|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
UCLA MLIS Survival Guide
(how to get started in library school)
- Lets you check out books
- Lets you get onto URSA online (your school account management system and class registration site) and MyUCLA (similar to URSA, but more "friendly").
- You can use "BruinGo," the discount fare program that allows UCLA students, staff, and faculty with BruinCards to take Santa Monica Blue Bus and CulverCity Bus lines at reduced fares.
- Gives you free access to the Wooden Center gym (plus locker room). This is a decent gym, but the locker room is a little yucky--you have to pay for lockers (can't use your own lock), and a lot of the showers don't have soap in them. There's a sauna inside the locker room; no steam room. Basketball courts, racquetball courts, rock-climbing area, treadmills, elliptical machines, weights.
- you can add money to the Bruin card (via credit card online or in cash at the Bruin Card office) and use it at the on-campus stores, eateries and some vending machines (no more fumbling for change for that last minute coffee!).
- Establish your Bruin Online account here, so you can use Bruin Online services.
How to do it: You have to go in-person to 123 Kerckhoff Hall (Mon-Fri 9–4), or it may come to you via the mail. For more information, go to BruinCard
2. Establish your "proxy" server (get a dial-up connection to the internet via UCLA)
- Lets you access UCLA resource databases from home (valuable!)
- Gives you a "free" internet service provider
- Gives you a "free" internet website (you can make your own homepage--like this one, which is off my homepage)
- Allows you to keep copies of your documents on the school's "G" drive, which means you can access your stuff from home and the MIT lab (and print things out for free)
How to do it: Go to BOL and follow instructions (it might take awhile, and it might be frustrating, but stick with it and call them if you have to!). You should read
3. Get a "copy card" from the Young Research Library: YRL (so you can make xeroxes)
- Your first one is free, if you tell them you're a new student and show your Bruin card. Don't buy a card from the machine--you should be able to get free ones from the YRL Cashier window.
- At YRL, put a decent amount of money on it ($10), and write your name on it in magic marker; keep it with you wherever you go
- The MIT lab at our classroom building does not have a way to get a card, nor add money to it, but you need it to make copies there
- At MIT lab, printouts from the computer are free, but at YRL, you need the copy card to make computer printouts.
How to do it: Go in person to the YRL Circulation Desk and ask them for one
4. Get a map of campus at Map.
- Familiarize yourself with:
* Parking lots 3, 4, and 5 (possibly 7 and 11, too). See this Map and/or this
* The GSEIS building (where our classes take place, where our MIT lab is)
* The YRL (Young Research Library--our main library)
* The Powell Library (our secondary library; where the Film/TV archives is)
* The Anderson Management School (good cafe; one of the most aesthetic libraries)
* The Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library (also a beautiful, nearby library; however, sometimes access is limited to law students)
- Absolutely have the most current version of Adobe Acrobat installed on your home computer (Adobe Acrobat)
5. Parking info
- Daily pass ($8/day)
* Cost analysis: I always found the daily pass to be about as much cost-wise (for me) as a quarterly pass would be (it depends how many days a week you anticipate coming to campus). For the Fall Quarter 2003, I had two different days of classes and spent $150 on parking for the quarter (this included other non-class days I had to come to campus for research/homework); Winter 2004, I had one class day per week, and spent $95 on parking.
* Time to arrive: The Lots begin selling daily passes at 6:30 a.m.; if you can muster the strength, it's good to get here early. Anderson Business school's cafe (and Northern Lights) opens at 7 a.m.; YRL opens at 7:30 a.m.; the MIT lab opens at 8 a.m. My advice: on class days, come to campus as early as possible to get a decent parking lot (before 9 am) and just do your homework if you don't have a morning class.
* Best Lot: Parking Lot 5 (right across from classrooms). You can only purchase the pass for this lot from Parking Lot 4 Visitors Information Area (inside Lot 4, down Westwood Plaza, left-hand lane, near the "i"); they sell out by approx. 8:15 a.m.; sometimes they won't give it to you (but usually they do). Once you purchase your Lot 5 ticket, leave Lot 4, take a soft right out of the parking structure so that you drive east, past the elementary school (Charles Young Drive), take a right at Royce Drive, go straight after the 4-way stop, take your first right onto the roof of Lot 5. I've heard people say we can't park there, but there are no signs saying that, and I've never gotten a ticket.
