Oh wait. It’s not for Pratt SILS, you say? It’s for Pratt’s site? Oh. We thought since the Dean had publicly promised a site redesign several months ago and students had already completed an IA assessment of the site in Walcyzk’s class…
Never mind. That would all make too much sense and would not provide the Dean with her chance to give students the middle finger every time we look at the site.
By the way, have you heard about the Dean’s exciting yearly vacation in London, uh, I mean the Pratt SILS London program? Colleagues must be tremendously impressed when they look at the SILS site and see who will be joining them to delve into e-publishing. SSS can’t make this stuff up!
SILS Site Sucks 
It bothers me that no one, other than SSS, holds the dean accountable. I don’t know the dean, and your attacks sound of a personal nature and far from credible, but I think this situation speaks for itself. The dean is on record as saying a new website would be launched by the end of June. Worse yet, she said this on Library Journal for the entire library community to see. I think the dean owes her students, faculty and staff, and the Pratt community an explanation (I don’t believe she has made a statement, please correct me if I am wrong). I would think the dean would have the courtesy to show those of us who are not taking anonymous pot-shots at her some respect.
don’t expect respect from this dean.
anonymous “pot-shots” are necessary–the dean is vindictive. We as students have enought to worry about–we don’t need the dean after us for having the temerity to criticize her.
Perhaps you should revisit the purpose of this site. Is it a forum to voice concerns about the school’s website, or a forum to launch personal attacks against the dean? I believe it has become the latter. Judging from your comments, it sounds like you base many of your remarks on experiences you had with the dean that have nothing to do with the school’s website. So the dean may in fact be vindictive–I don’t know her –but your comments demonstrate that she is not the only one. Clearly you have more than one grudge with the dean.
Answer me this:
If our school’s website is a black eye on the public face of the program–I agree that it is–then what is this website? When one Google’s “Pratt Sils,” this blog–along with the school’s website–is one of the first results returned. Just like the program’s website, this blog has BECOME an embarrassment for the public to see.
Perhaps it is time for a different approach???
if the website is improved as the dean promised, then this blog can be taken down. “”Personal” attacks would not be necessary if the dean would do what she promised . She promised to improve the site and students even volunteered to help If this blog is a black eye on the school, that back eye can be healed if and when promises are kept–and to repeat–the blog will be removed, so one will not have to be embarrassed–it is simple as that
it seems clear that the blog is an attempt to get the dean to listen to student concerns–don’t blame the creator of the blog for giving the school a black eye–the blog’s creator is not the one who is controlling the school’s website and is not the one who said it would be improved. If the site is improved, there will be no blog and everyone can be happy.
Asking about what the approach is a good question. While on the surface some comments may appear to be personal attacks on the dean, it is the resulting frustrated response after her refusal to accept input and help even when presented in a constructive and respectful manner before this blog existed. Unfortunately, anyone offering input was met with defensiveness or dismissal. The dean takes it personally and responds personally. This prevents commentary about the website from being independent of personal feelings. As a result, the real fear of retribution manifests itself in what might be considered by some as anonymous snarky comments or personal attacks. People have become increasingly reluctant to make themselves visible with constructive comments for fear of punishment. The editor of Keyword invited people to write an article about the SILS website, but understandably no one has come forward yet to do so. Even an even-handed treatment would be met with negative consequences. Her vindictiveness has shut down any attempts to improve the SILS site.
There are postings here that identified what needs improvement, such as exercising judgement in the selection, use and placement of images, text and color. There are design and coding problems that affect navigability and design problems that do not show an understanding of the purpose and function of the website (the web pages as brochures comes to mind). There are typographical and grammatical errors, and old information isn’t removed or updated in a timely manner. These are viable criticisms.
If this blog were more like a critique it can garner increased support. The temptation to giggle or damn will be hard to fight at times, but your arguments will be more credible if you refrain from doing so. The mountain of evidence presented in a practical manner will make it more obvious to others how unreasonable the dean is being over this. Even if she doesn’t ever come around, others will come to know this blog as one that offers improvements on how SILS presents itself on the web to the outside world and the dean will be seen as someone who has rendered students powerless who in turn are reduced to commenting under anonymity about a website that really needs help.
UNBELIEVABLE! What is the problem with SILS and Pratt? There is a freaking class called INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE in SILS – why not have students have input on what is designed? How about having one freaking class have some practical real world experience? Why not have students participate in the development of the Pratt website (AGAIN – it has already been done a couple of semesters ago), and have the usability class do real testing on the site with actual users instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars – AGAIN – to render the site unusable?
UNREAL!
It would be nice if Tula had the confidence in her students and their abilities to allow such participation. The noninvolvement of students in this process is an insult and a black eye on the institution and SILS, especially when so many of us are so willing to help (many of us in SILS are in the freaking industry!) UNREAL! At this point this situation is bordering on incompetence….I hope an institution’s website isn’t a criteria for ALA accreditation…..
practical suggestions for site improvement many very well be a good plan–if only the suggestions were respected. Lack of respect on the dean’s part and her desire to have tight control over the site indeed lead to frustration. It is hard to respect someone when attempts at respect are not reciprocated. This has been a perennial problem with this current SILS adminsitration. It is very disheartening.
