by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming Halloween Book Round-Up In the spirit of the season, I’ve rounded up a list of spooky(ish) reads to get you in the mood for October. I will note that these are mostly YA, and chosen because I’ve read them (Forever YA, anyone?) and can offer an opinion. Beautiful…
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Matching Needs with Wants
Matching Needs with Wants: or how job hunting makes sense to me by Naomi House, MLIS We all need to work to pay the bills, or at least most of us do. We do not think to apply to every single job out there because we (as info pros) have degrees (MLS, MLIS) and skillsets…
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How Being a Researcher Has Made Me a Better Archivist
by Gabrielle Spiers, Head Editor, INALJ Montana How Being a Researcher Has Made Me a Better Archivist I do research for a living, more specifically I do historical research with primary sources – mostly military history with some genealogy as well as anything else that comes my way. As with many things in life, I…
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How Many Jobs Should You Apply For?
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri How Many Jobs Should You Apply For? I’ve been without a job for several months now. I had a student position while getting my MLS, and when I graduated, I lost my job. That’s just how student positions go. I was recently talking to a colleague and I…
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Finding Common Ground: Publishers and the Libraries
by Nicole Usiondek, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan Finding Common Ground: Publishers and the Libraries eBooks, publishers, and the library were all much talked about topics in 2012. eBooks have become a staple in the lives of many and so it was only natural that more and more patrons began looking to their local libraries to…
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Authors Advocating for Libraries
by Elinor Crosby, Head Editor, INALJ Nova Scotia Authors Advocating for Libraries “I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of imagination.” – Neil Gaiman Who out there besides librarians, library staff, and patrons are advocating for libraries? Authors, that’s who. Many authors love libraries, grew up…
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The Replacement
by Ashley Crace, Head Editor, INALJ West Virginia The Replacement It is so exciting to take on a new job! Sometimes, it is easy to forget that someone else was doing that job before you (unless it is a new position, of course). Though you may wonder under what circumstances the previous person left the…
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INALJ is 3!!!!
One of my favorite things about INALJ is how busy it keeps me and this week was no exception. In fact it took a question at a networking even for the DC 85 broads group to make me realize just why today is special. Someone asked when I founded INALJ and it hit me, October…
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Don’t Get Lost on Your Job Search!
by Sarah Deringer, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi Don’t Get Lost on Your Job Search! Getting lost in the job search can be very easy without a plan. Before beginning a job search (or after getting lost), take a moment to breathe and reflect. It’s easy to rush around trying to apply to every job out…
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How I Jumped in with Both Feet
by Lauren Bourdages, Head Editor, INALJ Ontario How I Jumped in with Both Feet Every library and information professional has that moment in their life where, with 100% certainty, they realise that the LIS industry really is where they belong. That moment happened for me in the midst of what was the most intense year…
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Why I Volunteer (And Why You Should Too)
by Aimee Graham, Head Editor, INALJ New York State Why I Volunteer (And Why You Should Too) My first encounter with INALJ came during a summer session in graduate school; I was going to be completing my MSIS at the end of the upcoming fall semester and needed to find a professional position before they handed…
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Looking Outside the Box
by Stefanie Maclin, Catalog Specialist, EBSCO Information Services Looking Outside the Box Recently, I spoke on a panel to an Archives Management course at Simmons College on the topic of ‘Lone Arrangers’. At the time, I was working part-time as the Special Collections Librarian at Bunker Hill Community College Library and Learning Commons. Towards the…
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On Keyword Searching in Your Job Hunt
I spoke a little while back at an SLA MD Job Searching event and one of the questions I received inspired me to make a list of Keywords For Job Hunting which can be found on every single page of INALJ.com in the right sidebar. I have included the most recent list below. As library…
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Unique Library Programs: The Listening Dog
by Brad McNally, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio Unique Library Programs: The Listening Dog I’ve seen this at many libraries, but I was lucky enough to work at a library where this program was already occurring on a regular basis. Although I have moved on from that library, I’m glad to say that their Listening Dog…
