by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire Spring Clean your Resume Spring has finally sprung! With it, we all have our spring rituals—going back outside every day without being bundled, spring vacation, cookouts, and spring cleaning. Spring cleaning is probably the least favorite, at least for those who have to do most of it, but it is…
by Jennifer Devine, Head Editor, INALJ Maryland To Business Card or Not to Business Card With the Spring Conference season upon us I have been contemplating the relevance of business cards. In this world of technology you no longer have to write a phone number down on a piece of paper to remember it. You can easily…
by Naomi House, MLIS 5 Million page views!!! Today at Noon Central time we hit the 5,000,000 page view mark! We have had a remarkable month hitting new ‘bests’: best day ever, best week ever, best month ever and now also hitting 5 million before the end of the month. I want to thank all…
by Naomi House, MLIS We Built a Community! Presenting at the 5th annual OCLC EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Regional Conference, in Cape Town, South Africa, Feb. 24, 2014 “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” –African proverb ***** It was my pleasure to present…
by Naomi House, MLIS Every night during dinner my husband and I watch Seinfeld. There is an episode (the one where Elaine dances) in which she makes a toast. “Here’s to those who wish us well, and those who don’t can go to hell” Job hunting can be a very stressful time, especially for the…
by Suzanne Schultz Pick, Head Editor, INALJ UK Academic Library Job Applications – What to Expect in the UK Many library jobs are posted through universities or colleges in the UK. Many of these jobs require applications rather than a CV/resume submission. So how can we make sure that our applications stand out? Let’s look at what the…
by Clayton Hayes, Head Editor, INALJ North Dakota Combating satisficing through relevance: Facebook, Reddit, and beyond The increased availability of information online has presented information seekers with an often overwhelming array of sources to choose from. This (along with other factors) has led to a growing concern in the academic world with satisficing. Satisficing, put briefly, is the…
by Julie Watson, former Head Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania previously published 6/11/13 Soft Skills = Success: 5 Ways to Manage Your Emotions During the Job Hunt This is the fourth in a series of articles on soft skills. Job hunting is a stressful time – the effort you put into applications, the uncertainty of not-knowing when/if…
by Sarah Roark Schott, Head Editor, INALJ Arizona Interested in Applying for that Job in Tucson? 8 reasons you should consider relocating Have you been checking out different states on the INALJ job boards lately? Thinking about moving somewhere new? Have you considered Tucson, Arizona? With over 20 public library branches, a bunch of museums, the largest public…
by Sandra Hoyer, former Head Editor, INALJ Washington previously published 5/9/13 9 Ways to Brand Yourself: A Few Thoughts on Personal Branding and Standing Out Having survived the last year in the Washington, D.C. area in a large library, I spent much of that time absorbing and writing down what makes people successful in the…
by R.C. Miessler, Head Editor, INALJ Indiana previously published 3/5/13 Applying for jobs isn’t fun Applying for jobs isn’t fun. Everyone has advice to give that supersedes what everyone else has to say about finding a job. And there’s the stress of filling out applications and waiting. And then, even worse than the “We’re Sorry”…
by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire previously published 5/21/13 Elevating your Elevator Speech We’ve all been told, at one time or another, that we need to perfect our elevator speech. The very name makes you think of something out of Mad Men– a chance encounter that leads to a pitch that leads to…
by Sheela Sur, former Head Editor, INALJ Washington, DC previously published on 3/25/13 The Importance of Saying Yes: My Job Hunt Story After our first round of INALJ Head Editor articles were posted, I believe Kristen Jaques’s (INALJ Maine Head Editor) “What I Learned During My Two and a Half Years on the Job Market”…
by John Jay Miller, librarian Zen and the Art of Unemployment-or-Catcher in the Wry February 3, 2014 Dear reader: “I am a sick man… I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man”. It is 2:00AM on a Tuesday and I am unemployed. I have applied for over 70 jobs and remain unemployed after…
In order to better reflect how LIS folk currently feel I am removing all interviews that are more than 1 year old. This interview may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions, so it has been harvested to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine (see link below) and removed from INALJ. All…
by Christina Wilson, Head Editor of INALJ Alberta and INALJ Manitoba Why Big Data Matters to Libraries Earlier this week I attended a lecture at Red Deer College as part of their “Perspectives on the World” series. I was invited to represent Red Deer Public Library, a co-sponsor of the series. The topic was “Big Data” and the engaging…
by Naomi House, MLIS We Built a Community (on the rocky sea) Community building can happen at unexpected times and in unexpected ways. I was a breakout speaker at OCLC EMEA‘s regional conference in Cape Town, South Africa on February 24. I was speaking in a session called “We Built a Community” and the day…
Update! Sold!!! Hi Everyone, My house is on the market (or will be later today) and we would love to sell it to you. It is located in MidCity in New Orleans and is a 1924 Craftsman style kit house with glass door knobs. We converted it from a double to a single. 3 beds…
by R.C. Miessler, Head Editor, INALJ Indiana Low-Cost Emerging Tech Tools for Librarians Emerging technologies are inseparable from librarianship, especially when it comes to instruction and reference in an academic library. Sometimes acquiring certain tools can be difficult due to their expense; thankfully, there are lots of free and low-cost tools that librarians can use to…
by Elinor Crosby, Head Editor, INALJ Nova Scotia The Union and You: A Primer Most library jobs are unionized. What does this mean for the library job seeker? It certainly seems like it can make the job search harder in an already unforgiving economy. However, there are definite perks to landing a union job. Now, some people are…
