This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Sandra Hoyer, Head Editor, INALJ Washington When Archiving and Comics Collide: Tess McCarthy on Incorporating Creativity in Librarianship Tess McCarthy is the archivist at the Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco, California. She…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions . . by Rachael Altman, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Meet Fantasia Thorne, Learning Commons Librarian at Syracuse University Bird Library Rachael: Favorite Library you have been to? Fantasia: The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton…
. . by Renee Holden, Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska Great Summer’s End Reads We often have patrons frequent the reference desk around this time of year who are looking for some great books to read before the summer ends. Here are my top five books to enjoy before the summer passes us by and fall…
by Brad McNally, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio 3 Things to Consider after Receiving a Job Offer For those that are unemployed and looking for a job in information sciences (or any field), the answer to that question might be “accept as soon as possible.” For those that are currently employed and looking, the answer may…
by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire Should I Stay, or Should I Go Now? Two weeks ago I found myself in the odd position of having to decide if I really wanted a mini-promotion. This is a situation that I’m sure others have run into: you’re not working as an information professional, but…
by Alexandra Janvey, Head Editor, INALJ Iowa 3 Job Search Lessons from Baking Organization The first step to baking like a professional is being well organized. Things run much smoother and faster when all the ingredients and equipment you need are laid out on the kitchen counter before you even start to bake. Ensuring you…
by Sean O’Brien, Head Editor, INALJ Colorado The Other Side of the Desk: From an Interviewer’s Perspective The fall semester is here, which means I have just finished yet another round of student worker interviews. I’ve been doing this for a little while now, and I’ve interviewed quite a few candidates. Some interviews have gone…
by Amanda Viana, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts At the Crossroads: Taking the Next Step Post-MLIS In my library career, I’ve had a lot of different roles: volunteer, friend, part-time page, Library Assistant, Information Services Librarian, Library Trustee, and most recently, Assistant Director. Despite having graduated with my MLIS less than two years ago, lately I’ve…
by Fallon Zschiegner-Bleich, Head Editor, INALJ Arkansas My Bucket List of Libraries – US Edition I have always loved libraries and I am the stereotypical 90’s child who fell in love with them through Matilda and Beauty and the Beast (you can’t deny wanting Belle’s library when you watched that movie for the first time!).…
by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina Five Things I Learned While Searching for a Job After two and a half years of searching, I began my new job in mid-August. As you can imagine, I filled out countless job applications and had many interviews during this time. I learned a lot about job…
by Stephanie Taylor, Head Editor, INALJ British Columbia Job Searching by the Book I was having coffee with someone I knew in high school, and we were talking about our jobs. I recently landed a pretty sweet job in a my field (library technician) at a time when a lot of people just starting out…
by Sarah Parramore, Head Editor, INALJ Middle East/Arabian Gulf Spotlight on Libraries – London What is it? The British Library Where is it? 96 Euston Road, London, England Why should you visit? Got some spare time? This library holds over 150 million items, and according to their website, would take you well over 80,000 years…
by Elinor Crosby, Head Editor, INALJ Nova Scotia Bring Your Hobbies to Work! As a recent graduate and a recent hire at a local public library, I am still learning the ropes at my job. In order to learn as much as possible during my part-time hours every week, I have been taking as much…
. . . . by Courtney Baron, Head Editor, INALJ Georgia Library and Information Science Business Cards I’m planning to go to my first conference this fall and I’d like to print business cards for the occasion. Many employers provide business cards for their employees, but if you are a library student like me or…
. . . . by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Professional Development in the Workplace Keeping yourself current with library trends and technologies is crucial to furthering your career as a librarian. Professional development in the workplace is a great way to challenge yourself and keep your information professional skills sharp. It is up…
by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho Libraries in Movies I love doing movie marathons – especially themed ones. I was recently thinking of doing such a themed marathon to commemorate my official entrance into the library profession post-degree and voilà! I came up with a list of my five favorite movies that involve libraries,…
by Scottie Kapel, Head Editor, INALJ Oregon A Trip to the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum I recently returned from a trip to Vermont with a new love for billboard-free interstates, Subaru Outbacks, and cheese (admittedly, that last one is not a newfound love). Although each day of the trip was great, my favorite afternoon was spent visiting…
by Amanda May, Head Editor, INALJ North Dakota 5 Copyright Resources Since finishing library school in May, I find that I am much more confident working as an information professional. There is still one word that scares me though, and it’s copyright. I’m definitely no expert in copyright, but I do have a few resources…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska So you’re not the prospective employer’s first choice–do you care? You persevered through the job search slog, and at long last you get a call from a prospective employer asking for an interview. The interview day arrives and clearly you nailed it. You feel great. A week or…
by Yandee Vazquez, Head Editor, INALJ Texas 4 Websites to Keep You Up-to-Date with Tech Keeping up with technology is hard. There’s a lot going on from one day to the next and many sources claiming the newest updates and discoveries – it’s difficult to know where to turn. And it is important to turn…