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Tips for Creating Your Online Portfolio
by Alexandra Janvey, Head Editor, INALJ Iowa Tips for Creating Your Online Portfolio An online portfolio is a great branding tool that every job seeker should have. It is a great way for candidates to differentiate themselves, offer insight into their personalities and showcase their talents. Here are three tips for creating a great online…
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If I Were in Charge of the World, or at Least the Children’s Department
by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming If I Were in Charge of the World, or at Least the Children’s Department Since having my son, I’ve attended my fair share of library programming for babies and toddlers, and explored a number of different children’s areas in public libraries. It amazes me how public libraries are able…
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Our Shelves Have Changed: A Look at the Evolving Home Library
by Matthew Tansek, Head Editor, INALJ Rhode Island Our Shelves Have Changed: A Look at the Evolving Home Library There are many articles floating around that would seem to suggest that the home library is going the way of the parlor or the coat room – a throwback to when people read books printed on…
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My First Job after Graduation
by Elena Bubelich, Head Editor, INALJ Quebec My First Job after Graduation So, I have now my first real job at the library. Since August, I’ve been working in a private school library as an assistant. I’d like to share in this article my impressions about the job interview, about my place of employment, and…
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Using Slideshare to Market Yourself
by Duda Trickovic, Head Editor, INALJ New Brunswick and INALJ Prince Edward Island Using SlideShare to Market Yourself SlideShare, which was recently voted among the World’s Top 10 tools for education & e-learning is an online professional and educational community where anyone can share slides from presentations for free. SlideShare allows you to upload your presentation publicly or privately…
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Sharing Success and Advice
One of the reasons you most likely found INALJ.com was that you are a job hunter or you want to see what else is out there. It can be very isolating job hunting online, by yourself. Maybe you are unhappily employed and can’t tell anyone you are on the hunt. Maybe you don’t have a…
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Talking Up the Book Talks
by Shayna Monnens, Head Editor, INALJ South Dakota Talking Up the Book Talks Yay! School is in session, and they are filled with kids eager and waiting to learn! Ok, might be a big of a stretch, but they are there and they are waiting. Waiting for something (or someone) awesome to come see them.…
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Tell Me about Yourself
by Gabrielle Spiers, Head Editor, INALJ Montana Tell Me about Yourself This is one of the most common interview questions out there. It is usually asked at the beginning of the interview and is an ice-breaker of sorts. However it can also be a question that trips people up. People can take this as an…
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Celebrate Theological Libraries Month!
by R.C. Miessler, Head Editor, INALJ Indiana Celebrate Theological Libraries Month! When people ask me, “What do you want to do with your library degree?” laying out my vocational path of theological librarianship can be difficult to explain. After advising that I’m not going to be working in a church library or shelving Bibles all…
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Spotlight on Libraries – Maine, USA
by Sarah Parramore, Head Editor, INALJ Middle East/Arabian Gulf Spotlight on Libraries – Maine, USA What is it? The Camden Public Library Where is it? Camden, Maine, USA Why should you visit? Such a cute, charming and quaint little library, right? Well, take a look at the back of this humble little building: Do you see…
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Jimmy V Was Right
by Lisa Iannucci, Assistant Editor, INALJ New Jersey Jimmy V Was Right In this economy, it’s easy to get bogged down in the negative jobs numbers they talk about on the news, easy to let yourself fall into a downward spiral, but I’ve learned first hand that it’s when you’re at your lowest, fate has…
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INALJ is having a baby (well, I am)
* updated 10/20/13 – Sadly we had a miscarriage. Thanks for all your support. Now, to get healthy again! Hi everyone, Great news- my husband and I are expecting a baby in late April, early May 2014. This is a bit earlier than I wanted to tell everyone but we are very excited! Also…
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Take a Risk and Follow Through
by Diana La Femina, Head Editor, INALJ South Carolina Take a Risk and Follow Through Putting yourself out there is never a comfortable thing. However, wonderful things can happen when you take the risk. For example I’ve been searching for a volunteer position in New York City. You’d think this would be easy to find,…
