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Naomi House’s interview with success story Rebecca.
Naomi: How did you find your current job:
Rebecca: I found my newest current job by obsessively checking Loudoun County government’s job site. I found my regular full-time job through INALJ in the summer of 2011 when postings from the daily jobs email (now INALJ.com) were sometimes put up on Facebook.
Naomi: Favorite library you have been to:
Rebecca: I’m spoiled and lucky enough to have had a tour of the library at the United States Supreme Court building. It’s so beautiful with such ornate wood working that it looks like the scene of a silent film era movie set. My favorite publicly viewable library is the Adams library at the historic Adams House in Cambridge, Mass., and my favorite public library is the Boston Public Library.
Naomi: Favorite book:
Rebecca: It’s a tough choice, but I have to go with The Sibyl by Par Lagerkvist. I’m obsessed with books about the plight of women, and The Sibyl is a beautiful parable about a medieval oracle priestess and her life before and after sin.
Naomi: Favorite thing about libraries/library technology?
Rebecca: My favorite thing about libraries is what made me want to become a librarian: the boundless opportunity for discovery about things foreign and about one’s self.
Naomi: Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Rebecca: I think all LIS professionals should be following A Library Writer’s Blog, which features calls for submissions of papers, presentations, and review opportunities in the field, which are so important for career development and enhancement. As a solo-librarian who sometimes needs advice for how to properly care for collections, I subscribe to the Caring for Collections online community, which is a forum for people to ask and answer questions about best practices for preservation.
Naomi: Best piece of job hunting advice?
Rebecca: Don’t be afraid to accept a job with a less than desirable salary. I am convinced that I got my job at the historical society (which was my first post-grad) because those with more experience didn’t apply once they saw the advertised salary. Yes, I started off living paycheck to paycheck, but I became a library manager in my twenties. Now, almost two years later, my resume is more robust than I ever could have imagined.
I am the Archives and Research Center Coordinator at the Historical Society of Frederick County, Maryland, and I recently accepted a part-time job as After Hours Teen Services Assistant at Loudoun County Public Library in Northern Virginia. Since INALJ went live with its new format in February, I have volunteered as head editor for Virginia State’s page. I received a B.A. in history from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2011. Since graduation I have enjoyed engaging the public in library programs and events and helping researchers discover local history and their family heritage.
republished from 5/14/13 and formerly titles Rebecca Crago …Success Story