DLIS Students Attend SLA Student Swing

January 24, 2015—SLA-NY hosted a panel of recent graduates of metropolitan library schools to impart knowledge, tips and wisdom to current area library school students. The student swing panel consisted of graduates of local programs at Pratt, Palmer, Rutgers, Queens College and St. John’s. Participants and attendees were invited to tour the new St. John’s Davis Library at the Manhattan Campus and offered refreshments after braving the elements to attend the Student Swing. Key topics discussed by the panel included navigating through library school, finding an internship and landing that first job.

DLIS Student Presents Research at METRO Annual Conference

Emily Griffin, DLIS Student

There is no limit to your education in library and information science. Independent studies in librarianship allow students to explore field topics that do not have specific courses at an institution. DLIS student Emily Griffin recently engaged in an independent study of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) through the Map Warper software. Map Warper is a GIS program and open source tool that allows users to impose current Google Maps data onto existing and historical maps. Griffin first gained experience with Map Warper by working on the New York Public Library (NYPL) project to create a digital gazetteer as part of an Academic Service-Learning project. The NYPL Map Warper is displayed on digitized maps for historical places in New York City. Griffin applied her experience and insight to the tool’s usefulness in a St. John’s University undergraduate Discover New York course project with adjunct faculty member Caroline Fuchs.

Spring Symposium 2014: Keynote Address

Guest speaker Ann Thorton opened the 2014 Spring Symposium with her address, “Engaged Librarianship.” Thorton’s speech, inspired by an August 2013 report ‘New Roles for New Times’ addressed the ways in which the New York Public Library system is adopting the best practices to become involved with and help meet the information needs of New York City Library Patrons.

Success Stories & Paths to DLIS

Patricia Canale has been an employee of St. John’s for 23 years. For years she contemplated returning to school, finally deciding on the MLS program at St. John’s. While in the program, Patricia was the recipient of the prestigious IMLS scholarship. She is now working in the Office of the Registrar, in the capacity of Associate Registrar.

 

Robert Drzewicki had 25 years experience in financial services before deciding to further his education by pursuing a MLS degree at St. John’s. Robert was a recipient of the IMLS scholarship. Robert is currently the Content Information Manager at Gartner, Inc. and belongs to several LIS associations and two association boards.

 

 

Linda Miles completed many academic endeavors before discovering the LIS program at St. John’s. For nearly eleven years, Linda worked at the library of the Lincoln Center Institute. Interested in Special Libraries and art programs for non-profit organizations, Linda recently completed her MLS degree at St. John’s. Recently, Linda accepted the position of Public Services Librarian at Yeshiva University.

Success Stories

Taryn Rucinski, MLS’12

Christopher Ross, MLS’10

Linda Miles, MLS’11

Simonetta Gerbitz MLS’12

Denise McIver, MLS’11

Amy Sarola, MLS’11

Claire DiCoccio, MLS’11

 

Amy Sarola ‘11 MLS

is currently working at Oliver Wyman- Health and Life Sciences in New York City, doing pharmaceutical research. She’s also the Public Relations Chair of the governing board of SLA-NY.

Claire DiCioccio ’11 MLS

is currently a research consultant at The Quorum Initiative, an organization for women executives in international business, education, and government.

Christopher Ross’10 MLS,

a former Fulbright grant recipient, is working in Beijing at an education and admission consulting firm, Due West Education, where he oversees the graduate school consulting services.

Linda Miles ‘11 MLS

is now a Public Services Librarian at Yeshiva University in New York City, where she’s collaborating with the writing program to develop information literacy instruction to be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum.

Denise McIver ’11 MLS

was recently featured in the February 2012 issue of Black Enterprise Magazine, in an article titled, “The 21st Century Librarian”: http://www.onlinedigitalpubs. com/display_article.php?id= 946862

Assemgul Temirkhanova ,

an Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program alumni and former DLIS student, is the Head of Information Resources Service at Nazarbayev University Library in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Katelyn Angell ’09 MLS

is leaving her position as a reference librarian at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY for one at Long Island University in Brooklyn. She recently presented at the DLIS Spring Symposium, on Progressive Librarianship and diversity in the library field. She has forthcoming articles in Library Journal and Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society.

