fiction, non-fiction, an interesting article, or […]
The first week of the semester is a great time to set up a project management system for yourself before the chaos of actual coursework. In my grad school experience […]
It’s being described “like The Office, but in a Library”. Never have I been so excited for an upcoming TV series. Anthony Q. Farrell (who worked as a writer on […]
I haven’t given up on summer yet. School doesn’t start for another two weeks, so I’m going to wring every last drop of relaxation out of my remaining school-free days. […]
Librarians & designers agree: With great power comes great responsibility.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on January 6, 2012. A year and a half ago I wouldn’t have described myself as an advocate for much of anything. Ive always kept aware and informed on ‘the issues’ and I always vote—but until recently I didn’t sign petitions, or call […]
As I enter my second year (and final, Goddess willing!) of library school, I’m excited for several things happening this semester. I will be the incoming president of our school’s […]
A few of the things I have come to realize in the last 3 years is that firstly, online study is hard. I mean really hard. Secondly, do not leave […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 19, 2015. Starting library school this semester? We’ve been there! Here’s our advice on everything from scheduling to technology to maintaining […]
THAT is the question. Although I feel like I’ve just started my journey as an MLS student, by the end of this week I will officially be one-third of the […]
HLS will be on a break for the month of July, but we’re so excited for the amazing new content we’ll have starting in August! In the meantime we hope […]
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on June 25, 20164 Conferences, big or small, tend to be overwhelming, especially as a student. There is tons of information to absorb, there […]
Once a month, we bring you an update from a few Hackers on things we’ve been reading, enjoying, and learning that month, whether that’s fiction, non-fiction, an interesting article, or […]
I’m officially done with graduate school now, my graduation was June 8, so I am officially a librarian now – even if I am working in a job where that’s […]
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on July 28, 2016 One of the most important aspects of library school and, in the future as we pursue work in the […]
This is a guest post from Scott Richard St. Louis, and is a continuation of this post. What changes to the contemporary structure of the historical profession will be necessary […]
The last two years have somehow felt incredibly long while also whizzing by incredibly fast. This seems to be the nature of both pandemic time and grad school, and so […]
I started my current job right before the pandemic started, so I have a faint, yet glittering, memory of what library life was like pre-pandemic. Strange as it is to […]
This is a guest post from Scott Richard St. Louis. Milligan, Ian. History in the Age of Abundance? How the Web is Transforming Historical Research. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2019. […]
Emergency preparedness and disaster training: not the most fun or uplifting topic, but an important one. I’ll try not to cover too much of the same ground as Alyssa or […]
Yesterday we said ‘hello’ to our new writers…but today we need to wish our graduating staff a fond farewell! We asked them to share with us some highlights from their […]
We are delighted to announce that Hack Library School has welcomed new contributing writers. We were all very impressed with the range of interests and experiences that they will bring to the blog. Without further ado, here they are! Katherine Dimmick Katherine Dimmick is a third year student (about to […]
Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Sarah Alexander, and was originally published on April 1, 2013. I recently went to the Music Library Association Conference in San Jose, California where I spent five days talking about music and books. And books about music. And organizing the music that […]
Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Jessica Luna. Searching has become a common thread in my daily life as an MLIS student. Learning basic and advanced methods of […]
Thoughts On Being A Younger Library School Student Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Julia Feerrar, and was originally published on September 5, 2012. Just three months ago I walked across a stage in south-central Pennsylvania to receive my undergraduate degree. I thought of the hard work completed, […]
This article was originally published on October 20, 2016. Welcome to my new series about my decision to do the thesis option for my program, and my advice to those […]
This is a guest post from Charly Stoehr. In 2009, being at a crossroads with my current career ending, I decided to take some classes that I had always wanted […]
If you’ve been following my writing for any length of time here, or you’re someone with an interest in non-traditional and alternative paths to librarianship then you are probably already […]
Since I’m graduating this May, I wanted to use my final HLS blog post to reflect a bit on the things I wish I knew before I started grad school. […]
Wrapping up my second year of library school, I have finally had a little time to pause and reflect, which led me to wonder, did I actually learn anything? This […]
I love wearing clothes. Nothing can boost my confidence like a cute outfit. Especially when days can be so…repetitive, clothes bring me life. If you’re here, you might feel the […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on July 7, 2016. Recently a panel of Catholic University of America faculty and department affiliates interviewed me as a part of a […]
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on January 25, 2017. You probably know by now that libraries worldwide are lending out so much more than books and media. To […]
Like many previous bloggers, my time has come to say farewell to Hack Library School and reflect on the last three years. I graduate on June 4 and will be […]
I started my library career as a page at a branch of a midsize public library system, and I still maintain that it’s my favorite job I ever had. (If […]
Editor’s note II: This article was originally published on January 8, 2015. Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Katherine Hickey, MS and Kyungwon Koh, PhD. Innovative learning spaces called […]
This article was originally written by a full-time on-campus student in 2011 but has since been updated by two current Simmons students and a recent graduate in 2022. Below are short bios and reasons why we chose Simmons over other programs as a preface to where our opinions are coming […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published May 25, 2012. Links have been updated but no other changes have been made. Back in March 2011, Micah wrote a post on the need for LIS students to foster a culture of writing and sharing. I followed his advice (as it has […]
Landing a librarian gig seemed simple enough. After all, I already had a year of experience working as a circulation assistant at a law library when I applied to UW-Madison’s […]
Hey there readers! Have you recently been accepted to a library or information science program? Are you partway through your schooling and feel like you have news and insights to […]
This month I’d like to take a minute to build on some recent pieces by Melissa and the other Lauren B. where they took you behind the scenes into their […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on January 18 2017 You’ve done it! You’ve begun library school and are well on your way to earning your MLIS and reaching […]
