by Jazmin Idakaar, Information Professional previously published 9/10/13 Social Media 101 – It’s Never Too Late to Get Social with Your Media! So… You’re in library school with only a few more credits to go before you graduate. Or you finished school already and now you’re job hunting. Or maybe you got your degree a…
by Mychal Ludwig, former Head Editor, INALJ New Mexico previously published 5/29/13 Qualification versus Certification: An Interview Consideration When going through an interview process, whether it’s the traditional all-day or multi-day affair in an academic library, or a phone interview then one or two in-person interviews, most of us have to consider many factors, such…
Wishing you a wonderful autumn wedding day and a lifetime of happiness! Happy wedding day to my brother Jonathan, and my new sister-in-law, Jinger! Adding a nephew too! Preston we are happy to have you as our newest nephew!
by Shayna Monnens, previous Head Editor, INALJ South Dakota previously published 9/22/13 My Right to Read – Banned Books Week It’s that amazing time of year again, the last week of September, in which libraries around the country celebrate their patrons’ right to read. It doesn’t matter who you are, a librarian, a student, or…
by Alexis Rohlfing, former Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire previously published 7/29/13 Playing to the back row: too much, not enough and in between in the job hunt. Once you’ve been on the job market for long enough, it becomes difficult to not jump at every opportunity that looks like it may fit. The definitive…
by Courtney Baron, former Head Editor, INALJ Georgia previously published 5/22/13 3 Ways to Get Library Experience without a Library Job I just finished my first semester of library school and I don’t have a library job. By the time I realized I wanted to be a librarian and decided to apply to my MLIS…
by Kristen Jaques, former Head Editor, INALJ Maine previously published 5/8/13 Fines and Forgiveness The handling of overdue charges is a point of contention among many libraries and librarians. Because of our profession’s lack of consensus on this issue, and because different libraries have different needs and serve different populations, I have experienced a wide range…
by Holly Boyer, Senior Editor, INALJ Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia Job searching self-love – the food edition So, you’re searching for a job or going through some kind of stressful period in your life or maybe you’re just busy. Eating right and regularly is so important for staying healthy and energized and ready for next interview.…
by Naomi House, MLIS updated 9/22/14 So I had another miscarriage On Thursday I went in for my 10 week ultrasound. Because I am higher risk we had an ultrasound every two weeks or so and had seen the fetus and heard its heartbeat at 6 weeks and 4 days. Apparently a week later the…
by Joy Rodriguez, former Head Editor, INALJ Delaware previously published 7/10/13 Job Search Stress? Time for a Break! Everyone agrees that the job search process can be an emotional roller coaster. We feel excited when we get the call for the interview and disappointed when we get no response. Or, we feel over the moon…
by Alexandra Janvey, former Head Editor, INALJ Iowa previously published 6/24/13 Using Social Media for the Job Search Social media has become an increasingly popular pastime within the last few years. However, sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can also be utilized professionally as an effective job search tool. Social media is just another…
by Naomi House, MLIS For the Love of “Librarian” Anyone who has been following INALJ even for a short period of time will have come to know just how passionate I can be about outside-the-box and non-traditional jobs for librarians and library staff. I even have a list of mostly non-Librarian Keywords for Job Searching…
by Cassidy Charles, Senior Assistant, INALJ NYC Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals : A Review I was attending a career panel hosted by the Reference Section of my state’s library association this past spring when a fellow early-career librarian mentioned a book that was helping them navigate job…
by Amelia Zavala Vander Heide ,Senior Editor, INALJ Massachusetts, Maryland, and Virtual Work Interview Shopping for Every Budget Whether it is for the big interview or the first day of work, buying the right clothing can be difficult and hard on the budget. I believe that every interviewee should have a few essentials in their closet: a…
by Naomi House, MLIS Happy 18th Birthday to INALJ’s Maria House! Two years ago my sister, Maria, turned 16 and I asked her to join my volunteers with INALJ so she could learn more about WordPress, librarianship, metadata and more. Happy to report she loves the field and is interested now in pursuing museum librarianship.…
by Jennifer Quier So you transferred to a new position… First, go you! Finding your first library/museum/archives job was hard enough, but now you have a few years under your belt. You are (hopefully) pretty familiar with your institution, collections, and people, and you may be thinking “What next?” What follows is a tale of making a lateral move…
by Naomi House, MLIS The Day I Was a Mover (not a Shaker) I have done many odd and not-so-odd jobs over the years. I sold vacuum cleaners by phone and door to door for all of 3 days in the mid-1990s. I worked food service twice and have no stomach for the smell of…
by Leigh Milligan, Senior Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee Five Tips on Going on an Interview in a Wheelchair I work in an accessible library in a rehabilitation hospital that caters specifically to patrons in wheelchairs. Most of these patients suffer from spinal cord injury, brain injury or amputation. Some…
by Angie Solis, Senior Assistant, INALJ Missouri The Real Netflix for Books Modern libraries are beginning to have more and more competition in the world. One of which is Amazon’s new Unlimited Service. What I’ve noticed is that there has been a ton of backlash from the library community in an attempt to preserve the traditional library and…
_ _ _ by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Senior Assistant, INALJ Michigan Remembering a Legend, Charlene Davis Earlier this month I attended a memorial service for my former director, a legend in Kentucky libraries. Over her 37-year career at the Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives (KDLA), the State Library of Kentucky, she had a lasting impact on the…
