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…
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Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Interviews
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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.…
Articles
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,…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
With Eyes Wide Open: seeing your learning and experience in a new light
by Amanda Viana, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts With Eyes Wide Open: seeing your learning and experience in a new light As an undergraduate English major I had a professor who was memorable mainly for her absurdly specific essay guidelines: ‘five sentences per paragraph, three paragraphs per page, go over and I won’t read it’. But…
Interviews
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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. …
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
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…
Articles
Other duties as assigned?
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Other duties as assigned? Almost every job description has this line. It’s usually near the bottom of the list of duties. It says “Other duties as assigned.” What does this mean? Well, pretty much whatever you and your employer agree that you should do. One thing I’ve learned…
Articles
Building the Dream: You are Your Best Teaching Tool
by Lauren Bourdages, Head Editor, INALJ Ontario Building the Dream: You are Your Best Teaching Tool Earlier this week a friend of mine who is a Teacher in New Zealand found a job posting for a Teacher-Librarian position that she asked me to help her put together her application package for. That got me thinking,…
Articles
Keeping Current: Low-Cost Professional Development, March/April Edition
by Adrith Bedore Bicchieri, Head Editor, INALJ Nevada Keeping Current: Low-Cost Professional Development, March/April Edition Professional development opportunities can be difficult to take advantage of if you’re unemployed or underemployed. Here are some avenues for gaining new ideas, skills, or perspectives without breaking the bank. Free online webinars, on a variety of topics: Student Advisors,…
Articles
Library Jobs: Searching Outside-the-box
by Aingeal Stone, Head Editor, INALJ Northwest Territories Library Jobs: Searching Outside-the-box Whether you are a new graduate or a seasoned veteran, job hunting with its attendance cycle of testing, interviewing and rejection can be demoralizing heartbreaking. Often there are too few positions with far too many applicants. In my experience, I have found that…
Articles
Job Search Taking Longer than Expected? Volunteer To Gain Experience!
by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas Job Search Taking Longer than Expected? Volunteer To Gain Experience! When I got done with library school almost 2 years ago, I wanted a library job, but I put off really focusing on the job search. I had a job throughout school that would continue to support me…
Articles
Skills in Need: Why coding and technical skills can benefit your job hunt
by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire Skills in Need: Why coding and technical skills can benefit your job hunt When you’re looking for a library or information professional job, whether you’re new to the field or just changing directions, you’ll find you need something to make you stand out. In the rapidly changing…
Articles
Networking Gets a Bad Rap
by Alexandra Janvey, Head Editor, INALJ Iowa Networking Gets a Bad Rap The dreaded word, networking, was once the bane of my existence. And mostly because—get ready—I convinced myself it was. Like many other library school students, I had been repeatedly advised on how important networking was for an efficient job search. “It has long…
Articles
Let’s really get LinkedIn
by Africa Hands, Head Editor, INALJ Kentucky Let’s really get LinkedIn If you’re like many people, you received an invitation to join LinkedIn years ago when it first launched and just ignored the invite. Then you received another invitation a couple months or years later, and thought, “What the heck, I’ll join.” So you “joined”…
Articles
Tips for Court Library Job Seekers
by Genise Gorman, Head Editor, INALJ Arkansas Tips for Court Library Job Seekers This was a very interesting as well as informative publication put out by the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). It offers various tips for those seeking jobs as Court Librarians. Many of the tips given here are valuable for other areas…
Articles
Perspectives on Internships and Volunteering from a Sole-Staffer
by Rebecca Crago, Head Editor, INALJ Virginia Perspectives on Internships and Volunteering from a Sole-Staffer I am scheduled to speak at MARAC (Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference) coming up in Erie, PA (my hometown!) on April 25-27, regarding volunteer efficacy from the standpoint of a small institution. And boy, as a solo-librarian and archivist who manages…
Articles
Getting Organized for your Job Search
by Amanda May, Head Editor, INALJ North Dakota Getting Organized for your Job Search When I was searching for my current work position, I remember feeling overwhelmed. I had applied for quite a few positions, so it was really hard to keep track of everything. I felt like I was drowning in paperwork! I knew…
Articles
Continuing Education: It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it helps
by Yandee Vazquez, Head Editor, INALJ Texas Continuing Education: It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it helps I clearly remember one of the many job rejections I received because of the fact that they were kind enough to let me know. The librarian was extremely nice and, since I’d actually gotten someone on the…
Interviews
Jen Cwiok …AMNH Digital Projects Manager
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Melanie Masserant, Head Editor, INALJ NYC Jen Cwiok …AMNH Digital Projects Manager Melanie: Can you tell us about your current job and how you found it? Jen: I am currently the Digital Projects Manager…
Articles
Things That Make Me Smile in Public Libraries
by Renee Holden, Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska Things That Make Me Smile in Public Libraries I have read so many articles and have heard so many stories about the declining budgets and difficult times of public libraries. I have heard from so many people that question the need for public libraries since everything can be…
Articles
Location, Location, Location
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Location, Location, Location Do you like horseback riding on thousand-acre ranches? Do you like living in the city so every night can be filled with different events, or do you like sitting on your front porch at night listening to the crickets? Do you like the beach? What…
Articles
Keep your head up
by Nena Schvaneveldt, Head Editor, INALJ Utah Keep your head up Easier said than done, right? This job market is terrible. I know I went to library school at a time when a local library was holding open recruitment for librarians and you needed only three-quarters of your Master’s done to apply. Now those postings…