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 success story Megan.
Naomi: How did you find your current job?
Megan: I received my MSLIS degree in May 2013 from the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. During my final semester, I created a resource guide of websites that posted LIS-related job openings. Although I began my career search a bit later than I probably should have, the guide was a step in the right direction. I saw the posting for my current position on several job boards including Indeed.com and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association blog. After reading the job description, I couldn’t believe that this position actually existed. I feel very fortunate to have found a position that is a culmination of all of my interests so early in my career.
Naomi: Favorite library you have been to?
Megan: I’m not sure if I have a favorite library; however, I will never forget the first time I was in awe of a library. While I was in Washington, D.C. for an advocacy trip in high school, I fell in love with the Library of Congress. It was overwhelming in comparison to the small public library that I frequented as a child.
Naomi: Favorite book?
Megan: Wow, this is a difficult question to answer. I have too many to name, but I can tell you which books are on my summer reading list. I am currently reading Civil Wars by June Jordan, and I plan to read Bone Black by bell hooks, Kindred by Octavia Butler, Liliane by Ntozake Shange, and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
Naomi: Favorite thing about libraries/ library technology?
Megan: The integral roles that libraries and librarians have in diminishing the digital divide. Libraries are epicenters for access to information, and librarians have the unique opportunity to help users build digital and information literacy skills that are transferrable and applicable in everyday life. As a medical librarian for an AIDS Services Organization, I am able to deliver services and design and conduct projects that improve access to HIV/AIDS related health information for patients, the affected community, and their caregivers.
Naomi: Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Megan: I frequented the INALJ blog more so than the jobs list, because the advice offered by blog contributors was extremely helpful and encouraging.
Naomi: Best piece of job hunting advice?
Megan: Despite combing through hundreds of job ads, I only applied for 18 positions. Of the 18 positions that I applied for, I was extended interview offers for 6 of them. My job hunting advice: it’s okay to be selective during your job search. I’m sure this goes against all of the advice that you’ve been given. Most people thought I was crazy when I told them the amount of applications I had submitted. My response was that I would only apply for positions that I actually wanted to obtain. If you are not passionate about the positions you are applying for, it will be evident during the application process. Build a criterion for what exactly you want in a position, and what you don’t want in a position. Are you strictly searching for subject-specific positions? Is location a major factor? Do you want to work for an academic, public, or special library? Do you want to work in a library at all? Once you establish a clear criterion, you will make your job hunt a bit less stressful.
Megan Threats, a native of Michigan, recently completed her MSLIS in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. She is now a resident of Philadelphia, PA and plans to continue her passion for social justice and activism. Megan is committed to improving the digital and information literacy of the communities she serves through access, instruction, and the creation of new tools and platforms in her new position.
All Jobs for INALJ can be found here: http://inalj.com/?p=1441 Updated daily