I’ve been very fortunate to have gotten a new full-time librarian job before I graduate from my MLIS program this May, but transitioning to a new job in the middle […]
I love programming. It’s my favorite part of my job. It is enormously satisfying to see patrons enjoying themselves in the library. In the best situations, they learn something too. […]
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on September 21, 2017 Like many LIS students, I went into the program with the goal of someday working at a library as […]
As I work my way closer to my professional goal of becoming an instruction librarian, I have found myself digging deeper into the theory and practice of critical pedagogy. If […]
Disclaimer: This post is particular to the author’s perspectives and opinions. It is not intended to be representative or indicative of any other member of the MLIS Admissions Committee and […]
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on February 29, 2016. As I get started with my second semester, I thought it would be a good time to re-visit the […]
Disclaimer: This post is particular to the author’s perspectives and experiences. It is not intended to be representative or indicative of any other student, does not represent the official stance […]
Once a month, we bring you an update from a few Hackers on things we’ve been reading, enjoying, and learning that month, whether that’s fiction, non-fiction, an interesting article, or […]
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on September 6, 2011. Alyssa Vincent is entering her second (and final) year with Emporia State University’s School of Library and Infromation Management Program in Portland, Oregon. She is a library assistant at the University of Oregon-Portland Library and Learning Commons and a […]
The Librarian Parlor (aka @LibParlor) is a space for conversing, sharing expertise, and asking questions about the process of developing, pursuing, and publishing library research. Recently LibParlor received funding from […]
With two months to go until I finish my MLIS program, I recently completed my first full-time library job search. I started seriously looking and applying for jobs this past […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on November 7, 2018. Hello! Paige and Suzy here from the team over at The Librarian Parlor (@LibParlor), a space for librarians and […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on February 5, 2018. For those of you who know me, you know that I have a lot of librarian heroes, but my […]
Dear LIS Professors, Your jobs are extremely demanding, especially now. You have to deal with the pressures of publication, teaching, serving on committees, and hopefully retaining a semblance of work-life […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 2, 2014. Do you remember what it was like to be an undergraduate? I took a few years off between college […]
One of my extracurricular activities the last couple of months has been organizing a panel on the ethical use and privacy of using queer peoples’ data in research and libraries, […]
Winter quarter has to be one of the toughest quarters to survive in library school (assuming you are on the quarter system). This is my third winter quarter, and it […]
Editor’s note: This article was first published on January 27, 2012. Since I was a high school teacher before I started library school, I’m finding it really hard to switch off my “teacher brain” even well into my second semester. This makes sense, considering that I want to become a […]
Once a month, we bring you an update from a few Hackers on things we’ve been reading, enjoying, and learning that month, whether that’s fiction, non-fiction, an interesting article, or […]
I wrote a while ago about the dark side of both working in a library and going to school to study library science – the unfortunate tendency for it to […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 28, 2017. I’ve been writing for Hack Library School for about 6 months now, and in some ways, I’ve felt like […]
Libraries have long claimed that they’re not just warehouses for books, but many have been increasing their circulating collections of non-traditional library materials–otherwise known as “Library of Things”—in the past […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on October 12, 2016. The following post is a joint endeavor by Chezlani Casar (online) and Kendra Werst (on-campus)… (Chezlani) When I started […]
You may remember from one of my articles way back that all of my education and background have been firmly rooted in the humanities. I lack serious experience in the […]
It was inevitable, no matter how hard I tried not to think about it. Staring down my fourth and last semester of library school, I knew it was time to […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 5, 2016. This semester I decided to do something that terrifies me: I enrolled in a storytelling course. As an anxious […]
Twitter is my social media of choice lately as I try to avoid going down the Insta/Meta rabbit holes that are out there and frankly I do not have time […]
We may be students, but expect to be asked to teach sometime in your library school experience, too. Maybe it’s a class specifically devoted to learning how to give effective […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on December 22, 2014. My registration for Spring 2015 was on the stressful side. Registration opened at 8:30AM on registration day, which meant […]
Once a month, we bring you an update from a few Hackers on things we’ve been reading, enjoying, and learning that month, whether that’s fiction, non-fiction, an interesting article, or […]
In my Information Organization course at Simmons, we had two weeks dedicated to classification theory, which included some materials about critical cataloging. Critical cataloging is, essentially, being aware of and […]
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 25, 2015. As a fresh graduate, I’m embarking on the search for a professional position. I already hold a full-time job […]
Many of us pursuing graduate studies are at the stage of planning growing families as well. Ifyou’ve considered adding a child to the mix while doing your MLIS, and are […]
Last month I posted a review of the book Librarian’s Guide to Games and Gamers: From Collection Development to Advisory Services released in November 2021, and written by my good […]
This past week I did something crazy. Or at least something I thought I would have to be crazy to ever do again. Maybe it was the fact that I […]
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from author and librarian Josh Chan. In May 2021, I had the great honour of being one of five presenters for the British […]
For those of you who are in library school but haven’t begun working in a library just yet, this article is for you. I want to illustrate just what a […]
Student groups. Their importance has been noted in previous posts for networking and building community and connection in your program. Last summer I decided that becoming involved in a student […]
Networking. If you’re anything like me, the idea doesn’t exactly thrill you. I’m a friendly, chatty person (pity the people in my office, they cannot escape), and I genuinely love […]
This topic may not relate directly per se to library school, but it applies to anyone who has a job, will have a job (whether in the LIS field or […]
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