by Adrith Bedore Bicchieri, Head Editor, INALJ Maryland Keeping Current: Low to No-Cost Professional Development Opportunities in June It’s already the end of May, INALJ visitors! Can you believe it? I know I can’t. Here is a list of excellent free webinars open to all for the month of June. The eagle-eyed reader will…
Through the hard times and the good. So lets celebrate! This month we reached our 950th fan that has found a job (and shared their success with us) and this is only the tip of the iceberg! Here is to keeping this momentum going. thanks go out to Fatboy Slim for the lyrical inspiration for…
by Matthew Tansek, Head Editor, INALJ Rhode Island Stay and Linger: Japan’s Kanazawa Library At first glance the Kanazawa Library looks like a giant white shoe box with holes punched in the side, but it’s quite an impressive library. Built for the rapidly urbanizing city of Kanazawa, the library represents Japan’s new shift its public…
Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Being open to jobs in different library environments Being open to different library work environments is something I am finding useful in my library job search journey. When I went to school to become a librarian, I always thought I would be an Archivist and work at some historical…
by Elena Bubelich, Head Editor, INALJ Quebec Searching for Jobs Using Apps (for smartphones and tablets) Over the last few years, smartphones and tablets have become accessible for most people. For owners of these devices they have even become an essential tool, especially after many useful applications appeared (here application means software for a mobile…
by Joy Rodriguez, Head Editor, INALJ Delaware Casting a Wide Net in your Job Search I recently accepted a position as a temporary part-time medical librarian at a local hospital even though I don’t have a health sciences or medical background. My focus in library school was on digital libraries and information organization and when…
by Amanda Viana, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts Leveraging the power of your state One of the things successful librarians do is get to know their community. They find a way to become imbedded in community events and get to know the characteristics that make their communities unique. Whether it’s finding the most popular town event…
Sarah Parramore, Head Editor, INALJ Middle East/Arabian Gulf Get Your Passport Ready, It’s Time To Make Connections Maybe you’ve made the commitment to start looking for international library jobs. Your soul searching is complete, your expectations are realistic and now you’re ready for the next step. Sure, you can start peppering your CV to any…
A day to reflect on all whom we have lost and those who remain. A weekend to really try and appreciate who and what we have. And time enough to do something small that will help you change yourself or others. For me, even in this economy I know I am blessed, so when I…
by Lauren Bourdages, Head Editor, INALJ Ontario How I try to compete with Masters holding Librarians as a Library Technician As someone actively looking for a full time position, preferably in a library related to education in some way, I’ve noticed something about the current job market in our industry. It’s not a new piece…
by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina Don’t stress about professional emails: 3 tips for success My first librarian job was also my first full time job. I was excited to start – but also terrified that I would do something wrong! One of the things that I was most anxious about was sending…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska eSociety: a new undergraduate program of study My alma mater, The University of Arizona, has introduced a new undergraduate program of study (major or minor) that could be of interest to those planning for a career in libraries and information centers. The program, called eSociety, will live in…
by Yandee Vazquez, Head Editor, INALJ Texas Disaster Preparedness! Job Search Edition Alright, this may seem a little silly, but it is a topic that has been on my mind with the coming of the 2013 hurricane season (June 1st). Many people stock up on a few essentials food, water, and flashlights but few think…
by Nicole Usiondek, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan Broadening Your Job Search Horizons As many in the library field are aware, you have to be flexible in terms of job location if you would like to increase your chances for finding employment. I was recently in this situation. I was looking for a full time librarian…
by Sarah Parramore, Head Editor, INALJ Middle East/Arabian Gulf Going International: Is It Right For You? Been on the hunt long? Perhaps you’re fresh out of grad school and eager to share your knowledge with the world, or maybe you’ve been on the search for well over a year. It could be, you’ve been…
by Sean O’Brien, Head Editor, INALJ Colorado Comfort is Your Nemesis I was watching a Star Trek movie the other day. Not the new one, with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, but an older one, with Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes, and even Tom Hardy back when he weighed less than I do. Captain Picard…
Last night when I insisted my chances of winning the lottery, Powerball to be specific, were pretty good (I had a feeling), my husband reminded me it isn’t safe to build castles in the clouds. I didn’t win but I still disagree 🙂 Even without the massive influx of cash (donations can be made anytime,…
Simply ask them what their favorite book is. It is like asking their favorite child. Or, as Neil Gaiman put it, “picking five favorite books is like picking the five body parts you’d most like not to lose.” But I keep it as one of my In Six questions in no small part due to…
by Duda Trickovic, Head Editor, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick How to organize your job search using Google drive and CutePDF There are two things I use for organizing my job search. One is Google drive and the other is Cute PDF. I am already using gmail for my mail. With your g-mail account…
by Genise Gorman, Head Editor, INALJ Arkansas Free Webinars: Another Useful Tool To Enhance Job Searching Skills Many job seekers are familiar with social networking sites, job sites, and simply searching Google to find information on the tools they may need to secure a job in today’s economy. These are all great resources, and offer…
by Mary-Michelle Moore, Head Editor, INALJ Vermont 3 Great Podcasts for Library News As much as we love our blogs and social media, sometimes it’s better to have something to listen to on the commute or at the gym to help meet our “I learned something today” requirement. Here’s a list of three great podcasts…
