by Roselle Pendergast, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota How to Make Yourself More Valuable by Being Self-Aware “If you want to be more valuable to the organization, know who you are. Self-awareness breeds people who are more easily managed.” There are many different ways to become more valuable, such as taking classes on the side to…
by Caitlin Moen, Head Editor, INALJ Louisiana My Working Soundtrack I have a hard time working in silence at home, which is important to know, since I work full time from home. So I’ve worked to find some specific artists that strike the right balance for a work soundtrack for me to have going while…
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden Feeling Awkward around Business Cards? Does anyone else feel awkward when handing out business cards? I always did. I felt like I was on a first date asking for a second one before it was even over yet. To get over this, I developed a sort of script…
by Renee Holden, Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska Steampunk – Science Fiction and Fantasy with a Twist I am a collection development librarian in a public library that also specializes in reader’s advisory for my library. Patrons ask me all day long about books that are similar to this author or that author and books that…
by Christina Wilson, Head Editor, INALJ Alberta The Hardest Button to Button: Closing the Deal The White Stripes’ song title came to mind recently when posting yet another job that requested applicants to submit their salary expectations along with their resume and covering letter. It’s a helpful colorful metaphor for a thorny application issue. The…
By Elena Bubelich, Head Editor, INALJ Quebec Working at Library and Your Health I’d like to talk about a subject that nobody discusses before and during our education at MLIS program: our health. We listen to attentively to everything about potential salary, benefits, and career progress, but nobody talks with us about the potential impact…
by Jess Bruckner, Assistant Editor, INALJ Wisconsin Cross-Training with MOOCs Today, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are shaking up the educational landscape due to the surging popularity of distance education platforms such as Coursera, Udacity, and EdX. These dynamic platforms have the potential to be game changers for librarians, allowing them to self-educate outside their…
by Diana La Femina, Head Editor, INALJ South Carolina The Comparison Trap I’ve written about finding your strengths, about tracking your accomplishments, and about taking risks and following through. I know some of these are rather generic and obvious, but sometimes it’s the obvious things that need to be brought into conversation or else we’ll…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Keep in Touch with Your References One of the most important parts of getting a job is your references. Usually prospective employers will wait until after the interview to call your references, but occasionally, they will call before. I just spoke with one of my references, Keith, and…
by Sarah Parramore, Head Editor, INALJ Middle East/Arabian Gulf Spotlight on Libraries – Istanbul, Turkey What is it? Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Library Where is it? Istanbul, Turkey Meclis-i Mebusan Cad. Liman İşletmeleri Sahası Antrepo No: 4, 34433 Karaköy – İSTANBUL Tel: +90 212 334 73 00 Why should you visit? No doubt, Istanbul’s rich…
by Roselle Pendergast, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota What to Read While Waiting for Season 4 of Downton Abbey to Start in January 2014? I’m sure many of us are eagerly waiting for the start of Downton Abbey’s 4th season, which starts January 5th 2014 on PBS’s Masterpiece Classic. I’ve been finding myself reading Jane Austen’s…
by Stephanie Taylor, Head Editor, British Columbia Oh, Sit! Gone are the days when job searching meant actually walking the streets, moving and shaking, hustling your groove. Much to the chagrin of my parents, job searching in 2013 is done sitting on your gluteus maximus while you pore over job websites (like this one!) with…
by Claire Schmieder, Head Editor, INALJ New Jersey Gearing up for a Phone Interview I recently had my first ever phone interview. Obviously, I was excited – and seriously nervous. (I am not what you would call a “phone person.”) The only way for me to relax enough for the phone call was to prepare…
by Sandra Hoyer, Head Editor, INALJ Washington Library-Themed Music for the Soul I find that music, above almost anything else, always has the power to shift my mood to a more positive place. Here are ten fun/silly/rocking/serious library-related tunes to get you through any lumps, bumps, library woes, or plain old slow days. Time…
by Kate Kosturski, Head Editor, INALJ NYC Location, Location, Location: If I Can Make It There…? While I was at New York Comic-Con this weekend, I received the following email: I did my MLIS at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I moved to New York to pursue an internship for school at an archive and then…
by Ruth Lincoln, Head Editor INALJ Washington, DC Stand Up! Everything You Need to Know about a Standing Desk While our jobs as information professionals can run the gamut, we often find ourselves sitting. A lot. All that sitting can take a toll. For the past six months, I’ve been working behind a standing desk,…
by R.C. Miessler, Head Editor, INALJ Indiana Support Open Access Week (All Year ‘Round)! Open Access Week was October 21-27 this year, but it’s not too late to get involved. If you’re new to the idea of OA, there are numerous open access resources available for librarians; the Open Education Database has a two-part list of resources,…
by Fallon Zschiegner-Bleich, Head Editor, INALJ Arkansas The Best Not Quite Free Apps for Reference We’ve all seen the lists of free apps out there (I cannot say enough great things about the 40 free apps presentation I went to at Annual this year), but what about those that are fabulous apps but aren’t free?…
by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho The Many Sides of Reference: Special Collections versus Academic Libraries I recently accepted two different part-time positions that both require that I man the reference desk for a significant portion of each shift I work. One position is in a special collections department within a public library and…
by Brad McNally, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio Beyond Basic Tech Programs for Libraries In recent months, I’ve worked with a large number of people regarding technology in the library. While it is absolutely wonderful that libraries can offer basic computer skills courses, there are patrons that would like to go beyond that and explore deeper…
