Jamie LaRue – Candidate for President of the American Library Association When I was 22, at the end of the 70s, I hitchhiked out to Arizona to look for work. At that time, I had a double major in Philosophy and English (mostly creative writing). It turns out there wasn’t a lot of demand…
Joe Janes – Candidate for President of the American Library Association Let’s start with things we all already know: The job market in libraries has been rocky for a while, though it is getting somewhat better as time goes on and budgets stabilize and occasionally even improve. There’s lots of guidance about how to pursue…
Julie Todaro – Candidate for President of the American Library Association I Needed A Library Job, Too! Do I want you to vote for me for ALA President? Yes, I do. And I could spend a great deal of time articulating why I think I am the best candidate, but instead let me just say…
by Naomi House, MLIS A few years ago I was hired at a large library and part of our orientation was a tour of all the departments within the library, called the Path of the Book. The point of the tour was to show how a book made it from selection to purchase to receiving and cataloging…
by Jazmin Idakaar previously published 10/9/13 & 5/30/14 A Selfie is Worth 1,000 Words Putting your best face forward can be tough when it comes to the web. You know you need a photo for your website or LinkedIn profile to help make it stand out, but you don’t have any professional shots so you…
Bringing Humanity into Libraries by Angela Piccola, Senior Editor Libraries function as a common ground to nurture knowledge and foster community. The idea of the library being a brick and mortar storage house for books has shifted in the new digital age. What more can we do as a profession other than to provide answers…
Ask a Special Librarian – April Edition Tracy Z. Maleeff Library Resources Manager at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia @LibrarySherpa & LibrarySherpa.com No money, more problems? I once overheard someone lament, “I can’t even afford to job hunt right now.” It’s true that it could be a costly proposition to get new clothes, business cards and…
Crowdsourcing, Digital Volunteering and Science by Gabrielle Spiers, Senior Editor One of the great things about the internet is that it brings people together from all over the world and allows them to collaborate on projects. Many people have heard of the Citizen Archivist Dashboard, which is part of the National Archives. It allows people…
Not Feelin’ It: Tips for Improving Your Internship Experience by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor We’ve all been there. When a job, an internship opportunity, or volunteer experience transpires to be something completely different than what we thought. Rather than developing negative thoughts, it’s best to turn the experience into a learning opportunity. It’s okay…
There’s a Twitter Chat for That by Naomi Gonzalez, Senior Assistant, INALJ Virginia For those of you who spend what could be called an inordinate amount of time online (ahem), the world of Twitter chats is probably not new ground to you. For those that prefer to spend your time in the physical realm…
3 tips for learning to speak-up and share ideas in your first professional role by Lauren Bourdages, Senior Assistant, INALJ Ontario I’m in my first professional library support staff role, I split my time between two departments/teams; I am also someone who gets really anxious about sharing ideas or speaking up in group settings, for…
Four questions to ask before applying to a for-profit university library job by Rebekah Kati, Senior Assistant, INALJ North Carolina Libraries at for-profit universities are pretty mysterious. For-profit universities have libraries and some employ MLS-holding librarians, but accounts of for-profit librarianship are scarce. I spent four years working as a librarian at a large,…
Six Tech Teaching Tips for Public Librarians by Alphild Dick, Senior Editor Before I joined the library world, I honestly didn’t spend much time thinking about technology. My father taught my brother and I how to use computers and type when we were in grade school. I have had a cell phone since I…
Rise Like a Phoenix: The Story of the Glasgow School of Art by Kate Kosturski, Volunteer Coordinator and Senior Editor, INALJ Ontario and INALJ Quebec While we in the States were settling in for the Memorial Day weekend 2014, our friends across the pond in Glasgow, Scotland, were watching one of the most historic educational buildings, a beautiful example…
Knowledge is power: an Ideal Library Community Center by Angela Piccola, Senior Editor Libraries often expand programming to best serve the community. Libraries have to be receptive to the needs of patrons and adapt accordingly to maintain relevancy within the community. During difficult times, such as a recession, the unemployment rate goes up causing many…
Staying in Touch: Moving On Doesn’t Have To Mean Cutting Ties by Cassidy Charles, Senior Assistant, INALJ NYC Staying in contact with someone after a move or a transition is rough. You go from seeing them on a regular basis or communicating regularly to not seeing them as much and infrequent talks. You get…
Prepping for ALA Annual 2015: A Job Seeker’s Perspective by Oscar Giurcovich, Senior Editor About 2 weeks before I wrote this blog post, I received an email from ALA asking me to confirm my hotel reservation for Annual in June. “Why are they sending this out so early?” I thought to myself. I then glanced…
7 Tips for Moving Past Job Search Rejection by Erin Kinney, Senior Assistant, INALJ Wyoming There are several strategies for coping with rejection of any kind, not just during the job hunt. Rejection on the job hunt has been covered on INALJ, but a refresher is always good. Process Your Emotions It is natural to feel angry…
Off the Beaten Path: a Blueprint for LIS Career Moves Q&A with Dr. Sandra Hirsh by Alison Peters, INALJ Contributor As a San José State University iSchool student, I’d heard of Dr. Sandra Hirsh, iSchool Director, and her many, many accomplishments, projects and accolades. But I was not expecting to speak with such a happy,…
Title Awareness in the 21st Century by Lisa Iannucci, Senior Editor As a public librarian working part-time hours, I am constantly up against time constraints. Because one of my many responsibilities is collection development, it’s essential for me not only to remain current as far as what’s happening in the book industry but to stay abreast…
