Teach Yourself to Shelve
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 […]
Author Archives
Lauren B.
Hack Your Program: San Jose State University (Update)
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 […]
The Double-Dip
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 […]
Tools for Collaboration, Pedagogy, and Training
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 […]
Walking Away So Everything Isn’t Libraries
I have a friend who just graduated from the MLIS program at the University of Washington, and she and I had a conversation recently about how, whether when you’re in […]
The Benefits of a Thank-You Folder
When I first started working with interlibrary loan, back around 2014, I received an email reply from one of the students I’d found an article for. “Thank you very much […]
Conferences and the Benefit of “Unstructured Time”
I decided this week not to apply to attend one of my favorite conferences, the Access Services Conference. I attended in-person in 2017 and virtually in 2020, and I would […]
On Backing Off and Not Choosing All the Things
Tell me if any of this sounds familiar. You’ve got a job, a family, and a list of homework assignments filling up your calendar for the rest of the semester. […]
Keeping Active at the Office
Let’s face it: with some exceptions, library work consists of a lot of sitting and staring at a computer screen. Sure, you might be doing roving reference, or taking a […]
Welcome to Fall!
HLS will be on a break this week as we adjust to new classes and a new semester, but we’ll be back next week with all new content and discussions! […]
Can I Afford this Degree?
I’ve wanted to write on this topic for a long time, but kept putting it off. (There’s so many variables! Talking about money is weird and awkward!) What finally prompted […]
Call for Guest Posts!
Have you had an idea for something you would like to write and share with other library school students, but aren’t quite ready to commit to a regular writing schedule […]
Going from Public to Academic Libraries – My Experiences as a Paraprofessional
Last month I wrote that I moved to academic libraries after spending four years working at a public library, first as a page then as a desk assistant. I thought […]
Nope, Don’t Like That: On Making Course and Career Decisions
There’s a movie I like, Hell or High Water, and in it there’s a scene where two police officers stop at a diner for dinner. The waitress greets them by […]
Being a Good Team Player in a Pandemic
Group projects – love them or hate them, you’ll probably find yourself doing a fair few of them during library school. I’m in an all-online program, so I knew going […]
Creating Boundaries in Work, School, and Life
I’ve been fortunate enough to stay employed (at a library) during the pandemic, but even a quick glance through the posts at #protectlibraryworkers will reveal libraries who furloughed their staff […]
One Library’s COVID Experience: A Snapshot of a Community College Library During a Pandemic
We just passed the one-year anniversary of when I and all the rest of the staff at the community college library where I work started working from home, and I […]
How to Keep Reading (for Fun!) in Grad School
My class this semester, as so many of our classes do, started with an assignment to introduce ourselves on an online discussion board. One popular topic of conversation ended up […]
Landing a Student Library Job
Working in a library, either on your campus or off of it, is a great way to get some practical experience while also making some (although, let’s be real, probably […]
What I Wish I’d Known Before My First Semester of Grad School
Ten units down, thirty-three more to go! I completed my first year of graduate school this month, and in the spirit of the new year, I thought I’d do a […]
Saving Money on Textbooks in Library School
OER (open educational resources) and ZTC (zero textbook cost) courses and programs are big topics of conversation at the community college where I work. Not a single Professional Development Day […]
What Your ILL Technician Wants You to Know
I don’t get sentimental about libraries very often, but I’m downright gushy when it comes to interlibrary loans. They embody so much of the best that libraries are and can […]
Taking It Slow
Hello! My name is Lauren Bauer, this is my first article for Hack Library School, and I have something I’d like to get off my chest: it’s going to take […]
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