Nicholas Kramer ’11 MLS

is currently working in the Special Data Projects Unit at The Foundation Center. He recently presented at the DLIS Spring Symposium on The Foundation Center: Resources on Philanthropy. He also blogs about politics and librarianship under the alias Corporate Dread http://corporatedread.tum blr.com

Taryn Rucinski ’12 MLS

recently had an article published in the Legal History and Rare Books AALL-SIS Newsletter, titled “Archive Spotlight: Water Resources Collections and Archives”: http://www.aallnet.org/sis/lh rb/lhrb.pdf

Barbara Deakin ’11 MLS

is self-employed as a real estate title closer; she is using her library training to develop a document management aspect to her job as a title closer. Since graduating she also worked for 6 months as a law librarian for Hughes Hubbard & Reed.

Dan Murphy ’10 MLS

 is employed at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as an Information Specialist for Regulatory Initiatives. He oversees a client-facing website tracking the regulatory implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. Cleary’s efforts were recognized in the Financial Times 2011 “Business of Law” rankings.

Victoria Shimmons’11 MLS

works as a youth services librarian at the Farmingdale Public Library. She recently presented at the DLIS Spring Symposium on Children’s Reclassification: From Picture Books to Nonfiction.

Simonetta Gerbitz, ’12 MLS

will be pursuing her doctorate in Library and Information Science! She will begin studies in the Fall at LIU.

Summer Intern Round Up

DLIS students stayed busy this summer! Internships come in many shapes and sizes, but most importantly are a way for students to get real life experience in their chosen specialty. The “intern round-up” is to recognize the great work our students have done over the break and to demonstrate the variety of experiences available.

Felissa Fine interned at Baruch College.

Katrina Ortega interned at the Archive of Contemporary Music.

Megan Margino helped process the archival collections of the Citizens Housing & Planning Council and completed a technical services project in the Suffolk Community College Library.

Christian Collins interned for the Queens Library’s New Americans Program, the department responsible for materials and services for speakers of languages other than English in Queen’s 62 community libraries.

Sharell Walker attended the annual ALA conference and was part Spectrum Diversity group and meetings.

Len Savoleo began an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, started an inventory of the stacks- checking for damaged books, and getting to know all the different aspects of their library.

Stephanie Jo Elstro interned at Poets House cataloging and preparing for their annual showcase of poetry published in the last year.

 Christian Collins interned for the Queens Library’s New The Americans Program, the department responsible for materials and services for speakers of languages other than English in Queen’s 62 community libraries.”

Some of our interns will be speaking at the DLIS Fall 2012 Symposium on November 3rd. Join us to hear all of the interesting things they have to say!

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

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.

 

A Message from the Director

November was a remarkable month for DLIS. Alumni, students, staff and friends celebrated the 75^th Anniversary of the creation of DLIS at the New York Municipal Archive, an appropriate venue in every way. The building’s beautiful architecture, the elegant food, the notable honorees and the archive’s fascinating exhibits combined with St. John’s own exhibit about the history of DLIS to provide an opportunity to remember who we are and the profession we represent. I want to thank the committee, ably chaired by Pat Canale; Eileen Flannelly and the City of New York, our hosts; St. John’s University; and our sponsors for making this a perfect commemoration. We need to build on this very positive experience.

DLIS 75th Anniversary Celebration

The Department of Library and Information Science at St. John’s celebrated 75 years as a department at the New York City Municipal Archives on December 7, 2013.  Pat Canale, Associate Registrar of the Office of the Registrar and DLIS alumni here at St. John’s, provides insight to the celebratory event that became the, “personification of my dream,” Canale remarked.

“A coming together, whether librarian or not, to celebrate librarianship and how St. John’s University has kept it going in the last 75 years,” began Canale.