by Valarie Swayze, Senior Editor, INALJ Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware 9 Tips for Getting Back to Work! This is a very exciting time for me as I plan my transition back to the field of librarianship. Leaving my dream job as an archivist in a museum library was a difficult decision for me:…
by Claire Schmieder, Senior Editor, INALJ NYC, INALJ New York State, and INALJ Texas The Art of Making Mistakes Confession: I make mistakes all the time – at work, at home, with friends. Most of the time, these mistakes are minor with smaller, manageable consequences. Things like not giving myself quite enough time to meet a…
by Lauren Bourdages, Senior Assistant, INALJ Ontario Good Questions to ask Interviewers Some of you probably already know that I recently ended my job search by getting hired. I’m now in my first full time position in the industry as a Reserves and User Services Associate at the library of one of my alma maters. I’m super…
by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana No Ouija Board Required! The Librarian Civil Service Exam While I have certainly tried it; however, I have yet to have my mechanical pencil hover over my ScanTron to deliver answers from another realm. Although maybe my lead breaking over the C bubble is…
by Fallon Bleich, Senior Assistant , INALJ Arkansas How to Build a Fantastic Comic Book Collection I’ve been reading a ton of comic books and graphic novels lately, the majority of which have come from my library. We’ve also recently done programming for Free Comic Book Day, as well as increased our comic collection quite a bit.…
by Kristin Charles-Scaringi, Senior Assistant, INALJ CT Lifelong learners make great librarians Librarians are usually by nature curious, smart, and eager to help others. These qualities are important as we staff libraries in the 21st century. The library is a cultural hub where people go to learn and find new information. In my three years as a…
by Clare Sobotka, Senior Assistant, INALJ Idaho Practicing for the Interview Very few people can eloquently wing an interview. For most of us, polishing our interview skills takes repeated practice, usually with a good dose of failure before we can perform well enough to impress a hiring committee. Official interviews are the best way to get experience,…
by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alabama (Google) Drive Your Library An overwhelming number of patrons I assist in the library have Google email accounts, yet only a handful of them use the Google Drive service it comes with. Most of them have never even heard of Drive. And more and more often, I find myself teaching patrons how…
by Naomi House, MLIS Naomi House, Appointed to the iSchool at UMD Inaugural MLS Advisory Board I am happy to finally be able to announce that I have been asked and have accepted a three year appointment to the iSchool at the University of Maryland’s Inaugural MLS Advisory Board. I am excited to serve the…
by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida Meet Michael Rodriguez: INALJ Assistant Editor, Librarian & Faculty Meet Michael Rodriguez, INALJ Florida Assistant Editor and Faculty Library at Hodges University in Naples/ Fort Myers, Florida * Photo credit to Lynn Elliott, Florida Library Association, via Flickr Tracy: Tell us about your history in working in libraries. Michael:…
Sponsored Job Ads now on INALJ INALJ will always offer free job ads to anyone wishing to share an LIS related job, but now we will offer Sponsored ads as well! Why? demand for quick turnaround time from HR professionals who want to advertise with us but don’t want to wait 4 business days for…
by Jennifer Devine, Senior Assistant, INALJ Maryland Social Media and the Job Search Today’s internet driven world gives a whole new component to the job search! When applying to a job or if there is an institution that I want to work for there are several actions that I take with social media. One of the first…
by Christina Wilson, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alberta and INALJ Manitoba Volunteer to Boost Your Career Although I’ve worked full time in my field as a library and information professional since graduating from library school, I’ve always found time to volunteer as well. While I enjoy contributing to my community, volunteering has helped me gain valuable experience and learning opportunities that were…
by Kate Kosturski, Senior Editor, INALJ Ontario and INALJ Quebec Easy Tips for Time Management – er, Maximizing Your Productivity The Doctor and the TARDIS. Cher’s belief that she could turn back time. Marty McFly in Back to the Future. Bill and Ted and their Excellent Adventures. All these people make the concept of time travel – and by…
by Rachael Altman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Illinois, and INALJ Volunteer Coordinator 3 Secret Ingredient Brownies to bring to your Office Party Food brings people together and allows for office bonding and comradery. Midday office parties are fun, but usually filled with unhealthy foods, filled with sugars and processed junk, that make you sluggish for the rest of the…
by Rebecca Kluberdanz, Senior Editor, INALJ Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Wyoming How You’re Screwing Up Your Job Search Like many of you out there I am ALWAYS looking for ways to improve my job searching and interview skills. That often involves reading all of the fabulous blog posts written for INALJ.com, as well as Googling around looking for any…
by Amy Steinbauer, Senior Assistant, INALJ California “You want to work, but where?” Dear Desperate Job Searchers, I know you want a job, badly. You’ve applied for what feels like millions and millions of jobs. You’ve chatted awkwardly with alumni from your program, trying not to ask for leads, and smiling when they describe how much they love…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Mary-Michelle Moore, Senior Editor, INALJ California, DC, and Illinois Sierra L. Campbell… Chicago History Museum & Success Story Mary-Michelle: How did you find your current job? Sierra: I found my current job by being in…
by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida Say What, Again? Awesome Nature Sound Libraries In a previous post, I shared some truly wonderful oral history libraries of all kinds that capture the major events of humankind through the collective voices of those who lived through them. But what about the voices of our animal friends? Have you…
by Diana La Femina, Senior Editor, INALJ Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta Some Advice Across the Board: Job Hunting Advice for Everyone! I’ve been giving some advice to a job hunter in my life outside of librarianship, and I realized that a lot of the advice I’m giving him can…