by Diana La Femina, Head Editor, INALJ South Carolina The Art of Down Time Oofah, it’s been a busy month! My first INALJ blog post, Learn From My Mistakes, came out this morning. (Stay with me now, this is the segue.) I reread it to see how it came out and to get some inspiration…
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Skype Your Way to Success
by Christina Wilson, Head Editor, INALJ Alberta Skype Your Way to Success As a hiring manager, working in a public library I found Skype to be an effective tool when faced with the prospect of interviewing candidates from across this vast land. Although our city had an airport, service was “regional” and the next largest…
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Feed your RSS Reader – Blogs to follow for career advice
by Mary-Michelle Moore, Head Editor, INALJ Vermont Feed your RSS Reader – Blogs to follow for career advice Just because Google Reader is shutting down is no reason not to keep cultivating new RSS feeds for resume, cover letter and general interview advice. When I graduated from high school, I was told to always tell…
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Work You Can’t Not Do?
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Work You Can’t Not Do? Since most people reading this are in the LIS field, I feel like it’s pretty safe to assume that we share a fascination with information and learning. TED talks are one of my favorite ways to come across new information, ideas, and perspectives.…
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A Case for Learning HTML
by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina A Case for Learning HTML I remember sitting in a required technology class during my first semester of library school and wondering if I was ever going to use any of the information presented. I was so sure that I was going to be a reference librarian,…
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March 2013 Roundup (INALJ Stats )

