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 Rebekah.
Naomi: How did you find your current job?
Rebekah: I have a search alert set up for Duke University jobs as part of my volunteer work for INALJ. This job came right into my inbox through the search alert and of course I posted it on INALJ as well. I was a little nervous about applying, as the job ad called for skills that I hadn’t used in years, but it all worked out in my favor.
Naomi: Favorite library you have been to?
Rebekah: There is a special place in my heart for my hometown public library, the Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee IL. I begged my parents to take me there every week and discovered so many new worlds and ideas through the books that I borrowed with the help of the librarians. In fact, at Warren-Newport I realized that I could become a librarian and share my love of reading and learning with others.
Naomi: Favorite book?
Rebekah: It’s so hard to choose! I’m a huge fantasy and history fan and I love Guy Gavriel Kay’s books, especially Tigana. It’s an incredibly well-written book, filled with vivid and poignant storytelling that combines an alternate version of history with a smattering of fantasy. Kay’s Lions of Al-Rassan is very good too.
Naomi: Favorite thing about libraries/ library technology?
Rebekah: I’m a firm believer in the power of knowledge as a tool for social change and I love that libraries give everyone access to materials and the opportunity to learn and grow. Plus, librarians are some of the most awesome and helpful people that I’ve ever met!
Naomi: Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Rebekah: I wrote a blog post for INALJ a few months back which lists ten useful websites for techie librarians and I read all of these sites frequently. My favorites from this list are the Librarian in Black and Not Safe for Libraries.
Naomi: Best piece of job hunting advice?
Rebekah: If you would like to work at a specific place, check their job board frequently. Often, jobs may be posted that are only open for a short amount of time, or are overlooked by larger aggregators. Also, don’t be afraid to look outside the traditional library box for jobs. I almost didn’t apply to this job because it was not located in a library environment. Luckily, I realized that I was being silly and still had enough time to apply! If you feel like the job would be a good fit for you, go for it. The worst thing that can happen is that the hiring committee says no!
Rebekah is a Digital Publishing Technologist at Duke University Press and the Head Editor for North Carolina at INALJ. Previously, she worked as the Information Technology Librarian at Walden University. She holds a Masters of Library Science and a Masters of Information Science with a concentration in digital libraries from Indiana University-Bloomington and a Bachelors of Arts in International Studies and History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include distance education, digital libraries, educational technology, web services, metadata, electronic publishing and electronic resources. In addition to her volunteer work at INALJ, Rebekah reviews history books for Library Journal and is a member of the ACRL Distance Learning Section Web Committee. She tweets about jobs at @INALJ_NC
All Jobs for INALJ can be found here: http://inalj.com/?p=1441 Updated daily
Reposted from 9/30/13