Celebrating Women’s History Month – Susan Sosin: Library Friend Extraordinaire by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida Susan Sosin’s volunteer work for libraries and other community organizations is an important part of her life. From an early age growing up in Highland Park, New Jersey, Susan learned the significance and impact of volunteering her time…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions Q&A with Dr. Sandra Hirsh, Editor of Information Services Today: An Introduction by Alison Peters, INALJ Contributor Lewis Carroll wrote in Alice in Wonderland: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will…
Have you contributed content to your library’s website? by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Senior Assistant, INALJ Michigan If you haven’t yet, it’s only a matter of time. Think of all the pieces of content on your library’s website: event listings, ebook download instructions, lists of services, how to get a library card, research guides, blog posts…that’s…
Resume Missteps & Solutions by Amy Steinbauer, Senior Assistant, INALJ California The job search is a messy, complicated game of employment. It can seem like all of the hiring factors are out of your control. You get excited at job ads and prospects, send your resume and cover letter in, and wait, and wait, and wait.…
Tips for Boosting Your Presence in the LIS Community by Angie Solis, Senior Editor Being a part of the INALJ team means that I’m surrounded by many amazing people who rock my world every day with their knowledge and ability to be superstars in the LIS community. Seriously, it’s like I know celebrities. I find…
Mining Your State Library by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida State libraries are information resource providers for their state governments, serving the information needs of state agency employees and the state legislature. That’s their first mission. Their other mission? To collect and preserve the published history of their state. The State of Florida, for…
Don’t Discount the Digital Community by Sarah Morrison, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alberta and INALJ Manitoba I’ve noticed an underlying feeling that pervades discussion of the internet, introversion, and community. It’s one of those things that isn’t always explicit, and I don’t have one or two “exposé” links to point to for proof. But there seems…
Ask a Special Librarian – March Edition Tracy Z. Maleeff Library Resources Manager at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia @LibrarySherpa & LibrarySherpa.com Spring cleaning time is almost upon us. It’s a good way to clear out some cobwebs, air some things out and just prepare for a new season of your life. Yes, I’m…
Addressing Diversity in the Job Search Process by Oscar Giurcovich, Senior Editor As an LIS job seeker, I come across something along the lines of the following quite frequently when looking at the requirements of a position: interest or ability to work in a multicultural environment. What does this mean? What are they looking for?…
Why Running Makes Me A Better Librarian by Alphild Dick, Senior Editor I’m not fast. I don’t wear a GPS watch. I don’t track my mileage on MapMyRun and I usually wear my old winter reading sweatshirts on cold runs rather than the high tech gear my family buys me for the holidays. But I…
Creative Ideas for Selling at Comic Cons by Leigh Milligan, Senior Editor Creativity is one of my strongest skills. I just never really knew how to use it in my everyday life. And then I met my fiancé. He’s really into old school video games and making things, I love pop culture and making things.…
Techniques, books, and e-books for the young, unengaged reader Melodi Pulliam, Senior Assistant, INALJ Kentucky I would like to tell you all a little story. My son has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and I am sure we all know someone (or know someone who knows someone) who has a child that has been diagnosed with…
5 Ways to Take Control of Your Job Search by Brad McNally, Senior Editor A job search is an extremely large undertaking. It is easy to let it get out of control and become overwhelming. Recently, a friend of mine was in a show (The Art of Acting Out) about a young man that…
Tips for a successful internship or practicum by Gabrielle Spiers, Senior Editor As a former intern who did a practicum during library school I have experience from the the LIS student perspective. I know my LIS program is far from the only one to require a practicum. Additionally, I currently run an internship program…
5 Strategies for Dealing with Problem Behavior by Ruth Harries, Senior Assistant, INALJ Kansas I’ve worked in public services for the past seven years, and my experience has been that the majority of transactions with patrons are emotionally neutral. Truly memorable experiences with patrons – whether good or bad – are rarer, but they…
I can do that! Volunteering in Library Land by Mary-Michelle Moore, Senior Editor One of the tried and true pieces of library job hunting advice is to get experience in a library – any experience. If you can’t find a job, volunteer. The problem with just going to volunteer in a library is the types…
Using LinkedIn to Facilitate the Job Search By Svetlana Symonenko, INALJ California Social networks have become the channel of choice for the latest news, friends’ updates, deals, local events, weekend ideas, and many other things. But, how commonly are they used to search for jobs and/or promote yourself in the job market? Not long ago,…
Librarian in a Box! by Kate Kosturski, Volunteer Coordinator and Senior Editor, INALJ Ontario and INALJ Quebec Today, you can just about get anything in a subscription box, delivered to your door on set intervals – from makeup (Birchbox) to clothes (Stitch Fix) to intimates (Wantable – and yes you read that right, there is a subscription box for…
When in Doubt, Take the Practicum By Rose Noel, Senior Assistant, INALJ Kentucky I have been in school since 2009; I am only just tackling my second semester of library school this spring. It would be an understatement to disclose that I’m feeling a little bit of burnout. In that time, I have gone…
Should you call that meeting? : The fine art of meetings by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Senior Assistant, INALJ Michigan My formal education gave me a great background in theory, but there were many aspects of librarianship that I learned on the job. Handling a screaming toddler, or worse, a screaming parent. Negotiating competing personalities in the…
by Jennifer Devine, CIO A Fantastic February! January began the new year for everyone, but for INALJ February brought along our new leadership! Myself as CIO, Rachael Altman as COO and with the help of Naomi House, CEO we began seamlessly running INALJ and making internal changes that may have gone unnoticed to our fans…
The Importance of Being Blue by Stephanie Noell, Senior Editor The information professions tend to be very people-oriented. Even the technical side is focused on making information accessible to the end user. To be in such a people-focused profession (and work closely with others to reach mutual goals), we must be able to consider each…
Re-frame your education & experience in your mind to open new job horizons! by Lauren Bourdages, Senior Assistant, INALJ Ontario Something I’ve thought a lot about ever since I realised I wanted to work in libraries is that there are a lot of people in this profession who are adamant that the library is the…
On celebrating all victories in the job hunt by Mary-Michelle Moore, Senior Editor One of the greatest things about volunteering as a senior editor for INALJ is the opportunity to see and work with people who have found jobs/internships/volunteer opportunities using our site. My favorite INALJ articles to read and to write are the success…
The Telephone Interview: Why am I so Nervous?! by Natalie Kahn Last week I had my first telephone interview for a university librarian position. This was a brief, first-round interview that covered the basics listed in the job description, and I appreciated the lack of curve ball questions. I was surprised by my nervousness…