by Africa Hands, former Head Editor, INALJ Kentucky previously published 9/9/13 Writing Begets More Writing In this, my last post as Head Editor of the Kentucky INALJ page, I wrap up my three-part series on writing, with my notes from the third speaker on the ALA NMRT Writing and Publishing webinar. As you will recall,…
by Jazmin Idakaar previously published 10/11/13 The Pepperoni & Cheese Method: Getting Things Done a Little at a Time When I was a little kid, I hated cleaning my room. I would start out and the longer it went on, the more overwhelmed I got, the more overwhelmed I got the slower I got, until…
by Kiersten Bryant, former Head Editor, INALJ California previously published 9/25/13 14 Twitter Feeds for Job Seekers to Follow Need career or job hunting advice? Looking for a new job? Make social media work for you and use Twitter! There are a lot of people out there that are full of professional advice that use…
by Elena Bubelich, Senior Assistant, INALJ Quebec previously published 8/15/13 Real Job Titles of Information Specialists in French Since I’ve volunteered for I Need A Library Job, I have language issues. Quebec is a French-speaking province, so I assume that the most of the audience of INALJ Quebec are French-speaking too. As a result, I think…
by Rebecca Tischler, Senior Editor, INALJ North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon Getting Your Foot in the Door At a library that I previously worked at, I started as a part-time assistant. I was really excited to get that job because I had been told that once I got my foot in the door, I…
by Ruth Kitchin Tillman, former Head Editor, INALJ Maryland previously published 10/16/13 How to Ask for a Reference Asking for references can be as nerve-wracking as applying for a job. But if you collect yourself and prepare beforehand, it shouldn’t be. From a boss: Most hiring managers will want to talk to at least one…
by Mary-Michelle Moore, Senior Editor previously published 8/29/13 The Job Hunter’s Lament Being a job hunter is not easy. In any economy, in any environment, this is one of the hardest things that you can undergo, job searching is tough. When you think about it, your job influences the rest of your life and relationships…
by Sean O’Brien, former Head Editor, INALJ Colorado previously published 8/6/13 7 of My Favorite Professional Development Websites Summer is here, and that means we’ve probably all got a little bit of extra free time. You could spend that time outside, but why would you want to do that? It’s hot out there, and there…
by Kristen Jaques, former Head Editor, INALJ Maine previously published 9/30/13 Should You Accept That Job with the Unattractive Pay Scale? When browsing through library job postings, it is easy to see that jobs for librarians vary greatly in pay. Narrow it down to entry level jobs suitable for the newly-minted librarian, and you will…
by Alexis Rohlfing, former Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire previously published 10/17/13 But Can It Do All That and Mix Drinks? Selling Information Literacy to Non-Information Professionals One of the upsides to working in a non information professional job is that it forces me to think outside the box. Every day, I reevaluate my working…
by Gabrielle Spiers, Senior Assistant, INALJ Montana previously published 8/21/13 4 Back to Basic Tips for Job Seekers Recently, I got the chance to read through resumes and cover letters – the experience prompted reiterating these tips. I realize that a lot of these are really basic, and I feel like they shouldn’t have to…
by Elinor Crosby, former Head Editor, INALJ Nova Scotia and PEI previously published 12/9/13 But I Can’t Move For A Job! What happens if you graduate from your Masters or Technician program and intend to stay in the city or town you went to school in? For some of us that is the only financially…
by Kate Kosturski, Senior Editor previously published 12/27/13 The Doctor Is In….the Library! For the last INALJ blog post of 2013, I decided to embrace the merry of the season (though not that Elf on the Shelf thing), and switch to something lighthearted about libraries…. 23 November 1963 was a momentous date for Britons, and…
by Kiersten Bryant, former Head Editor, INALJ California previously published 10/30/13 How Does This Networking Thing Work? I will be attending a library conference soon and have been looking for advice on how to network at these events. I currently work in the apparel industry in a position that is in no way related to…
by Ashley Crace, former Head Editor, INALJ West Virginia previously published 8/20/13 From Flight Attendant to Librarian: Making Your Non-Library Work Experience Work for You I worked as a flight attendant for five years. During this time, I earned a Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies. I volunteered, interned, and polished my skills. But,…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Claire Schmieder, Senior Editor previously published 5/6/13 This interview is from 2013 Nancy Kranich…Former ALA President and Rutgers University–Lecturer, School of Communication and Information and Special Projects Librarian Claire: Your career path has been…
by Rebekah Kati, Senior Assistant, INALJ North Carolina previously published 11/19/13 4 Higher Education Blogs That You Should Be Reading I love to read blogs written by professionals and thinkers outside the library world in order to gain a different perspective of issues important to librarians and higher education in general. Below are four higher…
by Emma Pinault, Senior Editor, INALJ Florida, INALJ Idaho, INALJ Indiana, INALJ Iowa, INALJ Kansas, INALJ Georgia, INALJ Hawaii Consider the Public Library Many of us, in college and in library school, fell in love with the academic library. It might have been a little intimidating to an undergraduate freshman, at first, but a good university…
by Sara Dixon, Former Head Editor, INALJ Kansas So Long INALJ and Thanks for All the Fish! In February of 2013, I was desperate to get out of cubicle world and land my first post-MLIS librarian position. I had used INALJ while it was still a PDF digest that Naomi would email to countless addresses. And when she…
by Jennifer Reisch, Senior Assistant, INALJ NYC Jill Abramson Hates Censorship (and So Do I!) I recently had the opportunity to hear Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times, speak at the Chautauqua Institution. Her talk was on the ethics of privacy, and I was struck many times throughout her presentation on the similarities between librarians…
by Raymond Pun, reference and research services librarian in New York University Shanghai Working Abroad As a Librarian: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead Thinking about working abroad? There are growing opportunities to work abroad as a librarian or information specialist these days. However, when you consider working abroad as an adventure, there will be tons of unexpected challenges…
by Holly Boyer, Senior Editor, INALJ ALA NMRT can help you find a job and succeed in your career The American Library Association New Members Round Table wants you to succeed. They want you to be successful so much, they’re willing, able, and really excited to help you along the way. How, you ask? By…
by Valarie Swayze, Senior Editor, INALJ Plan Your Mission & Conquer Your Goals Setting goals and accomplishing them is a powerful experience, and one that can motivate you to being better every day. The first step to purposeful goal-setting is writing a personal mission statement. If life is a journey, a mission statement would be…
by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana Preparation, Preparation, Preparation, and…….Preparation. Preparing for a job interview is probably the least exciting of tasks to perform, but it should pay off in the long run, if you are diligent. When I think back to my first interview, I remember the mental…
by Stephanie Noell, Senior Assistant, INALJ Texas Testing the Regional Conference Waters Regional library conferences are a great way to get involved in professional organizations. You can present a paper, volunteer for the conference, organize a meet up for your listserv/ committee/gaming group (Call of Cthulhu anyone?), or just go to listen to great talks…