by Nicole Usiondek, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan Is the eBook Craze Over? Recent data is suggesting that the eBook craze is over. I was resistant to eBook readers when they first came out. After testing out the Amazon Kindle App on my phone for a few months, I realized I would be able to adjust…
by Nena Schvaneveldt, Head Editor, INALJ Utah About That Dream Job… I know people say to follow your dreams, and that will make you happy. I went to library school with a dream job and a plan. I would work as a teen librarian in a busy public library. Two and a half years out…
by Claire Schmieder, Head Editor, INALJ New Jersey Beggars Can’t Be Choosers Here are a few things I’ve learned during my seven-month (and, as of yet, continuing) job search: 1. Because I can’t relocate, my search may take me a little longer. I am not in a position to move, nor am I willing to…
by Kate Kosturski, Head Editor, INALJ NYC All About Mentoring When I attended Drupal Camp CT earlier this month (read my wrap-up here), our keynote focused on mentorship, and the importance of mentors in the Drupal community. The keynote speaker, DrupalEasy co-founder Mike Anello, believes highly in the value of mentoring – for both mentor…
by Mychal R Ludwig, Head Editor, INALJ New Mexico Can’t Miss Conferences, Conventions, & Events For New Mexico LIS Workers Becoming an active member of one’s community, as well as continuing one’s adult education, represent two crucial parts of being an LIS professional. What then, are some must-see conferences, conventions, expositions, and events going on…
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…
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden Have You Heard of Little Free Library? You’ve seen those “take a penny, leave a penny” dishes at stores. Well, this is the same concept, but with books. Perhaps you’ve seen something similar at train stations or coffee shops – a shelf or book rack inviting you to…
by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida Back to School? Or Not Back to School? I don’t know about you, but it is back to school time in my house. The last few weeks have been a flurry of shopping for school supplies, clothes, supplies, shoes, and supplies. Did I mention supplies? The back to…
. . . by Lauren Bourdages, Head Editor, INALJ Ontario Breaking Out: Non-Traditional Jobs for Library Technicians There’s a lot of talk out there about non-traditional LIS jobs for librarians. For example: 61 Non-Librarian Jobs for LIS Grads The ALA’s Non-Traditional Jobs for Librarians page The Where We’re Going: Non-Traditional Careers for LIS Graduates slideshare…
by Sarah Roark Schott, Head Editor, INALJ Arizona Should You Leave the MLS off Your Resume? I recently left my job in Arizona and moved to another state. The move is slightly temporary; I only plan on living here for a year unless my partner or I find amazing positions here. Unfortunately library or archive…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions . . by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming Interview with Janssen of Everyday Reading Emily’s interview with Janssen, of the blog Everday-Reading.com, who started blogging in 2006 to chronicle the books they were reading and…
by Sarah Porter, Head Editor, INALJ California Do It Anyway Do you ever find your “dream job” posted, and feel discouraged from applying for it after reading a long list of qualifications? Some of the wish lists of requirements are so long and comprehensive that only a highly intelligent robot set on world domination could…
by Sarah Deringer, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi Back to the Book Shelf: This Librarian’s “To-Read” List If you are anything like me, you have plenty of books on the shelf to read but are always looking for more. I recently ran across a Pinterest item that describes the situation perfectly. It reads, “Abibliophobia: (n). The…
by Renee Holden, Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska Great Sci-Fi for Those Who Don’t Like Sci-Fi I used to read sci-fi books as a kid, but when I became a teenager I traded sci-fi stories for the passion of teen romance books. As a reader’s advisory librarian, I talk to adults who like me fell out of…
by Fallon Bleich, Head Editor, INALJ Oklahoma Don’t Let Job Searching Become a Path to Losing Your Mind I have a dirty little secret: I’m thoroughly enjoying NOT job searching at the moment. But, I just graduated and I need a job right now, right? And how can I work for INALJ and not be…
. . . by Duda Trickovic, . Head Editor, INALJ New Brunswick and INALJ Prince Edward Island Cardmunch, a new way to store business cards on your phone In today’s digital world I am still getting a lot of information on paper. I am trying to convert everything in digital form but that is not always easy. One of the…
by Mychal Ludwig, Head Editor, INALJ New Mexico Why You Must Travel Full disclosure: I’m writing this from atop a hillside overlooking Laboucherre Bay on the most North Western point of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Currently on vacation in what I like to call Baja Alaska, technically volunteering for an archaeologist friend on…
by Elinor Crosby, Head Editor, INALJ Nova Scotia Overcoming Procrastination Hello, my name is Elinor and I am a procrastinator. I’ve been getting better as I get older, but I’ve always been an at-the-last-possible-minute kinda gal. As a child I found my schoolwork easy, so I spent my time reading instead, and then did my work…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri What a job seeker wants to see in a job posting (An article to employers) I’ve been volunteering at INALJ since January of this year, and I’ve looked at thousands of job postings. Some of them are fantastically written and sadly, some of them could use a little…
. . . by Christina Wilson , Head Editor, INALJ Alberta Achieving Success in a Non-Traditional Position: Meet Stephen MacDonald, MLIS and Resource Coordinator for Edmonton’s Social Planning Council (ESPC) After obtaining his MLIS, from Nova Scotia’s Dalhousie University, Stephen MacDonald aspired to become a reference librarian, but was open to pursuing other information management opportunities.…