by Julie Watson, former Head Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania Soft Skills = Success: Self-Awareness This is the second in a series of articles on soft skills. Employers are looking for soft skills in their in prospective employees and having these skills often makes the difference between who can do a job and who gets a job. Since…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions Naomi House’s interview with Kate of ArchivesNext formerly entitled Kate Theimer …In Six and published on 2/13/12 Naomi: What blogs should we be reading? Kate: Well, mine of course (http://archivesnext.com )! I’m sure your readers…
by Ashley Crace, former Head Editor, INALJ West Virginia On Being a Good Mentee A mentor’s expertise is priceless. During graduate school, your job search, or your first years as a librarian or information professional a mentor can provide vital guidance and support. Mentors may be found among professors, internship or volunteer supervisors, colleagues, and…
by Rebecca Crago, former Head Editor, INALJ Virginia Professional Advancement for Shallow Pockets In the LIS field there is a huge emphasis on professional advancement, but the cost of doing so can be a barrier for many of us. Workshops and conferences are not cheap; they often require travel, registration and supplies costs. In many…
What: #inaljchat Where: Twitter.com When: Mondays at 9-10:30pm EDT (last Monday of the month is Noon EDT and international focus)- all four Qs asked each hr so our west coast and further fans can participate Why: Crowd-sourcing the best of the web from the best on the web (ie: librarians) on job hunting topics How:…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions Naomi House’s interview with Dan Robinson, Content Analyst Naomi: How did you find your job as a Content Analyst? Dan: I didn’t find it, it found me. It’s the latest, and last, job title for…
Amanda Brooks, Head Editor, INALJ British Columbia Adjusting to Different Cultures of Information – Shifting Orientation from Freedom of Information to Confidentiality of Information I always felt that freedom of information was core to my professional philosophy while I worked in public and academic libraries. In the public library, many people were happy being in their own world…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions My interview with Rory Litwin, founder of Library Juice Academy, Library Juice Press & Litwin Books! “Library Juice Academy offers a range of online professional development workshops for librarians and other library staff, with classes.…
by Veda Darby Soberman, Head Editor, INALJ Hawaii Keeping a Career Journal We often get caught up in our busy lives. Do you ever have those weeks which zip by, but by the week’s end you can’t even remember what you did? Surely, you must have done something because you are completely exhausted. Keeping a career journal, like other…
by Ruth Lincoln, Head Editor, INALJ DC Making the Most of your MOOC Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are everywhere. Offered through platforms such as Coursera, Udacity, and EdX, MOOCs are providing thousands of people across the globe with access to amazing courses. They’re perfect for librarians and information professionals because you can bone up on some missed materials…
by Tracy Wasserman, Head Editor, INALJ Florida Crowdsourcing in digital libraries Libraries of all kinds hold countless items of significant historical value that most people never see. That is, never would see, until now, with the advent of digital libraries. Efforts to bring hidden treasures to light and make them readily accessible online have resulted in hundreds of…
by Roselle Pendergast, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota How does a membership to a field-specific society/association help your career? There are TONS of different library societies/associations out there (large and small) and I have no doubt at all that there’s also societies founded within your own state; look at Minnesota for an example, Minnesota Library Association or Twin Cities…
by Courtney Baron, Head Editor, INALJ Georgia Interview Day Hacks I recently had an interview and thought I would share my day-of interview routine! Give yourself a buffer. Give yourself a buffer before the interview. If the interview takes place at a location you’ve never been before, but is within a commuting distance, I suggest checking out the site…
by Emma Pinault, Head Editor, INALJ Delaware Introverts Can Network, Too! Networking and making connections in your field is vital to career success, whether you’re just starting out and looking for a job or looking to move up into a more challenging position. We all know this. But not everyone is a people person, and the field of…
by Lauren Bourdages, Head Editor, INALJ Ontario So you’ve been laid off, what now? On February 4 2014 my, now former manager called me into her office at around 11am, it was a Tuesday, so this was normal, we had a regular 1-on-1 scheduled every Tuesday. Because it was normal I wasn’t mentally prepared for what…
Charissa Brammer, Head Editor, INALJ Maine 3 Ways that your Job Interview can go seriously awry, and how to avoid them Like most people, I feel really awkward in an interview situation. There is pretty much nothing in an interview situation that is designed to make people feel comfortable, but they do give the interviewers a good look…
Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri My life as a procrastinator As my time as a graduate student comes to a close I have been reflecting on the last two years I have spent at Wayne State University learning the ins and outs of Library and Information Science. I have gained so much knowledge throughout these years, but…
by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Professional Development: Helpful Websites Looking for professional development opportunities has been a priority of mine since I graduated with my MLS about five years ago. Since then I’ve been trying to find as many ways as possible to keep myself updated on developments within the library field. I have been specifically…
What: #inaljchat Where: Twitter.com When: Mondays at 9-11pm EDT (last Monday of the month is Noon EDT and international focus)- all four Qs asked each hr so our west coast and further fans can participate Why: Crowd-sourcing the best of the web from the best on the web (ie: librarians) on job hunting topics How:…
by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas Library Marketing to a Non-Digital Population If you’ve been following my blog posts here at INALJ, you probably know that I’m working at a rural library in Kansas. I love my job and I want people to love the library as much as I do. I’ve been working to promote children,…