Tag Archive for article

Desk Yoga: Job searching & stretching

by Melanie Masserant, Head Editor, INALJ NYC Desk Yoga: Job searching & stretching (Simple stretches to sooth the seated body) How many hours are you seated at your desk every day on average? The total of hours spent searching, online networking, and resume tailoring is a modern-day desk sentence for job seekers. Since our bodies…

5 Basic Tips for Doing Well in the Interview

by Sean O’Brien, Head Editor, INALJ Colorado 5 Basic Tips for Doing Well in the Interview So you got the interview!  Congratulations!  But now, you realize, you still have to get through the scariest part; the interview.  But hey, don’t worry, we’re here this month to give you a few basic tips that will help…

Library Superstar Dream Jobs

by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming Library Superstar Dream Jobs Often, I’ll see a news story about a cool space and know that a librarian is the unsung superstar. That’s right, I said superstar. The following is a list of some dream jobs: 1)      GM Heritage Center, http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/about-gm-heritage-center/. I heard about this archive on…

Opt In

by Africa Hands, Head Editor, INALJ Kentucky Opt In Guess what friends? It may not seem like it, but you are in charge of your career, personal development, and advancement. The career website Careerealism has a tagline, Because Every Job is Temporary. Sure it’s somewhat disconcerting, but these days it’s true. You can’t rely on…

The Buddy System

by Caitlin Moen, Head Editor, INALJ Louisiana The Buddy System Job hunting is exhausting. Job hunting is life-consuming. Job hunting can eat up your entire identity until you cannot think or talk about anything else. And here’s a hint: your friends and family will get sick of hearing about that awesome job you hope will…

Career Counselor

Career Counselor by Kelly Quaye I just returned from the ALA Midwinter Meeting (this was 2012) so my mind is still abuzz with the many great programs and services on offer.  Did you know that ALA has a Conference Placement Service where you can meet with a professional career counselor during conference?  I highly recommend…

The Road Less Traveled By Chelsea Jordan-Makely

The Road Less Traveled (Postcards from a Library Job Seeker) By Chelsea Jordan-Makely reposted from 9/26/2012 It has been a busy month. Less than four weeks ago, I resigned from two library jobs I adored, received my MLIS, and moved to Oregon with my husband, who accepted a faculty position at a small university here.…

Thank You Notes = Ace in Hand

by Julie Watson, Head Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania Think thank you notes are just for your grandmother? Think again. According to a 2011 CareerBuilder survey, 22 % of hiring managers say that thank you notes matter. Why do they matter? Neglecting to thank your interviewers shows a lack of follow-through and sends the message that you…

New look at the list of references

by Duda Trickovic, Head Editor, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick New look at the list of references When you are looking for job, list of references is a standard part of the hiring process. It is almost impossible to get a job if you don’t have a good reference. As I was conducting my…

Meet Rachel Chenault: INALJ Alabama Assistant Editor

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Rachael Altman, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Meet Rachel Chenault: INALJ Alabama Assistant Editor and Reference & Instruction Librarian at South University Rachael A: Favorite Library you have been to? Rachel C: The Erie County…

e-Portfolio Primer

by Veda Darby Soberman, Head Editor, INALJ Hawaii e-Portfolio Primer So, you’ve entered the job hunt armed with a basic arsenal of a well-crafted cover letter, polished resume and stellar references.  Don’t think you are fully prepared yet.  One more weapon which is making its way from auxiliary to essential is the e-Portfolio.  An e-Portfolio…

Sharon Miller…Mechanic’s Institute Library Director

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Kiersten Bryant, Head Editor, INALJ California Sharon Miller…Mechanic’s Institute Library Director Sharon Miller is the Director of the Mechanic’s Institute Library, a historic membership-based library in the heart of San Francisco, founded in 1854…

Support Staff Silos

by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho Support Staff Silos There’s a lot of talk in job searching about cross-industry skills. Employees and job seekers with skills that can be used in a number of different ways are more marketable and ultimately more useful to employers. Sometimes, however, I think this idea gets a bit…

Downton Abbey and Dream Questions on the Ref Desk

by Renee Holden, Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska Downton Abbey and Dream Questions on the Ref Desk I kid you not…I was sitting at the reference the desk the other day and a patron came up to me and said with a copy of Downton Abbey in her hands “I love, love, love this show. I…

The Art of Down Time

by Diana La Femina, Head Editor, INALJ South Carolina The Art of Down Time Oofah, it’s been a busy month! My first INALJ blog post, Learn From My Mistakes, came out this morning. (Stay with me now, this is the segue.) I reread it to see how it came out and to get some inspiration…

Skype Your Way to Success

by Christina Wilson, Head Editor, INALJ Alberta Skype Your Way to Success As a hiring manager,  working in a public library I found Skype to be an effective tool when faced with the prospect of interviewing candidates from across this vast land.  Although our city had an airport, service was “regional” and the next largest…

Camille Salas… MLS Student and Intern with Viewshare.org

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Sandra Hoyer, Head Editor, INALJ Washington Camille Salas… MLS Student and Intern with Viewshare.org Sandra:  Hi, Camille, tell us about yourself. Where are you from and how did you come to be a part…

