by Elinor Crosby, Head Editor, INALJ Nova Scotia Surviving Christmas For a variety reasons, I don’t celebrate Christmas. We didn’t celebrate it when I was growing up, so I have no Christmas traditions or even any emotional attachment to Christmas at all. Christmas mainly makes me feel awkward, which in turn makes me just want…
by Michele Frasier-Robinson, Head Editor, INALJ Oklahoma Internet Resources for Education As an academic librarian, one of my responsibilities is creating and maintaining subject research guides for multiple disciplines. Part of this task requires locating quality Internet resources to add to each guide. Thus, I am always on the hunt for accurate and reliable Internet…
by Diana La Femina, Head Editor, INALJ South Carolina Your Biggest Weakness in 4 The point of an interview is to sell yourself. That should be the goal of every answer you give. You’re the best person for this position, the only choice, and this is why. But how do you answer the dreaded weakness…
by Yandee Vazquez, Head Editor, INALJ Texas Post-Thanksgiving: A Reflection on What I’m Thankful For With Thanksgiving behind us and the holidays ahead, I wanted to take some time to reflect and thank those that have helped smooth the path of my library science education, job search, and job. Sometimes I forget to acknowledge how…
by Rebecca Tischler, Head Editor, INALJ Tennessee Public Libraries: The Compromise I recently read an article on the MacLean’s website called, “Thanks for the Tip, I’ll Get It on Amazon,” by Brian Bethune, which explained that even though bookstores are having problems with sales, people still come into the stores to browse, or to ask…
Hi Everyone, We have had some issues updating the jobs pages this week, and we are working on the technical difficulties. All currently maintained states have been able to update a few times a week for now, and we have created a work-around for Massachusetts and Ontario, temp pages. All to get those jobs to…
by Julie Watson, INALJ Pennsylvania Head Editor How to Be Happy Student loan debt. A tight job market. Rejection letters. Uncertainty. Stress. Worry. Fed-up. Frustrated. Happy? No, “happy” is not a word often associated with job-seekers. Do you dream of the day when you land your dream job (or let’s face it, any job)? That…
Should You List your Disability on your Cover Letter or Resume? by Roselle Pendergast, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota As a person who does not feel disabled despite being deafened in one ear and wearing a cochlear implant in the other, I’ve never listed my disability in the cover letter or on my resume. Regardless, I…
Over 3.5 million total page views reached in November! What a great month! we reached over 3.5 million page views at INALJ.com! November’s busiest day was 13,879 views on 11/18, and our busiest week had 73,380 views the 45th week of the year, and for the month INALJ.com had 281,501 views! Some fast stats for November 2013:…
by Aimee Graham, Head Editor, INALJ New York State How Soon Is Too Soon? Putting Yourself Back on the Job Market After I completed my MSIS from the University at Albany I was eager to take any position with “librarian” or a relevant term in the title; I was starting at the bottom of the…
by Leigh Milligan, Head Editor, INALJ Wisconsin 5 Tips on Combating the Big Bad Stress Monster With the holidays coming up, it sure can be the most wonderful time of the year, but also, the most stressful time of the year. The hustle-bustle of gift buying, event planning, cooking holiday meals can all contribute to…
by Fallon Zschiegner-Bleich, Head Editor, INALJ Arkansas Go Ahead, Be a Little Bossy If you had told me a year ago that I would not only be doing metadata in my non-library job but that I would WANT to do metadata…well, I would have laughed in your face. Yet, in the three months since I’ve…
by Brad McNally, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio Unique Library Programs: Stuffed Animal Sleepover Before I worked in my current position in higher education institution, I was working in the children’s department of a public library. I think one of the coolest programs we ever were able to pull off was the Stuffed Animal Sleepover Story…
by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho Avoiding Managerial Mistakes with Cooperation and Consistency I am in a supervisory position for the first time in my professional career, and it is interesting being on the other side. We have all had bosses and supervisors that were belittling, incompetent, unrealistic, or just plain unpleasant to work…
by Mary-Michelle Moore, Head Editor, INALJ Vermont 5 Things I’m Grateful For (Librarian Edition) It’s the end of the year – which means that it’s time to start reflecting on what has happened this past year and to start making plans for the upcoming one. It’s also the season to take reflection on what I’m…
by Ashley Crace, Head Editor, INALJ West Virginia A Multi-Title Book Club Like many of you reading INALJ articles, I LOVE book clubs. I love talking about books with other people who love talking about books. One of my favorite aspects of public librarianship is the opportunity to take part in and even lead book clubs. This…
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden Getting the Most from Your Workout If you’re like me, you frequently let yourself skip the gym because you have more pressing things to do. Stop that. Here are some suggestions for making your workout doubly productive so you won’t have any more excuses: Listen to a podcast.…
by Gabrielle Spiers, Head Editor, INALJ Montana Staying Focused during the Job Hunt I was on LinkedIn not that long ago and I came across this article about job crushes. The article really resonated with me because I have been doing that for a long time. So what is job crush? It is when you imagine…
by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida Story Time Resources It is not easy to put together cute, clever, and effective story time programs week after week. Even the best of us run out of ideas or can use a little inspiration every now and then. Not to mention the fact that it can be…
by Amanda May, Head Editor, INALJ North Dakota 5 Free Online Reference Resources There are a lot of great free resources on the Internet that can be used during reference transactions. Here are five of my favorites: Healthline BodyMaps – This site allows users to explore the human body in 3D. BodyMaps includes male and…
