A Letter from the Director

As DLIS approaches the end of another academic year, I want to thank Rosann Kelly, Debbie Martinez, Linda Russell and the faculty for your support of the students and alumni throughout the year and the students and alumni for your outstanding contributions to the professional and geographic communities where you work. Those who know you and your work speak highly of who you are and what you do. Because of all of you, I enjoy the reception I receive when I introduce myself as the Director of the Division of Library and Information Science at St. John’s University.

DLIS Spring Symposium

This spring’s Symposium was a great success with attendance from many alumni, students, faculty, and local librarian professionals. Many LIS topics were presented including: community engagement, children services, databases & metadata & more!

ALA President Elect

The featured speaker Barbara Stripling, ALA President Elect, spoke with enthusiasm and inspired attendees to focus on the important work in librarianship: literacy, innovation, and community engagement. Of particular interest to our archive students, Dr. Stripling discussed moving toward primary sources. Studies show when context for cultural objects is expressed, a viewer’s empathy for the culture is increased. Students and attendees enjoyed Dr. Stripling’s presence throughout the day, enjoyed conversation   with her, and her terrific energy and passion was spread. Thank you for joining us, Dr. Stripling!

Faculty & Professionals 

A number of professionals from the NY Metro area spoke about programming and problem solving. Alumna Selina Sharmin presented on programming and services initiated by the New Americans Program at Queens Public Library. Sharmin inspired the audience with experiences in developing programs for multiethnic communities, and even to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider. The director of Gold Cost Library, Michael Morea, explained his innovated approach to helping users with everyday technology needs. He recommends that his librarians provide “the info people are not going to find out of the box”. Beth Reiten, a professional trainer for ProQuest, described facets of the bibliographic company, and the numerous possibilities for librarians and information professionals in these arenas.

Students and Alumni

The symposium is a great place for students and alumni to practice presenting in the profession. Recent alumna April Earle and current student Kathleen Curran (right) presented on the Oral History Project they have assisted with through their class projects. Recent graduate Leslie Chen and Gabrielle Hew shared unique perspectives on popular culture. Many students were in attendance and enjoyed conversing with the area professionals. A group of both current students and alumni presented on interning experiences, projects they completed through internships, and their personal perspectives on starting out in a new

Looking Back on her First Semester with DLIS

Alice joined the DLIS program in January 2013. She is taking three classes: LIS 203 Organization of Information and LIS 204 Introduction to Library & Information Science with Professor Christine Angel, and LIS 255 Advanced Legal Research with Professor Ralph Monaco. She works part-time as a reference assistant in the Diamond Law Library at Columbia Law School, where she received her law degree.

What were the highlights of your first semester?

I was very glad to have opportunities to apply what I learned in class to real-life situations, and to meet and learn from professionals in the field. Working at the reference desk at Columbia has been a great experience for those reasons. Also, in

my 255 class, Professor Monaco invited law librarians who specialize in particular areas of law to teach us about their areas. And, through my 203 and 204 classes, we worked on archival organization of a collection of U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee papers at the Center for Migration Studies in Greenwich Village.

What were the challenges?
This semester was the first time I had ever taken online courses, so it took some time to get the hang of it.

What is your advice to new students starting their first semester?
Talk to as many people as you can to learn from their experiences! Supervisors and co-workers; DLIS students, professors, administrators and alumni; anyone who does the kind of work you might be interested in… Their advice is invaluable.

Preparing for Summer Break: More than Stocking up on Beach Reads

As the days get longer, DLIS faculty and students begin to prepare for summer break. Summer break is a great opportunity to pick up a course and an internship. During the summer months, the DLIS of=ice is open and available to students, but faculty and staff work lighter hours. Please contact us if you need assistance, and stay up to date with your SJU email. Below we answer some of FAQ about summer semesters:

What courses are offered?

You can view the course listing on the DLIS Current Students page. Summer courses are offered in two sessions, with a week long intensive Post Session. Summer session dates:

Summer Session I: May 28 – July 9. Summer Session II: July 11 – August 22 Post Session: August 19 – August 23

Can I study abroad?

Yes. Courses are being offered this summer in Rome. Registration has already closed, but contact the department immediately if you are still interested. Also, consider internship opportunities abroad. Internships can count toward credits. Work with your advisor to apply for credit. Plan ahead for an opportunity to study abroad with Dr. Lee in Jamaica next Spring.

Are there scholarships and graduate assistantships available? Yes, they are limited. Graduate assistantships have already been assigned, but if interested in summer graduate assistantship let your supervisor know or contact DLIS today. Summer assistantships at St. John’s are for summer tuition only. No stipend is provided.

The O’Connell Scholarship still applies to summer courses.

How do I find an internship?