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MOOCs on Your Resume
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden MOOCs on Your Resume You’ve heard of MOOCs, right? The acronym stands for Massive Open Online Courses. These are, as the name suggests, large online courses you can take for free, offered by some really great schools and professors. I’m currently taking Metadata: Organizing and Discovering Information by…
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Beyond Basics in Job Searches
by Brad McNally, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio Beyond Basics in Job Searches Many job seekers do the same basic things – read job ads, submit resumes, and hope. When I was an undergraduate, I checked the newspaper each day for job postings and then the online job boards for postings in the general area. I…
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The Opposite of Job Search Fatigue
by Nicole Usiondek, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan The Opposite of Job Search Fatigue Job search fatigue is very common. I experienced it while I was job hunting and I know several of my friends and coworkers also went through it when they were searching. When I landed my current position I was overjoyed – no…
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Furloughed & Job Hunting: why strategizing 1st is the key to success
by Naomi House, MLIS, INALJ Founder and Editor Furloughed & Job Hunting: why strategizing 1st is the key to success On Tuesday I went into work as instructed. My day job is as a reference, marketing and acquisitions librarian working for a federal contractor at a federal library. We showed up to shut down and…
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Hack an App: Non-Job-Hunting Apps to Brighten Your Search
by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire Hack an App: Non-Job-Hunting Apps to Brighten Your Search These days, everyone seems to live on their smart phone– you can take your whole life on one tiny device, you can even manage your job apps and CV from your phone. There are scores of apps out…
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Deep Vein Thrombosis and the Workplace
by Yandee Vazquez, Head Editor, INALJ Texas Deep Vein Thrombosis and the Workplace This is a bit of a public service announcement on a topic that is rarely mentioned but can be pertinent to us: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). This is a condition where a clot forms in a deep vein in the body, generally the…
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How to Prepare (Now) for Your Future Dream Job
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri How to Prepare (Now) for Your Future Dream Job So you have a professional goal or a dream job. The only problem is that you’re not qualified at this time for that job. Either you want to be a library director at a small public library or an…
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September 2013 Roundup (INALJ Stats )
3 million total page views & over 318,000 page views this month alone! September was incredible! We hit 3 million page views on 9/27. September’s busiest day was 14,629 views on 9/9, and our busiest week had 77,396 views the 37th week of the year, and for the month INALJ.com had 318,609 views! Some…
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Resume Building While Searching for a Job
by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Resume Building While Searching for a Job Building your resume doesn’t have to be put aside because you can’t find a job at the moment. Use your free time wisely and refine your skills as an information professional. Here are a few tips that I have found helpful…
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The Power of Organization
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska The Power of Organization I recently attended a meeting of FLIP, the Future Library and Information Professionals at the University of Alaska Anchorage, to visit and share with the group about what I do as a contributor here on INALJ. It was a great experience and a lot…
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5 Cataloging Resources for Your Librarian Toolbox
by Amanda May, Head Editor, INALJ North Dakota 5 Cataloging Resources for Your Librarian Toolbox There are a multitude of cataloging resources available for free on the Internet. Here are five of my favorites: Cataloguer’s Toolbox – Cataloguer’s Toolbox is a large collection of cataloging resources. The resources are arranged by a particular cataloging activity, such…
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Did You Know That? (The Library Edition)
by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida Did You Know That? (The Library Edition) I have had a terrible case of writers block this month. I had no idea what to write about. So, as any good librarian would do, I turned to research for help. I figured if I dug around the internet enough…
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What Makes You a Librarian?
by Nena Schvaneveldt, Head Editor, INALJ Utah What Makes You a Librarian? I had no dilemma about calling myself a librarian when I was the only one around with The Master’s and not working in a library. It’s when I was a library assistant that it got complicated. On one hand, I had the degree.…