* 2nd Best Lot: Parking Lot 3 (up the hill, close to Hilgard street). Buy the daily pass for Lot 3 at the information kiosk at Hilgard and Wyton (turn west on Wyton off of Hilgard); they sell out by approx. 8:15 a.m. Enter Lot 3 in the side closest to Hilgard because sometimes the daily passes don't open the gate at the Royce Drive entrance. Park as close to Level 2, Royce Drive entrance as you can (this is a good exit, and it's ground level to where you walk). Walk down Royce Drive--don't take stairs route. This will bring you to the classroom building via the back way.
* 3rd Best Lot: Parking Lot 4 (Westwood Plaza and Sunset). Usually doesn't sell out until 10 a.m. Try to park closest to the area underground that corresponds with Powell Library/Fowler Museum. This is a decent lot if you want to get coffee before class, because you can walk right past the Anderson Business School's Espresso Roma Cafe (far preferable to "our" Northern Lights caca). This is a good lot if you want to start or end your day on campus with a work-out at the Wooden Center or track--you can park underneath the Wooden Center opening.
* 4th Best Lot: Parking Lot 7 (right next to 4). This is about the same level of "okayness" as Lot 4. It's under the athletic field, so sometimes you can see sports teams practicing.
* Sad-Sack Lot: Parking Lot 11 (Northeast corner of campus). Literally 1.5 miles from our classroom building, and straight uphill (on the way back). However, it is near the softball diamond, if you want to catch a game before or after classes. If you get to campus late on a Monday, you'll be assigned here. This lot stinks, so try to avoid.
- Quarterly Pass
* First-year students will be assigned to Lot 11 (stinky lot).
* I don't know any more details, but go to UCLA Parking for more information.
- The Bus (avoid the parking hassle altogether!)
* If you live in Santa Monica or West Los Angeles, it may be easier for you to take the bus to campus. The Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, Culver Citybus and the LA Metro have several routes to campus. With your Bruin card, you can ride the Santa Monica and Culver City buses for a quarter (excluding weekends, university holidays and summer). If you ride the bus frequently, you may want to buy a quarterly ‘flash pass’ that will cover your quarter fare (last year, it cost $22.50 a quarter). The ‘Flash pass’ is only on sale for the first couple weeks of the quarter. For more information about buses and ‘flash pass’ go to the UCLA transportation services web page
For information on bus routes:
Santa Monica Big Blue Bus
Culver Citybus
Los Angeles Metro
6. Sign up for the listservs (the best way to find out about jobs, events, EVERYTHING)
- is-net (formerly ELISNET)
- is-announce (formerly ALL-IS)
- is-chat (open discussion on any topic--if you want to sell any of your texts directly, send out a message here)
- GRADFELLOWSHIPS-L -- this is a general listserv that tells up upcoming, cross-disciplinary scholarship opportunities. Susie Abler usually filters the GSEIS-related one out and emails to us via the ALL-IS listserv, but once in a while something unrelated to LIS pops up here that is interesting.
Go to this site to find out details about the LIS listservs that are available.
Go to UCLA MLIS Listservs to sign up for ALL-IS, ELISNET, and others.
7. Websites you should know about
- SLA Student Chapter page
- URSA
- UCLA Home Page
- MyUCLA
- YRL Resource Portal
- Department of Information Studies homepage
- UCLA library catalog
- Bruin Online
- California Digital Library
- UCLA Central Ticket Office for discounted entertainment tickets
- Go Westwood to see what's available around the UCLA campus
8. Get Calendars(so you know WHEN you're supposed to be doing stuff)
- For an academic calender, go here
- For the GSEIS calender, go here
- For the GSEIS departments current news and events, go here
9. Registering for classes
- Get a list of the classes offered for the semester at Courses
- Find out when you are officially able to register (they mete out different times for different students, in order to stratify the registering), and do it the very second you can (online, through URSA). Go to URSA, type in your student number and password, click "URSA Enrollment Appointments," and the year and term you would like to see.
