All Jobs for INALJ can be found here: http://inalj.com/?p=1441 Updated daily
Naomi House’s interview with success story Kristen.
Naomi: How did you find your current job?
Kristen: I was told about the position by a friend of mine, who had received the notice through a local library job listserv. I ignored him, because it wasn’t precisely what I was looking for, but when I saw it again in the INALJ email, I figured it wouldn’t hurt. That’ll teach me not to listen to my friends: the job is fantastic and it is exactly what I can bury myself in and feel fulfilled.
Naomi: Favorite library you have been to?
Kristen: I would have to say the Rush Rees Library at the University of Rochester. Marble, hard woods, leather couches, statue of Athena, the ability to be lost for an entire generation in the below-ground stacks… It is a glorious place, I would highly recommend a wander through.
Naomi: Favorite book?
Kristen: Oof, this is tough. It would have to be one of three books: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
Naomi: Favorite thing about libraries/ library technology?
Kristen: My favorite thing, by far, is the community surrounding librarianship. Whether it is all the folks in the tumblr community (Yes, Tumblrarians!), fellow classmates, or other people in the profession: we all know how it is, what we’re going through, the struggles each person faces. We all come from the same perspective from very different directions. It’s amazing.
Naomi: Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Kristen: People really should be following The Lifeguard Librarian on tumblr, as well as the tumblrarian/tumblarian tags there. There’s some amazing sharing and hilarity going on there. It is a great safe space for all librarians.
Naomi: Best piece of job hunting advice?
Kristen: You need to strike a balance between knowing your self-worth, and not assuming you deserve something. It is a flaw I’ve seen in a lot of people coming out of school, and it was one I had to overcome as well: nothing, but nothing is a guarantee. Apply for anything and everything, even if it isn’t exactly what you want. It will take you where you’re going but it just takes time.
Howdy!
I am a Spring 2012 graduate from the University at Buffalo’s Master of Library and Information Science program. I earned my BA in English from SUNY Fredonia in 2008 and my MA in English from the University of Rochester in 2009. I returned to school because I was after better employment, but I fell in love, truly, with libraries and what they are. I am currently employed by Dawnbreaker, Inc as a junior market researcher in Rochester, NY. I love doing volunteer work with high school students, reading, baking, and crochet.