by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan The Ins and Outs of Unconferences Have you ever attended an unconference? Neither had I, until I hosted one in March. It was an incredible experience; this was the first time I’ve ever seen participants in a training session stay late! I’m now an unconference convert. What is an unconference?…
George Hawtin, Head Editor, INALJ Saskatchewan Your Library Board: Who Are They? Why Are They Here? As a lifelong library lover and avid community volunteer, I applied to join my hometown’s library board in 2008. In my early twenties with little formal education or business experience, I loved the library, but I knew very little about librarians…
by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Tips to be professionally successful Being successful in our profession is what we all strive for. Whether in a library setting or any professional setting, keeping ourselves focused on being successful at what we do is important in our professional development. I would like to share some tips I use daily…
by Alphild Dick, Head Editor, INALJ Washington MLSing the Good Old Days– A Retrospective on the Degrees It was with no small amount of relief that a year ago this month I wrapped up my final year of graduate school and started working. It was the end of five years of graduate education, having (ridiculously) subjected myself to…
Valarie Swayze, Head Editor, INALJ Louisiana The Library as a Makerspace: Celebrating & Inspiring Creativity Libraries across the globe are participating in the Maker Movement to celebrate the inventions and creativity of local Makers while inspiring others to join the fun. A Maker Faire, an event created by Make: magazine, is known as the greatest show-and-tell on earth…
by Lauren Bourdages, Head Editor, INALJ Ontario Informational Interviewing strategies for the Introverted and/or Socially Anxious* *Tips will work for anyone but this is my frame of reference! I am actually an ambivert, I am also someone who has moderate social anxiety (not clinically diagnosed mind you), which has actually gotten better as I get older,…
Angela J.A. Kent, Head Editor, INALJ-Virtual Work Talking It Out: Thoughts On Professional Writing The dreaded blank screen and blinking cursor. Whether it’s preparing a cover letter, writing a paper for class, creating a work presentation, or drafting a report for your boss, professional writing can be tough. Sometimes the link between your thoughts in your…
Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri So I’ve graduated library school… Now what? As I write this on the eve of my graduation from library school I find myself caught up in feelings of joy, fear, worry, happiness and relief. The feelings of elation come from the fact that I can stand up and proudly announce: “I have…
Stephanie Sendaula, INALJ Associate Editor Non-Library Conferences for Librarians There are a lot of conference acronyms in our profession: ALA, SLA, SAA, ACRL, PLA, AASL, AALL, etc… But sometimes we’re not able to attend those conferences for a variety of reasons including funding restraints, time constraints, or even the specific location. (Haven’t we all wondered whether to…
by Alphild Dick, Head Editor, INALJ Washington Confessional Professional I admit it. This post is entirely inspired by the flame war on ALATT that started on Sunday. If you don’t follow that group, you should. Well, maybe. It’s half professional inquiry, half goofing off. Most days you can find something useful or entertaining. But I digress. This post…
by Sheryl L. Christensen, Head Editor, INALJ California Technology-Related Career Trajectory: What’s Your Plan? Many insiders in the field of web-based projects, both library-focused as well as business-related, are no longer quite as enamored as they once were of programming certifications, or even, in some instances, IT degrees. There are still fields that absolutely require specialty certification…
Rachel Loria, Head Editor, INALJ Colorado Shifting the perspective: Implementations that will help to overcome the librarian stereotype Boring. Long dresses. Quiet voice except when she is scolding the room to keep the noise level down. A “fussy old woman of either sex, myopic and repressed, brandishing or perhaps cowering behind a date-stamp and surrounded by an…
by Tracy Wasserman, Head Editor, INALJ Florida A Job for You as an Embedded Librarian The traditional librarian sits at a reference desk somewhere, waiting for someone to ask, text, or email a question. Nowadays however, librarians are increasingly providing “point-of-need” services in the form of embedded librarianship, being a part of the instant human connection that is…
by Rachael Altman, Head Editor, INALJ Illinois Learn something new today: Listen to these 5 podcasts If you have a few minutes on your commute or lunch break, tune into one of these three fact-filled podcasts guaranteed to teach you something new. Whether you want to learn about fire breathing, woodworking, cognitive neuroscience and music, life without a refrigerator,…
by Aimee Graham, Head Editor, INALJ Georgia Addressing an Elephant: Active Shooter in the Library April 20, 1999 started off like any normal school day at the end of an academic year; students joked in the hallways, attended classes, seniors discussed plans for after graduation, and friends met in common spaces such as the cafeteria. Little did…
by Brad McNally, former Head Editor, INALJ Ohio “Thank You” Notes and Pronoun Use As an undergraduate student, I was extremely interested in Linguistics. I would have majored in it, but it wasn’t an option, so I majored in English and took every Linguistics course I could. This makes a person very aware of the…
by Fallon Bleich, Head Editor, INALJ Arkansas Why color matters in Children’s Literature There’s been a lot of press lately on the lack of diversity in children’s lit. I, for one, am trying to become a champion behind that issue and work to get more diverse literature not only in libraries but also published…because if there is no…
by Jennifer Devine, Head Editor, INALJ Maryland Keeping up with your Career through Professional Development One of the great and frustrating things about being an Information Professional is that information is ALWAYS changing! Most of the information you gain from you Master’s Degree eventually will be outdated within a year or so of graduating, which is why we…
by Nicolas Resteiner, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi 4 Things I Learned My First Year in Library School Come early May, I will finally have completed a year at the University of Arizona’s SIRLS program! While I was in school I worked first as a page, then as a library assistant. I also completed an internship with…
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden previously published on 6/19/13 How Volunteering may actually be Hurting your Job Hunt If you’re job hunting, undoubtedly countless people have suggested that you spend some time volunteering. This can, of course, be beneficial for a several reasons: You can get your foot in the door at a…
by Sarah Porter, former Head Editor, INALJ California previously published 5/15/13 Search Smarter: becoming an information detective using advanced job searches One exciting aspect of volunteering as a head editor for INALJ is being an “information detective”: solving the mystery of where some of the hidden non-traditional LIS (Library and Information Science) jobs are and…
by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas previously published 9/25/13 4 Things to Do When the Job Wave Wanes Lately, it’s been a bit slow on the Kansas page. I’ve noticed that jobs seem to come in waves – sometimes they to pour in, and then it tapers down to slight sprinkling. So what’s there…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions By Ruth Lincoln, Head Editor, INALJ Washington, DC previously published 8/30/13 Why a High School Librarian is Still Excited to Return for Her 41st First Day of School It’s back-to-school time! As many of you…
by Jill Olsen, former Head Editor, INALJ Nevada Previously published 8/26/13 Has Your Career Ladder Morphed into a Career Jungle Gym? I’m sure we have all heard and know about climbing the infamous career ladder. But times have changed and it’s a whole new world out there. Early in my career it felt like I…
by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire previously published 2/26/13 Make mine a double tall non fat latte, with a librarian job on the side Whether you’re looking for your first library job or switching careers later in life, snagging that first (paying) library job is the brass ring that you hope for but…