by Clare Sobotka, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho Reducing Eye Strain Being a librarian comes with certain occupational hazards that can make work and everyday life more unpleasant. Most of those hazards involve computer use. Currently at work I spend most of my time at a reference desk, and while I do use a computer there, the breaks are…
by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Senior Assistant, INALJ Michigan The Beauty of Morning Pages Recently I undertook an experiment. My wonderful but demanding job was draining my creative resources. I found myself spending evenings on the couch, scrolling through Buzzfeed, Instagram, or the aww subreddit. Each of these have their place, especially at the end of a long day, but…
by Angie Solis, Senior Assistant, INALJ Missouri Vampires and Treasure and Librarians! OH MY! This month I wanted to do something a little different and a little fun. In honor of the new TV show coming out in December on TNT called “The Librarians“, I thought I’d countdown my favorite librarians in pop culture. This list is in…
by Christina Wilson, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alberta and INALJ Manitoba The Sport of Networking Recently I read an intriguing article in The Globe and Mail “Hockey Course Helps Women Break the Ice” (September 27, 2014) about “The Gal’s Got Game”, a networking company that developed a crash course on hockey specifically aimed at helping professional women get ahead in business by…
by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida My Favorite Fictional Heroic Librarians Who doesn’t love a great story featuring a heroic librarian? TV shows, books, and movies have portrayed many librarians as not only heroic, but intelligent, industrious and doggedly stubborn. Librarians are a diverse bunch, and the world should know it! One thing they all have…
by Emily Woodcock, Senior Assistant, INALJ Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Facebook and Twitter in the Workplace Many different organizations including libraries now have Facebook and Twitter accounts that are used on a regular basis. Below is a list of pros and cons to using Facebook and Twitter in the workplace. I currently work at small…
by Kate Kosturski, Senior Editor, INALJ Ontario and INALJ Quebec If You Want A Library Job, Look Outside the Library! Although our site has the word “library” in the title, we are so much more than jobs in a library. And often, we get feedback from friends and fans asking us to stick a little more to that word –…
by Angela Piccola, Assistant, INALJ Virtual Work Gaining New Perspectives During Hiring Woes When I found INALJ, the amount of resources and overall camaraderie almost overwhelmed me because it showed there is hope in this field. With the lists of alternative career keywords that fit within our skillset and the pages of updated jobs, it means so…
by Jennifer Devine, Senior Assistant, INALJ Maryland Starting your Job Search The beginning of your job search can seem daunting. What should you be doing? Where do you start? Well if you’re reading this you’ve found INALJ! *Pat your self on the back* you’ve discovered a great resource. We list jobs by states and provinces’ and provide…
by Diana La Femina, Senior Editor, INALJ Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta The Anatomy of Your Resume A resume is a powerful tool. While your cover letter should be used to explain why you are the best person for this position, your resume should show who you are. It should…
by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alabama Make a Lasting Impression in Your Exit Interview Most companies and organizations conduct exit interviews as a way of obtaining feedback that will (ideally) help improve the workplace and employee retention. From an employee’s perspective, this type of interview can be time-consuming (especially if scheduled close to the employee’s departure), cause uneasiness…
by Amy Steinbauer, Senior Assistant, INALJ California “My life fell apart… and then I had to go back to work” My father died last month. It was sudden, and quick, and has changed my life forever. I was headed back East for a friend’s wedding, and a visit; but once he got to the hospital, I bumped…
by Sarah Dashow, Senior Assistant, INALJ Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon Surviving the first year: finding a mentor It’s the first day of your new job, and you have a lot to learn, and a lot of people to meet. Depending on what type of environment you are working in, there may have been an…
Another fantastic month! 8.5 million page views in total! What a great month! Another fantastic October! Our busiest day in October was 20,482 views on 10/14, and our busiest week had 111,599 views, and our month was 486,486 views! We also hit 8.5 million page views in total. Fantastic! Also some big news, I was appointed to a…
by Jennifer Stevenson, Assistant, INALJ Illinois The Top 4 Ways to deal with new administration I have been a librarian for ten and a half years, during this time I have worked in both public and school library settings. I have devoted a decent amount of time tomy chosen field. During my career, I have encountered many…
by Lauren Bourdages, Senior Assistant, INALJ Ontario The Importance of increasing Professional Involvement/Engagement among Library Support Staff So I started a new job in August. I now work in a University Library where I divide my time equally between the user services desk (our circulation and reference service point) and processing books and articles to be put on…
by Rachael Altman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Illinois Network. Network. Network. Taking that first step to put yourself out there can be intimidating, but it’s essential to take calculated risks in order to grow personally and professionally. Networking is about establishing a relationship and a rapport with this person so that you are the first person that comes to…
by Renee Holden, former Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska previously published 10/15/13 Zombies! They’re Coming for You! With Halloween just around the corner, and since zombies have replaced vampires as all the rage, I thought that some of my library’s most popular zombie reads would get everyone in the mood for the walking dead on Halloween.…
by Jennifer Devine, Senior Assistant, INALJ Maryland Happy Halloween: 10 Top Scary Reads this Halloween In the month of October Libraries, Archives, Museums decorate and prepare for Halloween with books for the season. Children grow up understanding Halloween is a day you dress up in a costume and collect candy from neighbors by trick or treating or…
by Veda Darby Soberman, former Head Editor, INALJ Hawaii previously published 8/7/13 Response to Rejection: A Networking Opportunity All job seekers will have been rejected for a position or two…or many. Those letters, phone calls or emails can each feel like a stab in the heart of to one’s hopes and dreams, but it doesn’t…
