Sarah Aspen I’ve wrapped up my third semester of my MLIS grad school program, marking one year of academic progress. I wanted to take a few minutes to think back about the experiences I’ve had so far. First up, grades. This year I’ve maintained a 4.0 every semester. This is a huge difference from how things went … Read more
I often write here about my experiences as an autistic MLIS student and library patron and researcher. That’s pretty much the point of this blog. I write about it because it’s important to me that libraries be an inclusive and accessible space for people with different types of neurology (and other types of diversity), both … Read more
Libraries used to have apprenticeship programs. Rather than attending a university to learn the ins and outs of information science, folks who wanted to learn to be a librarian could just start being a librarian. And they’d start off pretty bad at it, but the other people in the library would teach them as they … Read more
Being an autistic grad student comes with a lot of challenges. Many of those stem from the different experiences I have compared to my neurotypical peers. Some of the challenges can be addressed through avenues like the school’s accessibility office, getting support from academic advisors and professors. Others might be better suited to a professional … Read more
The year is 2023. Accessibility has been included in discussions around the world-wide web since Tim Berners-Lee talked about it in 1994. And here we are nearly 30 years later, using the web for all sorts of things that Berners-Lee couldn’t have imagined. One of those things is online learning platforms which allow fully remote … Read more
I’ve written a few posts this semester about my experience interviewing a senior librarian for a school assignment. We discussed the topic of the mentorship program within her library, its strengths and weaknesses, and the experiences of the people on both sides of the mentoring relationship. She gave me a little mentoring at the end … Read more
As an autistic MLIS student, it probably comes as no surprise that I’m particularly interested in the ways that libraries can be made more friendly for neurodivergent patrons and staff. I look up scholarly research on this topic for my own edification, and I have a Google Scholar alert for new entries related to autism … Read more
I’m autistic. One of the ways that manifests in me is that I interpret communication literally most of the time. I distinctly remember watching an episode of Big Bang Theory with my roommates (right at the beginning, when it was a funny show for nerds rather than a show that made fun of nerds), where … Read more
Anyone who has received healthcare in the United States can tell you how expensive it can be, even with insurance. Cost is a significant factor in decisions not to seek medical care, including medication. EpiPens can cost $700, insulin can cost $1000/month, and a 12-week course of hepatitis C medication can cost $95,000. West Health … Read more
96% of libraries provide reference service via email. 61% by chat. 29% via texting. 26% via Facebook. Some offer reference services over Zoom or Skype. These services are provided almost exclusively by third party vendors rather than by the library or patron. Most of the vendors do not allow audits of their technology or business … Read more
