My interview with INALJ success story Rachel
Naomi: How did you find your current job?
Rachel: I heard about and became interested in the company through a friend and then saw the job posting on INALJ! Other places I looked were ALA Joblist, Indeed.com, and a few local listservs.
Naomi: Favorite library you have been to?
Rachel: I have always loved the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library in Downtown Cleveland. The architecture, collection and staff have always been inspirational, both personally and professionally. I know I’m somewhat partial having worked there, but I’m also in love with the new Library and Archives at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. It’s a music lover’s paradise.
Naomi: Favorite book?
Rachel: That’s a tough one, a few that come to mind are Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins , The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Just Kids by Patti Smith, The Harry Potter series, and Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman.
Naomi: Favorite thing about libraries/ library technology?
Rachel: My favorite things have to be the sense of community, access to endless information, promotion of literacy, and, well, the free books. I also love being a part of a profession that supports intellectual freedom, anti-censorship and egalitarianism.
Naomi: Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Rachel: Here’s a bunch I read regularly, some library, some archives, some Rust Belt/Cleveland, some music and some creative writing: ArchivesNext, Derangement and Description, Library Journal, Librarian in Black, TeleRead, Rust Wire, Cleveland Review, All Songs Considered, Addicted to Vinyl, and The Bookshelf Muse.
Naomi: Best piece of job hunting advice?
Rachel: My advice would be to be patient yet persistent and not afraid to check out different opportunities. I made a personal goal to apply for 3 or 4 jobs a week. In doing this, I was able to focus my search and spend time personalizing each resume and cover letter without having the process take over my entire life. Initially, I was only focused on archival related jobs and I was finding the options to be quite limited. After looking more into emerging technologies within archives and libraries, I found my current job with OverDrive. It has turned out to be an amazing job that fits both my professional interests and personality. Also, I applied for several different positions within the company and was turned down twice before they offered me a position. I’m a living example of why it’s important to never to give up!
Rachel Somerville lives in Cleveland, Ohio and is currently an Account Associate in the Library Partner Services Department at OverDrive Inc. where she works with librarians around the world from the launch of their OverDrive service through the lifetime of their partnership. Prior to that, she worked for two years as a Project Archivist at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Library and Archives. She received her B.A. in English Literature from Cleveland State University and her M.L.I.S from Kent State University. She lives on Twitter as @that1rachelgirl.
reposted from 4/13/12