- Register for the core classes first (get these over with). Per my year, we need to take 245, 200, 260, 430, 220 and one "methodology" class.
- Register for more than three classes, then drop a few after Week 1.
* This is one strategy (while something of a pain in the butt) I've found to be helpful. We usually take a maximum of three classes per quarter, but sometimes I can't tell which ones I want (the titles of the classes are not the most illuminating). So, I register for five and go to all of them the first week. Then, you drop two (writing the professor a nice note), and continue with your three. This is also a valuable strategy if you are "waitlisted" for a class you really want. If you don't get into it, after waiting, you won't be left high-and-dry without a third class. There is no fiscal penalty for dropping a class if you do it by the end of the second week (however, in the summer there may be). If you decide to drop a class after the first 2 weeks of the term (due to a waitlist taking too long to resolve, or personal reasons, or whatever), you can drop it until the day before finals. It'll cost you $3, but it won't appear on your record as a "late drop."
- Take summer school classes, when you can (if you can afford it).
* It is a great way to give yourself a cushion if you are forced to cut a class in a later quarter. This way, you won't be behind in hours, which is crucial if you want to start internships as soon as possible (you can't intern until you've completed 36 hours--which should be after your Spring quarter of your first year). Summer school classes are great: there are less people on campus (parking is much better); and you can focus on fewer classes than during the regular quarter (usually, you only take one or two summer classes); and I've found it to be cheaper.
- Once you've registered, go on the professor's web page (via UCLA GSEIS site at Staff) and see if he/she has posted a syllabus for the class. This is very valuable to do before the class starts: you can find out which books are required (and order through the internet, rather than the expensive UCLA bookstore); what kinds of assignments will be assigned; and (incredibly), if there is an assignment due on Day 1 (rare, but it happened to me once). If no syllabus has been posted, you might want to email the professor to see if he/she has an idea which books will be assigned (so you can get a jump ordering them).
10. Book buying
- Try to avoid buying on campus as much as possible
* The "returns" conditions are abominable
* The prices are jacked-up
* Buy on the internet at Amazon, or Half.com, or ebay, or Google it.
* Buy via the Student ALA booksale (contact the Presidents Joanna Fabicon or Alison Kelly to find out when and if this will be)
* You will have no choice but to go to the UCLA bookstore if a "reader" is assigned (This is an instance when a professor has chosen several journal articles or chapters from books and has had them combined into one xeroxed reader. These cheaply produced, unattractive tomes, will cost you in the ballpark of $75/each, due to copyright fees. It's a drag, and impossible to cheap your way around, but the articles are usually highly focused and valuable.)
* Our bookstore is usually LuValle (UCLA Lu Valle Commons, 308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90024, (310) 825-4014)
11. Eats
- Northern Lights is right across from GSEIS. You will think this is neat, at first, and then grow quickly sick of it. It is overrun with, and operated by, undergrads who care nothing for customer service. Loud music blares, the fireplaces are rarely lit, and the food is grossly overpriced (sushi, especially). The coffee is not so good, but okay. It's the only place to buy Odwalla-style juices. Best item: ice cream. It's good for a quick fix.
- Vending machines in plaza near Northern Lights. Decent for quick junk food, and I don't mind the vended hot chocolate/coffee bevs--much cheaper than Northern Lights and just as good.
- Convenience store attached to Northern Lights. Good for health food bars, nuts, etc., and the newspaper. A quick stop.
- Anderson Business School's Espresso Roma Cafe. The best coffee in the region. They have bagels which they will toast for you. The service is marginally better than Northern Lights. The ambiance is much more civilized, due to graduate student emphasis. Much preferred.
- Get a UCLA Non-Spillable Mug, if you will. You can buy one at Northern Lights for about $5. It's the only mug the libraries (including our MIT lab) will let you in with. It doesn't spill, really, but has been known to dribble. It's not a pleasant drinking experience (highly odd mechanism), but if you must have coffee in the library with you, it's a must. Somehow put your name on it, because you will inevitably leave it behind somewhere (I'm on mug #3).
