Leslie Knope’s Worst Nightmare 

Hi everyone! This is Margot, checking in one last time! This past week has been an absolute whirlwind and I’m excited to be filling you guys in.

My Cross-Country Move 

Most of this past week has actually been focused on moving. Since the LIS program doesn’t have many (if any) classes with traditional final exams, I was able to finish all of my final projects well ahead of the last week of classes. This allowed me to focus all of my energy on my next big task at hand– moving. I’ve spent a good amount of time this week advertising my furniture to sell online, donating clothes I didn’t need, and packing boxes. I really didn’t want to have to rent a U-Haul, so I’m trying to fit everything into my decently sized SUV. So far it’s looking promising… we’ll see how it goes!

Graduation! 

The big event this week was graduation! It was so great to finally be able to celebrate my accomplishments with family and friends. The ceremony was absolutely delightful and I really enjoyed the speech given by iSchool alumni Dipesh Navsaria (MSLIS ’04).  

Seeing all of the graduates together was a wild experience. Since there is a significant number of LEEP students, it’s hard to conceptualize just how big the MSLIS program is. So many online students participated in graduation, so there were a lot more people than I expected! I couldn’t help but think about what Leslie Knope (from Parks and Rec) would have thought about seeing so many librarians in one place- as she puts it, “The library is the worst group of people ever assembled in history. They’re mean, conniving, rude, and extremely well-read, which makes them dangerous.” While I disagree with her judgment of our character, I do concur that the knowledge that we have collectively gained through this program does make us dangerous– in a good way. As future librarians, we are society’s keepers of information, and this program has prepared us to fight back against any social/political pressures that look to restrict our right to equitable access to information. I also chuckled at the idea that there were so many well-read, bookish people in one place. Being surrounded by so many like minded individuals and celebrating our accomplishments together is a memory that I will never forget!

I was also invited to the iSchool’s awards ceremony earlier in the day, where I was awarded the Beta Phi Mu/Anne M. Boyd Award. This award is given to one MS graduate with a 4.0 grade point average that, by vote of the faculty, judged to be outstanding. Other criteria that’s considered for the award include:

  • Commitment to the profession of librarianship.
  • Ability to relate to other people.
  • Contributions to the School through participation in organizations and activities.
  • Potential leadership qualities.

I have worked so hard during my time in graduate school to give back to the iSchool community through my work as an ambassador and as president of two student organizations, so it was really rewarding to see that effort recognized by iSchool faculty. It was truly an honor to receive this award and a great way to end my time at the iSchool. <3

Thank you, everyone, for coming along with me on my journey through this last semester! I hope you enjoyed hearing about some of the things that have been keeping me busy, as I have had a blast sharing with you all!