I’m Autistic. I enjoy reading, producing, and especially participating in research. It’s something that I specifically set aside time to do because I find it rewarding, but also because I want the output of research to include the experiences of people like me. It’s one of the ways I advocate for improvements in the world … Read more
I like libraries. The traditional domain of libraries is information, often in the form of books. But there are a lot of other things that can be the domain of a library. The foundational principle of a library is its temporary lending economy. A central public repository that any individual in the community can come … Read more
Last time, we took a look at some of the challenges archivists face as the world transitions to digital. The restriction and loss of access to information is a significant concern, but it’s not the only one. The digital revolution has given birth to an era of surveillance capitalism. Across all digital domains, corporations hungrily … Read more
The advent of digital information technology has produced some fantastical results. Digital publishing has made it easier than ever to disseminate information. I can press Publish on a blog post and instantly make it accessible to billions of people (not that any of them will read it). I can buy a book online and have … Read more
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