by Scottie Kapel, Head Editor, INALJ Oregon Success! Last month I wrote an article about my worries as a first-time program planner. If you’ll recall, the event was Teen Read Week, and I’m back today to recap the week’s events and address if my concerns came to fruition. What events should we schedule? While planning…
by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas Local vs. National Conferences Last weekend, I attended the Kansas Library Association Annual Conference, my first conference as a gainfully employed public librarian. And. It. Was. Awesome. It was great to meet so many librarians in situations similar to mine. I found out that my “small” town library…
by Mary-Michelle Moore, Head Editor, INALJ Vermont Cover Letters – Best Practices Your cover letter may be as important, if not more important, than your resume in a hiring packet. It is an initial writing sample as well as your introduction to the search committee. Many people create a boilerplate cover letter to send out…
by Kristen Jaques, Head Editor, INALJ Maine One Librarian’s Holiday Reading List It is said that some dedicated professionals have a hard time learning not to “bring their work home with them.” As a public librarian and book hoarder, I am no exception. While my lovable, zany patrons will not be getting my home address…
by Shayna Monnens, Head Editor, INALJ South Dakota Illicit Activity in the Library – the PORN! And it happens…again! There is always someone, without fail, who just seems to not understand the concept of (please choose one of the choices listed: decency, privacy, common sense, propriety, FREE WI-FI IS NOT FOR PORN VIEWAGE). I honestly…
by Leigh Milligan, Head Editor, INALJ Wisconsin New York Comic Con: A Rewarding Experience for Librarians On October 10th, I attended New York Comic Con (NYCC) for the first time. I have always heard about it and wanted to go, but never had an opportunity to until this year. NYCC includes pop culture related vendors and artists, as…
by Emma Pinault, Head Editor, INALJ Delaware The Association of Research Libraries’ Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries Confused about fair use and how it applies to your library? Academic librarians, especially, often find themselves setting guidelines on what is a fair use of the library’s copyrighted materials, or…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Unplug and Recharge As a result of the recent government shutdown, I’ve had the opportunity to step away from technology throughout the day a bit more than I usually would. I’ve noticed that not having to be in front of a screen for a significant part of the…
by Sarah Porter, Head Editor, INALJ California Become More Marketable: Learn Spanish Sadly, “No hablo Espanol. Un momento por favor” is about the extent that I can speak Spanish to library patrons. Furthermore, when I apply for jobs, many California job postings state “bilingual preferred” or even “bilingual (English/Spanish) required”. If you are in the…
by Amanda Viana, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts Seminars and Webinars and Online Courses—Oh My! I’m insatiably curious; a committed lifelong learner. I think of it as one of my greatest strengths and one of my main motivators in working to make public libraries centers of lifelong learning. Since graduating in late 2012, I’ve been trying…
by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina Library Jobs in North Carolina: Key Statistics Over the past six months, I have collected data on the type, title, and location of jobs that I post to the INALJ North Carolina page. At first this was an effort to cut back on the number of duplicates…
by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida The Slide A couple of weeks ago I was at one of my children’s extracurricular activities. And, as usual, the parents were congregated in one area chatting. Most of these parents are acquaintances, not what I would label “friends.” So, normally the conversation consists of talking about our…
by Courtney Baron, Head Editor, INALJ Georgia 5 Tips for Attending your First Conference I just got back from my first library conference last week! It was a great learning experience and I’m excited to share my tips with other library students and first time attendees. I can’t stress enough how important it is to…
by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming Halloween Book Round-Up In the spirit of the season, I’ve rounded up a list of spooky(ish) reads to get you in the mood for October. I will note that these are mostly YA, and chosen because I’ve read them (Forever YA, anyone?) and can offer an opinion. Beautiful…
by Gabrielle Spiers, Head Editor, INALJ Montana How Being a Researcher Has Made Me a Better Archivist I do research for a living, more specifically I do historical research with primary sources – mostly military history with some genealogy as well as anything else that comes my way. As with many things in life, I…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri How Many Jobs Should You Apply For? I’ve been without a job for several months now. I had a student position while getting my MLS, and when I graduated, I lost my job. That’s just how student positions go. I was recently talking to a colleague and I…
by Nicole Usiondek, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan Finding Common Ground: Publishers and the Libraries eBooks, publishers, and the library were all much talked about topics in 2012. eBooks have become a staple in the lives of many and so it was only natural that more and more patrons began looking to their local libraries to…
by Elinor Crosby, Head Editor, INALJ Nova Scotia Authors Advocating for Libraries “I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of imagination.” – Neil Gaiman Who out there besides librarians, library staff, and patrons are advocating for libraries? Authors, that’s who. Many authors love libraries, grew up…
by Ashley Crace, Head Editor, INALJ West Virginia The Replacement It is so exciting to take on a new job! Sometimes, it is easy to forget that someone else was doing that job before you (unless it is a new position, of course). Though you may wonder under what circumstances the previous person left the…
by Sarah Deringer, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi Don’t Get Lost on Your Job Search! Getting lost in the job search can be very easy without a plan. Before beginning a job search (or after getting lost), take a moment to breathe and reflect. It’s easy to rush around trying to apply to every job out…