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Naomi House’s interview with success story Danielle.

Naomi:  How did you find your current job?
Danielle:  I am currently working part-time at Rutgers University Libraries, a position I fell into after visiting and conducting research at Special Collections. After graduating, I volunteered and the position turned into something more. Starting fall, I will be a Fellow at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA., working in their bibliography department, and digitizing Yiddish documents. I found the open position in their email announcements after visiting (and falling in love with) the facilities.

Naomi:  Favorite library you have been to?
Danielle:  Papercut Zine Library in Cambridge, MA is great. They have a large collection of socio-political art zines and so much more. I wasn’t familiar with zine culture prior to visiting, but really admire the medium and the personal expression. I even found a publication called Jewish Anarchist Punk.

Naomi:  Favorite book?
Danielle:  I am in the middle of Who Will Write Our History? by Samuel Kassow and have been recommending it to everyone. It is about the Oyneg Shabes Archives, a collection of hidden documents that were preserved pertaining to daily life in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Naomi:  Favorite thing about libraries/ library technology?
Danielle:  The library is a safe, community-oriented space for diverse audiences. I love the public programming and accommodations they provide the individual.

Naomi:  Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Danielle:  I am following the Association of Jewish Libraries forum called HaSafran. Subscribers can post information about relevant jobs and publications, or spark a discussion on current topics in Judaica libraries—one thread ended up being the motivation for my graduate paper. I also subscribe to Duke University’s Scholarly Communications blog. It keeps me up-to-date on current issues and proceedings on intellectual property issues in libraries and universities.

Naomi:  Best piece of job hunting advice?
Danielle:  Trust your gut. I only applied to positions that I knew would be meaningful to me even though it seemed limiting to others. Also, I recommend applying to non-traditional library positions, such as specialized fellowships and paid internships to get through that first job hurdle.

Danielle Winter graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a Master in Library Science in December 2012. She has a B.A in American Studies from Rutgers University and received a FLAS Fellowship for Yiddish Language in 2011. She is currently Reference Assistant at Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers Universities Libraries. She will be a 2013-2014 Fellow at the Yiddish Book Center in September. Danielle enjoys attending film festivals and learning about Yiddish culture in her free time. She holds the position as Public Relations Chair of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Email her about all things library-related or Judaica at springlibrarian@gmail.com.