Tag Archive for blog

10 Great Art Apps

by Alexandra Janvey, former Head Editor, INALJ Iowa previously published 12/10/13 10 Great Art Apps Art Swipe by Jody Zellen Price: Free An app developed by artist Jody Zellen and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to coincide with the exhibition “In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the…

Qualification versus Certification: An Interview Consideration

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…

My Right to Read – Banned Books Week

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…

Fines and Forgiveness

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…

Job searching self-love – the food edition

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.…

Job Search Stress? Time for a Break!

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…

Using Social Media for Your Job Search

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…

Interview Shopping for Every Budget

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…

So you transferred to a new position…

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…

Five Tips on Going on an Interview in a Wheelchair

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…

The Real Netflix for Books

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…

Remembering a Legend, Charlene Davis

_ _ _ 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…

9 Tips for Getting Back to Work!

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:…

The Art of Making Mistakes

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…

Good Questions to ask Interviewers

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…

No Ouija Board Required! The Librarian Civil Service Exam

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…

How to Build a Fantastic Comic Book Collection

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.…

Lifelong learners make great librarians

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…

Practicing for the Interview

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,…

(Google) Drive Your Library

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…

Meet Michael Rodriguez: INALJ Assistant Editor, Librarian & Faculty

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:…

Social Media and the Job Search

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…

Volunteer to Boost Your Career

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…