What a great month it has been! INALJ reached 1,000,000 page views on March 17, 2013!!! Fifty-three fans reported that they found jobs! In March the daily site visits jumped up 50%!!! Some fast stats for March 2013: 1,120,534 total INALJ.com page views (all time) and 239,353 in March alone over 12,830 Tweets milestone reached…
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Taking a look at Ireland’s Trinity College Library
by Matthew Tansek, Head Editor, INALJ Rhode Island Taking a look at Ireland’s Trinity College Library As library and information science professionals it can be easy for us to get caught up in new trends, learning the hottest technology, or even researching a new avenue for research. So I thought I would take this opportunity…
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6 Things You Should Do After Your Library Job Interview
by Kristen Jaques, Head Editor, INALJ Maine 6 Things You Should Do After Your Library Job Interview The Scenario: Today you just had an interview with a terrific library where your skills and passion will truly be an asset. Good job, you! However, there is much more work to be done if you want to…
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With Eyes Wide Open: seeing your learning and experience in a new light
by Amanda Viana, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts With Eyes Wide Open: seeing your learning and experience in a new light As an undergraduate English major I had a professor who was memorable mainly for her absurdly specific essay guidelines: ‘five sentences per paragraph, three paragraphs per page, go over and I won’t read it’. But…
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Jobs In Your Basket: Happy Easter
For all those who celebrate Easter today is a day for either hunting for Easter eggs and or going to church. But after brunch is done, and visiting is over, as you wind up your day- take a moment to look through all the jobs we have at INALJ. Cherry pick some and even if…
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Qraig’s Quest (IWALJ) – Sizing Up the Job Search: Go Big or Stay Small?
by Qraig De Groot Since graduating from Rutgers in May 2012, many have asked me, “What do you want to do with your degree?” It’s a very valid question, but I’ve found it so difficult to answer. The reasons are because there are just so many things a person can do with a Masters of…
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Gaming @ Your Library
by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida Gaming @ Your Library There are many diverse (and often heated) opinions on whether video games belong in libraries or library collections. Are they library-worthy digital media? Are there benefits to playing video games in terms of social issues and their educational value (including their link to literacy)? …
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How to Stand Out on LinkedIn
by Leigh Milligan, Head Editor, INALJ Wisconsin How to Stand Out on LinkedIn A couple weeks ago, I attended a webinar through Drexel University called “How to Stand Out in the LinkedIn Network” The title of the webinar caught my eye and I decided to attend as I love professional development opportunities. I use LinkedIn…
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The Unintentional Librarian
by Dawn Thompson, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio The Unintentional Librarian When I began the library science program at Kent State University in 2007 I was unsure about my decision to attend a Masters program in library science. My plans hadn’t included attending library school. My plan had been to get an MFA in nonfiction from…
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Skimming the Barrel or Scraping the Barrel?
Skimming: Using quality websites that are targeted towards librarians and info pros. Scraping: Using job scrapers that search out jobs on the web and deliver them to you in a daily email. As I look towards moving the INALJ Daily Jobs Digest into state/country pages, I have been mulling over which job scrapers I want the new…
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The “L” Word
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Preparing for a job interview
by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Preparing for a job interview Hi everyone! I am currently getting ready for the rare occurrence of a job interview, which is coming up in a few days. I am really excited about the interview because it is with a great company, but I’m also really nervous because…
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Fear of Success: Following Up
by Alfonso Colasuonno, Assistant, INALJ New York City Fear of Success: Following Up What makes INALJ great is that it is a positive, supportive network of information professionals looking to help one another, and offer concrete ways to do so. By reading the blog entries on the site, and reaching out to your fellow information…
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Finding Hidden Treasure: a Cache of Librarian Blogs
by Sarah Deringer, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi Finding Hidden Treasure: a Cache of Librarian Blogs Every great once in awhile I find a collection of good blogs to follow, and this week I found four blogs that shine so much that Captain Jack Sparrow would not be able to keep his hands off them. The…
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Coding Classes 101
by Amanda May, Head Editor, INALJ North Dakota Coding Classes 101 Is coding an essential skill for information professionals to learn? Well, I think that it really depends on how you look at it. On one hand, I believe that information professionals do not need to know any programming languages in order to be successful. …
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Work/life balance, stress reduction, learning, and having fun
by Rachael Altman, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Work/life balance, stress reduction, learning, and having fun I participated in the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) E-Forum: Work/Life Balance on March 13-14. The discussion was hosted by Leslie Burke, Collection Development and Digital Integration Librarian at Kalamazoo College, and Robert Roose, Support Services Manger…
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Lasting Final Impression – Ask Those Questions
by Shayna Monnens, Head Editor, INALJ South Dakota Lasting Final Impression – Ask Those Questions I came across this very interesting article the other day by BrazenCareerist.com, and I was so blown away by the content that I had to share. You may have already seen this article. I know that I have seen it…
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The ABC’s of an Internship in a Research/Business Library
by Amanda Marie Yetter, Head Editor, INALJ Maryland The ABC’s of an Internship in a Research/Business Library Follow along and learn more about internships in a research/business library from …A to Z. A: Ancestry.com—Collections including Census information, Immigration and Travel, Birth Marriage and Death records even yearbooks and other information such as phone directories…
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Naomi’s Daily Reads
I wish I had more time to browse the web. There are so many great blogs and websites out there for info pros and librarians and I would love to read even more. My daily reads (in addition to fab jobs websites like ALA JobList and ArchivesGig and METRO) are often pop culture or DC…
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The Pope and Open Access
by R.C. Miessler, Head Editor, INALJ Indiana The Pope and Open Access The recent election of Pope Francis may not seem to have much to do with libraries, but in fact, it may play a major role in determining the future of open access to Vatican Library documents. But first, a bit of context. EMC…
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Job-hunting and interviewing when you have a disability
by Holly Lipschultz, Head Editor, INALJ Illinois Job-hunting and interviewing when you have a disability Job hunting is nerve-wracking, but it is even more anxiety-inducing if you have a disability. There’s so many questions involved in addition to the usual ones: When should I disclose my disability? What if the interviewer asks? What jobs can…
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My Presentation at the American University in the Emirates, MLIS Program Feb. 15, 2013
by Naomi House, MLIS New Trends in Information & Reference Services: Speaking at the American University in the Emirates, MLIS Program Feb. 15, 2013 It was my pleasure to give a presentation entitled, New Trends in Information and Reference Services, at the American University in the Emirates on February 15th, 2013. The program is the…
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Preparing for a Phone Interview
by Marlena Barber, Head Editor, INALJ Tennessee Preparing for a Phone Interview Congratulations! You have been contacted for a phone interview with a potential future employer. I would like to share with you how I prepare for phone interviews. A phone interview is a wonderful opportunity for you to present yourself well to a potential…
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Other duties as assigned?
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Other duties as assigned? Almost every job description has this line. It’s usually near the bottom of the list of duties. It says “Other duties as assigned.” What does this mean? Well, pretty much whatever you and your employer agree that you should do. One thing I’ve learned…
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Building the Dream: You are Your Best Teaching Tool

