Tag Archive for inalj minnesota

“Why do you need a master’s degree to be a librarian?”

by Alexis Waide, former Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota “Why do you need a master’s degree to be a librarian?” Crowdsourcing an answer for an irritating question Recently, I went to a party attended largely by librarians and/or friends from library school.  Several of us were discussing the minor annoyances of our respective jobs and one…

Not Feelin’ It: Tips for Improving Your Internship Experience

Not Feelin’ It: Tips for Improving Your Internship Experience by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor   We’ve all been there. When a job, an internship opportunity, or volunteer experience transpires to be something completely different than what we thought. Rather than developing negative thoughts, it’s best to turn the experience into a learning opportunity. It’s okay…

6 Tips for a Successful Workday

6 Tips for a Successful Workday by Annice Sevett, Senior Assistant, INALJ Minnesota   It’s the end of your work day and you can’t wait to get out of there and on with your nighttime activities. You’re ready to turn off your computer and pack up your bag, but not so fast. Did you know…

7 Tips for Getting to Know Your New Community

7 Tips for Getting to Know Your New Community by Annice Sevett, Senior Assistant, INALJ Minnesota   Like many of us in our profession, I moved to a new town for my first and current library job. As the new Adult Services Librarian, I was faced with the task of getting to know this new…

How to Avoid HR’s Wall of Shame. Job Application Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs (advice from non-library HR pros)

by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana How to Avoid HR’s Wall of Shame. Job Application Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs  (advice from non-library HR pros) Definitively not a prestigious accomplishment to include on your resume, but mistakes do happen. Did you come across an ideal job opportunity and…

No Ouija Board Required! The Librarian Civil Service Exam

by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana No Ouija Board Required! The Librarian Civil Service Exam While I have certainly tried it; however, I have yet to have my mechanical pencil hover over my ScanTron to deliver answers from another realm. Although maybe my lead breaking over the C bubble is…

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation, and…….Preparation.

by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana Preparation, Preparation, Preparation, and…….Preparation. Preparing for a job interview is probably the least exciting of tasks to perform, but it should pay off in the long run, if you are diligent. When I think back to my first interview, I remember the mental…

So You Want to Be a Law Librarian?

by Billy Hinshaw, former Assistant, INALJ Minnesota previously published 12/18/13 So You Want to Be a Law Librarian? Law librarianship is a great career avenue for those who either a) are library professionals interested in legal work, or b) are former attorneys or legal professionals seeking an alternate career.  Regardless of background, law librarians use…

5 Tips to Making the Most of an Internship

by Alexis Stapp, former Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota previously published 4/24/13 5 Tips to Making the Most of an Internship We all know that one of the key things for landing a library or information job is to get experience in the field.  Internships are one of the ways to do this but if you’ve…

7 Tips About the All-Important Thank You

by Alexis Stapp, former Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota previously published 3/18/13 7 Tips About the All-Important Thank You Thank you notes always seem like such a chore, don’t they?  Aside from the tediousness factor, sometimes they can make us feel downright dishonest (“Dear Aunt Suzy, Thank you for the beautiful sweater you knitted for me”…).…

How does a membership to a field-specific society/association help your career?

by Roselle Pendergast, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota How does a membership to a field-specific society/association help your career? There are TONS of different library societies/associations out there (large and small) and I have no doubt at all that there’s also societies founded within your own state; look at Minnesota for an example, Minnesota Library Association or Twin Cities…

Darn those Tough Interview Questions!

by Roselle Pendergast, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota Darn those Tough Interview Questions! We’ve all had those questions asking us to describe a certain situation or experience and how we handled it.  Time and again, we’ve either sailed through it or froze up and stammered out our answer. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been seeing…

How to Make Yourself More Valuable by Being Self-Aware

by Roselle Pendergast, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota How to Make Yourself More Valuable by Being Self-Aware  “If you want to be more valuable to the organization, know who you are. Self-awareness breeds people who are more easily managed.” There are many different ways to become more valuable, such as taking classes on the side to…

What to Read While Waiting for Season 4 of Downton Abbey …

by Roselle Pendergast, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota What to Read While Waiting for Season 4 of Downton Abbey to Start in January 2014?  I’m sure many of us are eagerly waiting for the start of Downton Abbey’s 4th season, which starts January 5th 2014 on PBS’s Masterpiece Classic. I’ve been finding myself reading Jane Austen’s…

Working the Job Hunt (While Working a Job), Part 1

by Alexis Stapp, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota Working the Job Hunt (While Working a Job), Part 1 Some of you out there surely must be in the position of looking for a new job when you already have one. The job hunting process while already employed can be tricky – it is, after all, practically…

Best Regional Job sites

by Alexis Stapp, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota Best Regional Job sites As a seasoned job hunter, you probably have some key websites you check daily for jobs, and/or subscribe to RSS feeds and are on various listservs.  INALJ is one of them, obviously!, but the ALA JobList makes the cut, too, I’m sure.  Perhaps the…

What (not) to do while job hunting

by Alexis Stapp, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota What (not) to do while job hunting Here is my tongue-in-cheek guide to what you should do while job hunting: Take longer than a week to complete a single job application. Complain endlessly – especially to library school friends who are in the same boat. Be super disorganized…

Free Webinars, Courses, and Conferences (Feb-April 2013)

by Alexis Stapp, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota Free Webinars, Courses, and Conferences (Feb-April 2013) It’s hard to focus on the education and skill-building aspect of professional development when you’re unemployed, underemployed, or just plain broke.  It’s also tough to research new ideas and practices for your library with the tight budgets so many are facing.…