LISSA

Mir Parvin, our VP, recently presented the ALISE conference in Boston, MA. Below, she recounts her experience and exhorts MLIS students to explore new opportunities made possible through such professional conferences. What is it all about? I started off 2016 with a visit to ALISE (Association for Library and Information Science Education) conference in Boston, MA, from January 4 to January 9, 2016. My poster was selected as a work-in-progress contribution. This is my second poster in a professional conference but the first one as a primary author. My first poster was selected for SCLA conference in 2015, which won an award. My current poster has the title of “Techniques of Information Seeking Behavior and Personal Information Management (PIM) of University Students: A Pilot Study”.   The ALISE work-in-progress contributions are generally foundational in nature and will go through more developments. I attended this conference as a guest participant to my husband, Hassan Zamir...

Chris Fite , previous LISSA Vice President, was awarded funding in Fall 2015 for attending the DHSI 2015 conference. In lieu of being awarded funding, Chris has sent LISSA a blog post from The Association for Computers and the Humanities that he wrote discussing fundamentals of programming and coding. Congratulations on your award Chris, and thank you for giving all of us more insight into programming and coding! http://ach.org/2015/07/21/the-fundamentals-learning-programming-at-dhsi-2015/ 

The 2016 Calendar is here.... --CARDIGANS OF THE GALAXY-- Are you a Harry Potter, Doctor Who, or Twin Peaks fanatic? Are you in need for a Christmas gift for your best friend, the Trekkie? Look no further...all your favorite fandoms await in the 2016 SLIS Calendar! $15 per calendar, $18 with shipping, and $30 special combo price for a calendar and t-shirt! Contact Lindsay (rogillio@email.sc.edu) or Erin (erinkp@email.sc.edu) to purchase, or come to Student Services in Davis College to pick up your copy today!! All proceeds support LISSA sponsored activities - Thanks for your support!!

This past summer I was a graduate collections intern in the library/archive of the Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas. It was not my first internship but it was probably my best. I got a lot of hands-on work experience, I was able to observe the everyday functions of a real workplace in my field, and I received great feedback from some awesome professionals who have helped me further my understanding of what I want to do when I grow up and/or graduate.  I know that an internship can seem intimidating when all you have is a vague notion of what one involves, a few horror stories from folks who have done them, and a bunch of paperwork with deadlines. Figuring out where you want to put your blood, sweat, and tears for a good chunk of time (and probably without pay) can be stressful. But I promise that the hoop-jumping can be worth it, especially if you actually (at least kind of) know what you’re doing when you’re heading into it. Here’s a few things that I’ve learned about in...

Dr. Clayton Copeland (right) with her former elementary school librarian--and inspiration--Mrs. Ellen H. Ramsey 1. What made you become interested in the library and information science field in general? I have always loved reading and libraries. Many of my earliest and happiest memories are in the library. I was particularly inspired my by elementary school librarian, Mrs. Ellen Ramsey and then by my middle and high school librarian, Mrs. Vicky Culbertson. Both are SLIS alums, and I count it among my greatest privileges to have known and worked with them. From the time I was in elementary school until I graduated from high school, I worked in the school library as an assistant. I knew I wanted libraries and all that they stood for - learning, inquiry, knowledge, and opportunity - to be my life's work. The library was such a peaceful, tranquil place to me, a place where happy days were made happier and challenging days easier. No matter the burdens of my heart, somehow openin...

It’s time for March elections! Starting today, we will be accepting nominations for the positions of President and Secretary of LISSA. The President shall preside at all LISSA functions, head the Executive Council, and have the authority to appoint all committee chairpersons and to create new committees. The President shall also provide leadership and act as chief spokesperson for the organization. The Secretary shall handle and keep a record of all LISSA business and correspondence, including, but not restricted to: recording minutes at all LISSA meetings; keeping an up-to-date file on all members; informing members of all LISSA meetings and activities. Our Multimedia Chair, Robert Blank, will also be graduating this May, leaving an empty spot for the position. The multimedia chair is responsible for maintenance of the LISSA website as well as other duties concerning web development and e-mail accounts. This position is appointed by the President. If this is a role you would be inte...

The Professional Website Workshop will be hosted by Ashley Blewer, SLIS graduate and LISSA member. Here is information regarding it that she has provided. Paired up with LISSA, I am hosting a professional website creation workshop on Saturday, March 1 in Davis College. The goal is to give SLIS students/graduates a “leg up” on the competition in a very competitive field. Students can demonstrate their skills and display their work in a space where prospective employers can easily find them. This is a ¾-day workshop to assist SLIS students or graduates (particularly soon-to-be or recent graduates) on developing their web presence for the LIS job market. The morning will consist a guiding through the process of domain registration and buying a web hosting plan, then continuing with a presentation on web presence and a guide to website development and creation. We will break for lunch (on your own), and the afternoon will be spent making your own website (with me there to help)! We wil...