by Lauren Bourdages, Head Editor, INALJ Ontario Building the Dream: You are Your Best Teaching Tool Earlier this week a friend of mine who is a Teacher in New Zealand found a job posting for a Teacher-Librarian position that she asked me to help her put together her application package for. That got me thinking,…
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Keeping Current: Low-Cost Professional Development, March/April Edition
by Adrith Bedore Bicchieri, Head Editor, INALJ Nevada Keeping Current: Low-Cost Professional Development, March/April Edition Professional development opportunities can be difficult to take advantage of if you’re unemployed or underemployed. Here are some avenues for gaining new ideas, skills, or perspectives without breaking the bank. Free online webinars, on a variety of topics: Student Advisors,…
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Library Jobs: Searching Outside-the-box

by Aingeal Stone, Head Editor, INALJ Northwest Territories Library Jobs: Searching Outside-the-box Whether you are a new graduate or a seasoned veteran, job hunting with its attendance cycle of testing, interviewing and rejection can be demoralizing heartbreaking. Often there are too few positions with far too many applicants. In my experience, I have found that…
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Job Search Taking Longer than Expected? Volunteer To Gain Experience!

by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas Job Search Taking Longer than Expected? Volunteer To Gain Experience! When I got done with library school almost 2 years ago, I wanted a library job, but I put off really focusing on the job search. I had a job throughout school that would continue to support me…
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Naomi House : Library Journal Mover & Shaker Award Winner 2013

* Naomi House RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS “MOVER & SHAKER” AWARD FROM LIBRARY JOURNAL MAGAZINE Naomi House founder of INALJ.com has been named a “Mover & Shaker” in the library industry by the national publication, Library Journal. In its March 15, 2013 issue, Library Journal named 50 outstanding professionals committed to providing excellent service to meet the…
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Confessions of a well-educated stay-at-home mom

by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming Confessions of a well-educated stay-at-home mom Confession: I’m a library and information professional who has never actually been a library and information professional. Coming out of undergrad, I knew I wanted to get my MLIS, but since I was geographically limited—my husband was getting his JD at the…
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Skills in Need: Why coding and technical skills can benefit your job hunt

by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire Skills in Need: Why coding and technical skills can benefit your job hunt When you’re looking for a library or information professional job, whether you’re new to the field or just changing directions, you’ll find you need something to make you stand out. In the rapidly changing…
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1 Million (1,000,000) page views!!!
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INALJ Ireland & LibraryJobs.ie
As INALJ expands to more international locations often I come across a website that is doing it all already and well! So I don’t reinvent the wheel and instead forward them all the jobs I find for their country and share their website with you. INALJ Ireland sharesLibrary Jobs.ie, which is the best one I…
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Happiness is Helping Out: 188 INALJ Volunteers!
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Networking Gets a Bad Rap

by Alexandra Janvey, Head Editor, INALJ Iowa Networking Gets a Bad Rap The dreaded word, networking, was once the bane of my existence. And mostly because—get ready—I convinced myself it was. Like many other library school students, I had been repeatedly advised on how important networking was for an efficient job search. “It has long…