by Matthew Tansek, Head Editor, INALJ Rhode Island What to do while you’re looking for a library job… As many of you browsing this blog are aware, finding a good LIS job can be quite difficult and time consuming. Recent grads struggle to find low level positions, and those that are employed often are on…
by Sarah Deringer, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi The 4 Ps to Pleasing Your Potential Employer For the past three months, I served on a search committee for a children’s minister at my church. Through this experience, I have learned many new insights into what it takes to get the job. The top four areas I…
by Renee Holden, Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska See You Next Year, Tax Day April 15…Tax Day. As a public librarian, there is very little that strikes fear into the hearts of public librarians everywhere like Tax Day. On April 15 every year public libraries are filled with those last minute tax procrastinators and those filers…
by Caitlin Moen, Head Editor, INALJ Louisiana ALA Conference Tips Some websites to check out with tips for all you out there planning on attending the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago (or any other large professional conference!): http://ala13.ala.org/resources-for-first-timers http://libraryadventures.com/2011/10/31/10tips/ http://freerangelibrarian.com/2010/06/19/ala-conference-survival-tips-35-conferences-later/ http://pcsweeney.com/2012/06/05/how-to-be-awesome-at-going-to-library-conferences/ http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/01/ala-conferences-some-tips-for-newbies/ I am a total introvert and I find I have a better time…
by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida Tips For a Library Conference Newbie Raise your hand if you have never been to a library conference…… Me either. To tell you the truth, the idea of going to a conference is a little scary and intimidating. So, I did what any good librarian would do. I…
by Stephanie Leigh Taylor, Head Editor, INALJ British Columbia Why We Do What We Do the Way We Do It What draws a person towards a career as an information professional? Is it an obsessive need to have things in their right place, the satisfaction of everything formatted correctly, the thrill of a perfectly set-up…
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden Finding your Niche in 3 For my first blog post, I thought I’d write to you about something that greatly affected my job hunt: finding my niche within the library/archives/museum field. First, I have a confession. I don’t have an MLS and I do have a full-time position…
by Alexandra Janvey, Head Editor, INALJ Iowa Developing a Healthy Job Search The job hunt these days is a long affair, one that is an emotional roller coaster full of discouragement, stress, and mood swings. However, there are ways to manage and reduce the negativity produced during this tough period. Developing a healthy job search…
by Courtney Baron, Head Editor, INALJ Georgia MOOCs to Watch I work at a university and the School of Art recently went through a national director search. We invited four candidates to present and meet and greet the faculty, staff, and students. Nearly all of them mentioned MOOCs as a serious trend in higher education…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska The 3 Ps of Federal Job Hunting Are you considering federal librarianship in your job search? Working for a federal agency is challenging in many ways, but correspondingly rewarding. Whether you’re primarily interested in the public service aspect, the opportunities to transfer and relocate, or the wide range…
by Kiersten Bryant, Head Editor, INALJ California 9 To Follow: Sharing and Expanding Knowledge with Learnist I recently discovered the website Learnist. It is a relatively new website that launched in May 2012. It is similar to Pinterest in that it provides a place to collect content from the World Wide Web and organize it…
by Rebecca Crago, Head Editor, INALJ Virginia Why, If You’re Willing to Relocate, You Should Consider the DC Metro Area It’s easy to get cynical when you hear the Library and Congress and Smithsonian are preparing for furloughs and a reduction of acquisitions over the coming fiscal year, but that doesn’t mean the job-creating grants…
by Genise Gorman, Head Editor, INALJ Arkansas On What Candidates Should Wear I really enjoyed Emily Weak of Hiring Librarians article, As long as the candidate shows they have taken care over their appearance that day … it doesn’t matter what they wear. This appears to be one of the best blogs I’ve read this year. Thinking…
JOIN SLA! SLA Annual Conference is coming up soon and I have been able to attend several DC, MD and VA SLA events the past two months and that has got me thinking about just how much value SLA (Special Libraries Association) has brought to me in my own personal career. I am a member…
by Marlena Barber, Head Editor, INALJ Tennessee Tennessee Volunteer When beginning my studies in San Jose State University’s completely online MLIS program, I had no professional library experience. My experiences have been in editing, quality control, restaurant service, and working in television and film production. While all of my work experiences that I have had…
by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina Tips and Tricks for Job Seekers Panel Discussion The North Carolina Library Association hosted a “Tips and Tricks for Job Seekers” panel in late March. The panelists included Susie Corbett from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Rusty Taylor from the Wake County Public School System, Lisa Ruth…
by Christina Wilson, Head Editor, INALJ Alberta Career Management Tip: Plan to Attend a Conference Library conference season is upon us! Whether employed or not, attending a library conference offers many opportunities for career management, from meeting senior hiring managers in other spheres through gathering information about targeted organizations to expanding your own personal network. …
by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho Open Minds Open Doors Recently there were some complaints on INALJ that some editors were posting too many “out of the box” jobs. The disregard for Head Editors’ time and efforts aside, I had a lot of trouble understanding why such a complaint would ever exist. In Support…
by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas The Library Job Search: A Trip Upstream Recently I went kayaking on the Wakulla River in north Florida. The day was beautiful, and I was so optimistic. As I started paddling upstream, as the tide was going out and making it rather difficult, I was struck by just…