by Courtney Baron, Head Editor, INALJ Georgia 5 LIS Items on My Holiday Wish List It’s that time of the year! The holidays are approaching. While normally I look forward to having some time off from my insane schedule, for those of us who are job hunting, it can bring increased anxiety and disappointment. I’ve…
by Kate Kosturski, Head Editor, INALJ NYC All about Accreditation Do you know what library school accreditation is? Perhaps you are applying to library school and heard how important it is to go to an “ALA Accredited Library School.” Or you may have perused job listings on INALJ and noticed that one of the requirements…
by Scottie Kapel, Head Editor, INALJ Oregon Conference Qualms I’m writing this from a table at the back of the exhibitors hall at the AASL 16th National Conference in Hartford, CT. This is my first conference, and so far the experience has been very rewarding, in terms of both stimulating sessions and generous swag. Thanks…
by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas Why Every Profession Needs a Librarian or Information Professional **I do not usually take to ranting, especially online. This month, I make an exception.** This last week, as I was trying to change over my license and tags back to Kansas from Florida, I had what I imagine…
by Amanda Viana, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts Four Rules for Book Club Success When I started my first professional position about a year and a half ago, I had to take over some duties which were totally new to me. One of the most important was facilitating the library’s two book clubs. Not only were…
by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut 2 Differences between Corporate and Academic Libraries I have been working as a corporate librarian for several months and wanted to share a couple points of comparison that I have found to be the biggest differences between a small academic library and a corporate library. These only my…
by Emma Pinault, Head Editor, INALJ Delaware Customer Service Tips for Introverts As an introvert working in a library, I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. While not all of us fall into this personality type, many of us were attracted to librarianship because we enjoy quiet time spent with books. Working with patrons, however, requires honing our…
It is my birthday and my wedding anniversary so I haven’t been on too much- never fear- post Thanksgiving I have tons planned and the volunteers are still hard at work. Here is a photo – me and my husband Sana celebrating from 2011! In 2012 it was Hawaii and in 2013 we are in…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Nobody Doesn’t Like a Candidate with Fundraising Knowledge Pretty much no matter where you look, libraries–like basically all other nonprofit organizations–are looking for ways to find more money. Whether they’re searching for special project money, general operating funds, or whatever, it’s not very likely that you’ll run across…
by Shayna Monnens, Head Editor, INALJ South Dakota Teens LOVE Welcome to Night Vale If you haven’t experienced the phenomenon that is sweeping the podcast world, be ready for one of the most interesting teen friendly things out there. As a teen librarian, I am ALWAYS searching for new things that will hook the teens,…
by Nena Schvaneveldt, Head Editor, INALJ Utah The Only Thing We Have to Fear Overcoming fear is still a big issue for me. I will find myself in a difficult situation and see two options: the easy way and the right way. Of course, the right way often involves a change or confrontation, which makes…
by Lauren Bourdages, Head Editor, INALJ Ontario Extreme Resume Makeover: Library Technician Edition As a job seeker, one thing I inevitably spend a lot of time doing is reading career advice blogs and one take away from them is new advice and tips for resume writing. I enjoy writing, and I think, hope, that I…
by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire We Wish You a Merry Bloomsday, and a Happy Book Year! The holidays are upon us, and while you may be snuggling in with a toddy for another viewing of Charlie Brown Christmas or It’s a Wonderful Life, have you ever thought about all the fun book…
by Rachael Altman, Head Editor, INALJ Illinois November Book Reviews from Annie Bahu & Rachael Altman of INALJ Illinois In the spirit of National Novel Writing Month and Illinois Reads, Annie Bahu and I have rounded up a list of books we recently read and wanted to share with the INALJ community. Happy reading! The…
by Nicole Usiondek, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan What Is a Librarian? I have been fortunate to have a full time professional position for just over six months now. My experience has been that people who are not in the library field typically view librarians in three ways: the boring spinster who likes quiet and books,…
by Kristen Jaques, Head Editor, INALJ Maine A Customer Service Cheat Sheet If you’ve been browsing job postings lately, you’ve probably observed that for many library positions, excellent customer service skills are expected, if not required. The ability to work well with the public can be developed with experience, but for some of us, it…
by Mychal R. Ludwig, Head Editor, INALJ New Mexico Librarians & Libraries in Comic Books LIS workers of all categories are quite commonly utilized in fictional settings, as main and supporting characters, as well as for incidental run-ins with those primary persons. How exactly are those info-professionals portrayed, in both personality and in comportment? Does…
by Naomi House, MLIS Services aren’t Servants: on personal responsibility in the job hunt INALJ aims to be one of the best jobs resources out there for information professionals of all stripes. When I came up with the name (I need a Library job) on October 16th, 2010 I wanted something my fellow classmates at…
by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Volunteering in Storyland We all have heard how volunteering can serve as job experience and provide those who are seeking a career in librarianship an opportunity to network. But it can be beneficial in other ways, too. Some find it relaxing while others say they find satisfaction in…
by Erin Kinney, Assistant Editor, INALJ Alabama Telecommuting One option for working is telecommuting, also known as telework. When my husband took a job across the state, we did the commuter marriage thing for a few years, but it wore on us. I was fortunate that I could telecommute in my former position, as it…