Sometimes one wonders about the quality of not only SILS administration, but also of the administration of the entire Institute.–but THAT issue is well beyond this blog.
attempts at volunteering to improve the site and working with a person with a controlling personality ( if one may venture this opinion–formed from experience)
will almost always lead to frustration. All we can do is keep trying
As Pratt SILS student, I am disgusted by this SITE. It is one COWARDLY. Why not add some credibility by having the balls to say who you are. I know the Dean has some quirks but she does support the students. SSS has to move on with this petty shit, grow up and get a life. SSS is making the whole SILS community look bad not the Dean.
if you really knew the dean, you might have a different opinion “Quirks” is putting it mildy — also one is under no obligation to stick his or her hand in the fire–experience is the best teacher
get a life?–how about a decent website–and then this blog can cease to exist
again don’t blame this site –students DID approach the dean and are willing to imporve the site.
your disgust of this site is misguided.
True story: My girlfriend just saw this page and said “No. That is not a real site! That’s a joke!”
As a SILS alumni I believe this site should be taken down. It makes us all look bad; it’s unprofessional and immature. For some reason this site (is it one or two people?) believes the website is the whole program. This site devalues all the good work the professors, students and yes the Dean do. My experience at Pratt SILS was fantastic and I do not have any complaints except for a few bad teaching experiences which happens at every school.
I do know the Dean personally and she has done everything in her power to support students this past year in keeping Keyword going even when our budget was ripped from us from Pratt Student Government Association. She never hesitated to assist SILSSA when our student money was again taken by SGA to provide a graduation and a holiday party in 2008.
It’s time to grow up. Take this website down and move on. Nobody on SILS campus cares because what matters is what happens in the classroom and the careers we get post-SILS. These are the governing factors of what makes SILS a good school, not the frickin’ website.
Romel Espinel,
ex-SILSSA President 2008
ps. notice, I did sign this. Everyone who visits this site should disregard this site when it is signed by Anonymous because as we know this strips the AUTHORITY from the website thus making it an unreliable source.
not everyone shares your opinions about the dean and this site. You are entitled your opinions of course, but don’t try to dictate to people who have not graduated yet and label them as immature. It makes you appear haughty. Your days at SILS are over. Perhaps YOU should “move on.”
good luck with your career. You no longer have to put up with the problems that many have to deal with at Pratt and SILS
Romel it is easy to post your identity because you are saying things in defense of the dean. As I mentioned in an earlier post she thought SILSSA was responsible because there is a link to SILSSA’s site on the blog. If she wasn’t talked out of it, she would have gone after SILSSA and you would have been on the receiving end of her wrath. People can’t identify themselves for a good reason.
Other people have tried to talk to her about the site and she reacted personally. The site may or may not be an indication of the success of the program, but it is a symptom of the dean’s dysfunctional method of management. For a graduate program for information science to have a site like that makes Pratt look amateurish yet she doesn’t want to hear it. I find it troubling that as an information professional you would want a blog shut down just because it offers a dissenting opinion.
Yes, the dean has done those things for Keyword, just don’t disagree with her. Yes, post-SILS success counts for something, but Pratt doesn’t need to use the Mussolini argument (but the trains ran on time) to praise someone who uses her position to suppress criticism.
This is my favorite:
Anonymous
November 18
“if the website is improved as the dean promised, then this blog can be taken down. “”Personal” attacks would not be necessary if the dean would do what she promised .”
Are you admitting that this is personal? You are just as bad as the dean, you just don’t realize it. I suspect this commentator is the author of several other remarks under this post. Your tone sucks. With such a poor approach no wonder this site has failed to have an impact. Pandora, your efforts might be more effective without the negativity of your co-conspirator.
Oh also, lay off Romel. While I can sense the frustration in his comment, he hardly sounds “haughty”. For all its shortcomings–and there are many, including the website–it’s a great education, if you want it to be. Maybe you should have a little pride. Perhaps you have been to hung up on the website to make the most out of your time at Pratt, which is just plane sad. Do us a favor and stop posting your pathetic comments; let Pandora handle it. Students aren’t “disgusted” with the principle of this site, they’re disgusted with your crappy comments….
I suggest you realize that you don’t speak for all of the students .Pride is something that many of us have–that is why we post these comments . If you don’t like them, don’t visit the site and read them.
the tone may suck–so does the SILS website
Dear Anonymous,
You’re right, I don’t speak for all of the students, I realize that now–thanks.
Now a suggestion for you. Perhaps you should realize that you don’t speak for all of the students; though your sad site is just as much of a reflection on us as the SILS site–something you seem incapable of grasping, as you miss out on the sense behind each counter arguement posted here. You are not a leader–please stop pretending to be, because no one is following and this site is evidence of that. It would be a litte easier to believe that you have some pride if you showed it in your posts instead of constant negativity.
So we agree: the tone of this site sucks, Pratt SILS website sucks, oh and guess what, so do you. How is that for personal??? Stop your bitching and complaining and find another approach already. Maybe somebody will actually listen.
As a student at University College London, I was interested to hear of the visit to London beginning this week and wanted to find out more about SILS. I was shocked by the web site. An unnecessary 600K image on the home page. Links to files on Tula Giannini’s hard drive. It’s embarrassing.
it is shocking but don’t expect it to change. To think that this site is the face of SILS for all the world to see…. that’s just the way it is. One can complain as much as one wants..the complaints fall on deaf ears. At least for me, the light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel. Goodbye SILS and the dean.. at least that is the way I feel about it. I know not everyone feels the same way.
I stumbled onto this site. I am surprised to read the personal, negative comments–especially telling someone that he/she “sucks” Whoever wrote that needs a lesson in civility and basic professionalism Free expression is a core value of librarianship–it has it limits, of course. Abusive comments should not be tolerated. Perhaps the individual who wrote the comment should read some of the works of Michael Gorman–who knows, he/she may learn something.
Did you miss the title of this blog? What’s civil about that?
Why is this site still up anyway? Isn’t there a new SILS site now? My guess is these students graduated and lost interest. Too bad for the rest of us.
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