There are many ways to find internships, now is the time to start for summer. 1) DLIS regularly forwards internships postings, so check your email! 2) Talk with your advisor or a faculty member.  3) INeedaLibraryJob.com is one of the most comprehensive websites for positions in the Library and Information Science field. 4) SJU Career Link: The SJU Career link is full of internships with employers seeking St. John’s students. Do not miss this excellent resource, which includes many LIS positions.

I am not able to take summer courses, how else can I stay engaged with LIS?
1) Connect with professional associations.  2)Study for comprehensive exams and prepare your ePortfolio. 3) Read LIS blogs & professional publications. 4) Volunteer 5) Join a student group.

I don’t live near New York, but want to stay engaged with DLIS, what can I do?
Register for LIS 270 tutorial; follow us on Facebook; join a student group.

Do I need to check my St. John’s email during summer break?
YES! It is how DLIS contacts you with important information about courses, registration, your bursar bill, jobs, internships, etc. If you don’t like logging into your SJU email, be sure to forward to an email account you check daily. If going on vacation, it is good professional practice to set up an alert that you are not checking your email. Be sure to provide a return date for when you will check your email. Information Science field.

 

Graduation FAQs

Congratulations, soon to be graduates! You probably have a lot of questions, and, with a large group completing degrees this spring, we are here to help.

How do I register for graduation?
Students who are eligible for graduation this May can register for the Graduation Commencement Ceremony by logging in to their UIS account, clicking on the Student tab and following the Commencement Registration link.

Eligible students also need to submit the Application for Diploma, which is available in their UIS account, under Student Records.

How do I order my academic attire?
The SJU graduation robe and hood can be ordered by graduating students by filling out the Commencement Registration Form available in the student’s UIS account.

Do I have to walk in the ceremonies?
Of course not, but we would love for you to join us!

Is there a celebration with DLIS?
Yes, graduates are asked to join us Friday, May 17th from 5:30-7:00 P.M. in D’Angelo Center Room 210. Please, RSVP by May 10th to dlis@stjohns.edu

When will I get my diploma? How will DLIS stay in touch with me?
Do check that your permanent contact information and email is up-to-date on UIS. Once you graduate we will remove you from DLIS listserv and add you to the alumni listserv.

Will DLIS support me with job searches once a graduate? Certainly, St. John’s Career Services and the DLIS faculty are still available to alumni. Students will continue to receive job updates via the alumni listserv. Check the Career Services job board, and stay in contact with advisors.

Student Publishes YA Novel

Mary G. Thompson

I’m really excited for the release of my second middle grade novel, Escape from the Pipe Men!, and to be able to share it with the St. John’s community. For me, knowing that my first book, Wuftoom, is in libraries is even more exciting than having it in bookstores, because when I was a kid, libraries were where I discovered books. Without libraries, my childhood would have been so much poorer, and I would never have become an author myself. As a kid I loved lots of different kinds of books, but I particularly loved sci-fi and fantasy adventure stories about kids like me. I wanted to imagine myself in the place of the main characters, having adventures, meeting weird and interesting people, and escaping from the mundane. So when I started writing books, I tried to write the kind of stuff I would have loved.

Escape from the Pipe Men! is about two kids who have grown up in an alien zoo and go on a space-travel adventure, complete with a cool gizmo, weird aliens, and action. While I was writing it, I wasn’t too happy with my day job, and the story helped transport me just like I hope it will transport readers. Now that I’m inside the library community and on my way to a career I’ll love, I may not need to be transported, but it will never stop being fun! Many thanks to all my new friends at St. John’s!

Dr. Rioux Around the World for Social Justice

In the March issues of Catholic Library World, Dr. Kevin Rioux published an article titled Teaching Social Justice in an Information Literacy Course: An Action Research Case Study. The course Dr. Rioux describes in the article will take him to Rome this summer. There he will engage a class of both students from developing countries on scholarships, and students from the U.S. With selected course readings and discussion, the students will begin to describe social justice and its relationship to information literacy.

Dr. Rioux’s second trip will be to Brazil. He will be traveling as a member of Scholars in Global Solidarity, which currently includes members from three Catholic universities around the country: St. John’s University, University of Dayton (Ohio), and the University of San Francisco. The Scholars in Global Solidarity are working as a branch of the Catholic Relief Services.  While in Brazil, they will be researching how issues of forced laboraffects the indigenous people in rural areas of the country. The Scholars in Global Solidarity will then be able to incorporate what they have learned and observed about information access into the coursework of their respective programs.

Dr. Rioux’s final trip for the summer will be to Goa, India, where he will be the keynote speaker at the Social Justice and Education Conference at St. Xavier’s University. The conference has been put together by the Peace and Justice Commission of the Archdiocese of Goa. Then its back to New York to prepare for Fall Semester. Safe Travels, Dr. Rioux!