Taking Chances and Blooming Where You are Planted by Heidi Greathouse, Senior Assistant, INALJ New Mexico So, you may be in a situation in which you haven’t found your dream library job yet or even a library job at all and still are looking. You may be in library school and will be graduating…
Librarian Certification and Good Vibrations by Rose Noel, Senior Assistant, INALJ Kentucky I felt the vibrations as I entered the library. There was a new energy pulsing through the beautiful, but normally serene public library building. I wondered as I stuffed my purse into a spare employee locker whether I had forgotten a particularly grand…
by Naomi House, MLIS updated 11/17/14 & originally published 12/13/14 What is T160K? And What Can You Do to Help? Back in February I presented on a panel at OCLC EMEA in Cape Town, South Africa. I was incredibly excited to be placed on the community building panel with Dr. Stephanie Diakité, who was deeply…
So You Want to be a Librarian: is it necessary to visit libraries in person? by Emily Woodcock, Senior Assistant, INALJ Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island The short answer is YES! While enrolled in the MLIS program at Western University in London, Ontario, I have gone on tours of a number of different libraries and information…
by Amanda Viana, former Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts republished from 2/14/14 & 4/15/14 Dr. Taxlove, or: How I learned to stop crabbing and embrace tax season For everything there is a season. In public librarianship the year falls into distinct seasons: planning for summer reading in the spring, end of the fiscal year reporting, the…
2nd best month EVER & 10.5 million page views! What a great month! March was such an amazing month at INALJ! 2nd best ever, in fact! Our busiest day in March was 22,633 views on 3/30, and our busiest week had 122,687 views, and our month was 543,482 views, our 2nd best month ever! We also hit 10.5…
by Holly Boyer, former Head Editor, INALJ Virginia previously published 4/14/14 Gamification, or adding a little excitement to your work If you’re looking for a librarian position in an academic (or even a public or school) library, you’ve probably seen ads that require familiarity with emerging technologies. And if you’re like me, you aren’t really sure what that…
Celebrating Women’s History Month – Susan Sosin: Library Friend Extraordinaire by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida Susan Sosin’s volunteer work for libraries and other community organizations is an important part of her life. From an early age growing up in Highland Park, New Jersey, Susan learned the significance and impact of volunteering her time…
by Naomi House, MLIS I live in an extraordinary city, New Orleans, Louisiana. It is extraordinary for many reasons; the many cultures, architectural styles, music and food, but to me it is also the best city for dumb-luck/ kismet while walking. I never know who or what I will stumble upon. So two weeks ago I was walking…
By Katie Blake previously published 4/16/14 Which Boolean Search are you? Operator as Mantra Remember your delight when you really dug into how we search for information? Boolean terms are relevatory in providing tidy parameters for search patterns. They are so often applied in our everyday, we Information Professionals might forget to savor them. Let’s review: Or And…
Amanda Brooks, former Head Editor, INALJ British Columbia previously published 3/13/14 A Day in the Life of a Conflicts Information Specialist “What is a Conflicts Information Specialist?” you may be asking yourself after reading that title. I certainly was when I stumbled across a job posting for this position. The purpose of a Conflicts Information Specialist…
Have you contributed content to your library’s website? by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Senior Assistant, INALJ Michigan If you haven’t yet, it’s only a matter of time. Think of all the pieces of content on your library’s website: event listings, ebook download instructions, lists of services, how to get a library card, research guides, blog posts…that’s…
Resume Missteps & Solutions by Amy Steinbauer, Senior Assistant, INALJ California The job search is a messy, complicated game of employment. It can seem like all of the hiring factors are out of your control. You get excited at job ads and prospects, send your resume and cover letter in, and wait, and wait, and wait.…
Tips for Boosting Your Presence in the LIS Community by Angie Solis, Senior Editor Being a part of the INALJ team means that I’m surrounded by many amazing people who rock my world every day with their knowledge and ability to be superstars in the LIS community. Seriously, it’s like I know celebrities. I find…
Mining Your State Library by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida State libraries are information resource providers for their state governments, serving the information needs of state agency employees and the state legislature. That’s their first mission. Their other mission? To collect and preserve the published history of their state. The State of Florida, for…
Don’t Discount the Digital Community by Sarah Morrison, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alberta and INALJ Manitoba I’ve noticed an underlying feeling that pervades discussion of the internet, introversion, and community. It’s one of those things that isn’t always explicit, and I don’t have one or two “exposé” links to point to for proof. But there seems…
Ask a Special Librarian – March Edition Tracy Z. Maleeff Library Resources Manager at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia @LibrarySherpa & LibrarySherpa.com Spring cleaning time is almost upon us. It’s a good way to clear out some cobwebs, air some things out and just prepare for a new season of your life. Yes, I’m…
Addressing Diversity in the Job Search Process by Oscar Giurcovich, Senior Editor As an LIS job seeker, I come across something along the lines of the following quite frequently when looking at the requirements of a position: interest or ability to work in a multicultural environment. What does this mean? What are they looking for?…
Why Running Makes Me A Better Librarian by Alphild Dick, Senior Editor I’m not fast. I don’t wear a GPS watch. I don’t track my mileage on MapMyRun and I usually wear my old winter reading sweatshirts on cold runs rather than the high tech gear my family buys me for the holidays. But I…
Creative Ideas for Selling at Comic Cons by Leigh Milligan, Senior Editor Creativity is one of my strongest skills. I just never really knew how to use it in my everyday life. And then I met my fiancé. He’s really into old school video games and making things, I love pop culture and making things.…