- Try to bring your own lunch to campus, because prices are outrageous, and quality is capricious
12. Write-up your experiences in each class the minute the quarter ends.
- This will be extraordinarily helpful for you when you compile your "portfolio."
- Buy a 3-ring binder or expandable file and designate it for your portfolio. Every time you attend an event like a colloquium, forum or conference, store a flyer from the event or your notes you took in the binder--these are invaluable to writing about your participation in professional, organizational & service opportunities.
- Every time you produce a flyer for an event, or photograph you and friends on a library tour, etc., store a copy in your portfolio--this is invaluable to being prepared for the "supporting documentation" of the portfolio.
- Lastly, consider meeting with classmates from your core classes to discuss what you learned in the cores. Having multiple perspectives produces the insight and verbiage you'll want when writing the portfolio.
- Take if from the experience of one notable graduate: she had a 6-page outline for her Core-Class section from so-called "portfolio parties!"
13. Try to talk to your professors, one-on-one, immediately.
- Scholarships come down the pike early-on, and oftentimes they ask for professorial letters-of-recommendation. This is a tough task, because early-on, your professors don't really know you.
- Focus on getting to know on-site professors and MIT people who have areas of interest you are interested in:
Some examples:
* John V. Richardson: government information, thesis writing (rather than Portfolio presentation), publishing in literary journals
* Greg Leazer: cataloging
* Cindy Mediavilla: public librarianship, young-adult services, children's services
* Virginia Walter: public librarianship, children's services
* Phil Agre: theories of information, computer science, math, internet theory
* David Cappoli: news research, image searching on the web
* Clara Chu: multicultural and diversity interests
* Keri Botello: internships
Go to the faculty information page for extra info!
14. Student groups to think about joining (or attending meetings)
Student groups plan and provide off-campus tours of libraries, panels of library professionals, workshops, and many other helpful connection-facilitating activities. They are invaluable and a great resource! (don't be frightened by the massive quantities of acronyms you will encounter: embrace the acronym!)
- SLA (Special Libraries Assn)
- ALA (American Libraries Assn)
- ALE (Activist Librarians and Educators)
- SAA (Society of American Archivists)
- SGA (Student Governing Board)
- ASIS&T (American Society for Information Science and Technology)
- AMIA (Association of Moving Image Archivists)
- The Horn Press, a student-run organization dedicated to hand-press fine printing and the book arts
15. National groups to think about joining (you might find some fliers in the GSEIS commons)
- SLA (the Special Libraries Association) and SoCal SLA
- ALA (the American Libraries Association)
- SAA (Society of American Archivists)
- CLA (California Library Association)
* A great site with a helpful list of LIS acronyms is here
16. National conferences to think about going to
- ALA Events and Conferences
- SLA Events and Conferences
- PLA (Public Library Assn) Events and Conferences
* A nice place for LIS-related events is here
17. Internships
- Invaluable and rare opportunity to see if you really like a specific aspect of library and information science
- Take as many as possible! You can use up to 12 combined units of interning and field work (interning outside of the L.A. area) towards your degree
- Visit Keri Botello in the MIT Lab and ask her about it
- There is usually an open-house of internship sites during the spring quarter, at which about 70 different libraries are represented. They will be seated at tables throughout the GSEIS building and you can just go up to them and talk, very casually, give them your resume, etc. It's invaluable!
- Keri usually has a meeting/class to fill you in on all the particularities and requirements of interning.
- Check out the GSEIS Internship Page for more info
18. Miscellaneous Advice
- Your co-students in the program are your future colleagues and/or bosses--get to know them and establish relationships
- Forget about grades--you are here to learn, and you don't need added stress (P.S. please disregard, if you are trying for a PhD! Then, they DO matter; also, if you have a scholarship that depends upon a "B" average!)
- Write down everything you do, write, and attend--you can use it in your portfolio
- Attend as many events staged by student groups as you possibly can and whether or not you are a member of the organization. There are workshops on technologies and applications that you may never hear about in class; there are panels of information professionals which can give you insight into a potential career path; and, there are field trips to area libraries and information centers.
- Think about obtaining a mentor. Contact ALA about the status of the mentor program.