by Sarah Roark Schott, former Head Editor, INALJ Arizona previously published 6/18/13 Do You Have Business Cards? Like many of the new archivists I know, I am a contract project archivist. This means I am only guaranteed two years of work at the institution I work with right now, not an employee who is expected…
by Diana La Femina, Senior Editor, INALJ Canada previously published 5/16/13 5 Right Questions for an Informational Interview I can’t remember how I first heard about informational interviews, but I now believe them to be one of the most powerful and underutilized tools in any professional’s repertoire. (And by “professional” I mean anyone who’s serious…
by Christina Wilson, Senior Assistant, INALJ Canada previously published 7/15/13 Boldly Go “Speed Networking” and Beyond …. Embarking on a job search has given me courage to boldly go where I’d never think to go before. On a Wednesday night in early June, this quest took me to my first ever speed networking event. Organized…
by Jennifer Crutchfield, former Head Editor, INALJ Connecticutpreviously published 10/31/13 Where are the Books? A Cruise Ship Library Recently, I went on a week-long cruise to Bermuda. One of the first places we visited was the library. I was excited to see what the library looked like. The room was beautiful with comfortable seating. I…
by Jennifer Reisch, Senior Assistant, INALJ NYC Are You Cultivating Executive Presence? Have you ever been passed over for a promotion you know you should have gotten? Ever had a great idea or important feedback that was discounted without any consideration whatsoever? Been in a competition where you performed flawlessly but still were passed over for top awards? You…
by Mary-Michelle Moore, Senior Editor, INALJ California, DC, and Illinois What to do while you’re waiting – Library Assistant edition Congratulations! You’ve done it – you sent off a beautifully researched, proof-read, edited and complete application packet to your latest dream job listing. Now what? Well if you’re like me and many of my colleagues, you still have…
by Cassidy Charles, Senior Assistant, INALJ NYC Decoding the Job Posting As a senior assistant with I Need A Library Job I read through a lot of job posting every week. There is an art to writing a job posting and it is fascinating to read through the different ways similar jobs can be pitched – albeit…
by Naomi House, MLIS What Do You Support Beyond Libraries? Librarians are often passionate advocates in the LIS world, for their patrons, for their jobs, for the field as a whole. The advocacy I have seen in person and in social media has been impressive. But we are passionate about more than just the work…
by Amelia Zavala Vander Heide ,Senior Editor, INALJ Massachusetts, Maryland, and Virtual Work Teen Read Week: Learning to Love YA Lit This year Teen Read Week, October 12th-18th, will be celebrated in libraries across the country. You might be currently working in a public library, you might be interested in youth services and teen librarianship, or maybe…
by Leigh Milligan, Senior Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee Positivity and Leadership through Tweet Chats So a few months ago, Naomi announced that she would be starting #INALJchat. I did not really know what this would entail, as I never did a tweet chat before or spend much time on…
by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana How to Tread the Waters of Uncertain Job Prospects to Stay Afloat and Keep Your Head Above Water. No matter the amount of articles written about job hunting, or the amount you have personally read. The job hunt affects all of us differently,…
by Valarie Swayze, Senior Editor, INALJ Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware Ask the Teens! Five Resources to Help Build a Teen Advisory Board The library offers a unique experience to each member of the community. Similarly, each member of the community can offer a special contribution to the library. Teens are a talented group…
by Rebekah Kati, Senior Assistant, INALJ North Carolina Dealing with Rejection During the Job Search One of the few certainties in the job hunt is that you will receive a rejection letter. Or two. Or hundreds. These polite but ultimately vague missives can be discouraging to even the most seasoned job hunter. As the rejection letters pile…
by Naomi House, MLIS INALJ Turns 4 Today! This year I just want to say Thanks! We have no way of accurately knowing exactly how many people we have helped find jobs. We know it is significantly more than the 1500 we count but the job hunting process is stressful and often times job hunters…
by Naomi House, MLIS The Very 1st INALJ Jobs List On October 16th, 2010 I emailed a bunch of my Rutgers classmates about sharing jobs with each other. I decided on a listserv format and wanted to share with you the very first email I ever sent of jobs, sent October 18, 2010 at 10:14am…
by Naomi Gonzales, Senior Assistant, INALJ Virginia 5 Tips to Surviving (Institutional) Change Recently, the institution I’m affiliated with underwent some organizational changes. It was a difficult few months for me, but I learned some valuable things along the way. The following are some survival tips for those of you dealing with a difficult work situation: 1)…
by Clayton Hayes, Senior Assistant, INALJ North Dakota Keeping your library skills cultivated outside of the library The job search can be a long and drawn-out process, and for many it begins as soon as they settle into a new position. A large part of the job search process is identifying and maintaining important professional skills. For…
by Marian Mays, Former Senior Editor, INALJ UK, Nunavut, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Librarians, Technological Literacy, and Those Who Get Left Behind The common person would assume that all librarians are extremely tech-savvy. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. This weekend, I attended the Montana Library Association’s Annual Fall Workshops. While there, I…
by Rebecca Kluberdanz, Senior Editor, INALJ Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Wyoming To Intern or Not to Intern… As a graduate school student I’m always hearing about new internships becoming available, peers that are working internships, how valuable internships are for your resume and so on and so on. When I first started my program I was working in a…
by Erin Kinney, Senior Assistant, INALJ Wyoming Don’t Be Afraid to Relocate My husband and I are both originally from San Diego. He grew up in Nebraska, and I spent time in the Four Corners area of Colorado. We wanted to get back to that general area after graduating from library school in Florida, so we targeted…