Feed your RSS Reader – Blogs to follow for career advice

by Mary-Michelle Moore, Head Editor, INALJ Vermont Feed your RSS Reader – Blogs to follow for career advice Just because Google Reader is shutting down is no reason not to keep cultivating new RSS feeds for resume, cover letter and general interview advice.  When I graduated from high school, I was told to always tell…

Work You Can’t Not Do?

by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Work You Can’t Not Do? Since most people reading this are in the LIS field, I feel like it’s pretty safe to assume that we share a fascination with information and learning. TED talks are one of my favorite ways to come across new information, ideas, and perspectives.…

A Case for Learning HTML

by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina A Case for Learning HTML I remember sitting in a required technology class during my first semester of library school and wondering if I was ever going to use any of the information presented.  I was so sure that I was going to be a reference librarian,…

Taking a look at Ireland’s Trinity College Library

by Matthew Tansek, Head Editor, INALJ Rhode Island Taking a look at Ireland’s Trinity College Library As library and information science professionals it can be easy for us to get caught up in new trends, learning the hottest technology, or even researching a new avenue for research.  So I thought I would take this opportunity…

6 Things You Should Do After Your Library Job Interview

by Kristen Jaques, Head Editor, INALJ Maine 6 Things You Should Do After Your Library Job Interview The Scenario: Today you just had an interview with a terrific library where your skills and passion will truly be an asset.  Good job, you!  However, there is much more work to be done if you want to…

Rosa Longacre …Registrar/Archivist

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Todd Simpson, Head Editor, INALJ New York City Rosa Longacre …Registrar/Archivist Todd:  In the interest of full disclosure, we met when we were both Library Assistants, you were working in ILL and I was…

How to Stand Out on LinkedIn

by Leigh Milligan, Head Editor, INALJ Wisconsin How to Stand Out on LinkedIn A couple weeks ago, I attended a webinar through Drexel University called “How to Stand Out in the LinkedIn Network” The title of the webinar caught my eye and I decided to attend as I love professional development opportunities.  I use LinkedIn…

The Unintentional Librarian

by Dawn Thompson, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio The Unintentional Librarian When I began the library science program at Kent State University in 2007 I was unsure about my decision to attend a Masters program in library science.  My plans hadn’t included attending library school.  My plan had been to get an MFA in nonfiction from…

Preparing for a job interview

by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Preparing for a job interview Hi everyone! I am currently getting ready for the rare occurrence of a job interview, which is coming up in a few days. I am really excited about the interview because it is with a great company, but I’m also really nervous because…

Fear of Success: Following Up

by Alfonso Colasuonno, Assistant, INALJ New York City Fear of Success: Following Up What makes INALJ great is that it is a positive, supportive network of information professionals looking to help one another, and offer concrete ways to do so. By reading the blog entries on the site, and reaching out to your fellow information…

Finding Hidden Treasure: a Cache of Librarian Blogs

by Sarah Deringer, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi Finding Hidden Treasure: a Cache of Librarian Blogs Every great once in awhile I find a collection of good blogs to follow, and this week I found four blogs that shine so much that Captain Jack Sparrow would not be able to keep his hands off them. The…

Coding Classes 101

by Amanda May, Head Editor, INALJ North Dakota Coding Classes 101 Is coding an essential skill for information professionals to learn? Well, I think that it really depends on how you look at it.  On one hand, I believe that information professionals do not need to know any programming languages in order to be successful. …

Work/life balance, stress reduction, learning, and having fun

by Rachael Altman, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Work/life balance, stress reduction, learning, and having fun I participated in the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) E-Forum: Work/Life Balance on March 13-14. The discussion was hosted by Leslie Burke, Collection Development and Digital Integration Librarian at Kalamazoo College, and Robert Roose, Support Services Manger…

Lasting Final Impression – Ask Those Questions

by Shayna Monnens, Head Editor, INALJ South Dakota Lasting Final Impression – Ask Those Questions I came across this very interesting article the other day by BrazenCareerist.com, and I was so blown away by the content that I had to share. You may have already seen this article. I know that I have seen it…

The ABC’s of an Internship in a Research/Business Library

by Amanda Marie Yetter, Head Editor, INALJ Maryland The ABC’s of an Internship in a Research/Business Library Follow along and learn more about internships in a research/business library from …A   to    Z. A:  Ancestry.com—Collections including Census information, Immigration and Travel, Birth Marriage and Death records even yearbooks and other information such as phone directories…

The Pope and Open Access

by R.C. Miessler, Head Editor, INALJ Indiana The Pope and Open Access The recent election of Pope Francis may not seem to have much to do with libraries, but in fact, it may play a major role in determining the future of open access to Vatican Library documents. But first, a bit of context. EMC…

Job-hunting and interviewing when you have a disability

by Holly Lipschultz, Head Editor, INALJ Illinois Job-hunting and interviewing when you have a disability Job hunting is nerve-wracking, but it is even more anxiety-inducing if you have a disability. There’s so many questions involved in addition to the usual ones: When should I disclose my disability? What if the interviewer asks? What jobs can…

Preparing for a Phone Interview

by Marlena Barber, Head Editor, INALJ Tennessee Preparing for a Phone Interview Congratulations!  You have been contacted for a phone interview with a potential future employer.  I would like to share with you how I prepare for phone interviews. A phone interview is a wonderful opportunity for you to present yourself well to a potential…