Knowledge is power: an Ideal Library Community Center by Angela Piccola, Senior Editor Libraries often expand programming to best serve the community. Libraries have to be receptive to the needs of patrons and adapt accordingly to maintain relevancy within the community. During difficult times, such as a recession, the unemployment rate goes up causing many…
Staying in Touch: Moving On Doesn’t Have To Mean Cutting Ties by Cassidy Charles, Senior Assistant, INALJ NYC Staying in contact with someone after a move or a transition is rough. You go from seeing them on a regular basis or communicating regularly to not seeing them as much and infrequent talks. You get…
Prepping for ALA Annual 2015: A Job Seeker’s Perspective by Oscar Giurcovich, Senior Editor About 2 weeks before I wrote this blog post, I received an email from ALA asking me to confirm my hotel reservation for Annual in June. “Why are they sending this out so early?” I thought to myself. I then glanced…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions Interview with Marissa Lieberman about Tosho-con and Planning a Comic Con at your Library by Leigh Milligan, Senior Editor My great librarian friend Marissa Lieberman is holding an anime and comic convention at her library…
7 Tips for Moving Past Job Search Rejection by Erin Kinney, Senior Assistant, INALJ Wyoming There are several strategies for coping with rejection of any kind, not just during the job hunt. Rejection on the job hunt has been covered on INALJ, but a refresher is always good. Process Your Emotions It is natural to feel angry…
Off the Beaten Path: a Blueprint for LIS Career Moves Q&A with Dr. Sandra Hirsh by Alison Peters, INALJ Contributor As a San José State University iSchool student, I’d heard of Dr. Sandra Hirsh, iSchool Director, and her many, many accomplishments, projects and accolades. But I was not expecting to speak with such a happy,…
Title Awareness in the 21st Century by Lisa Iannucci, Senior Editor As a public librarian working part-time hours, I am constantly up against time constraints. Because one of my many responsibilities is collection development, it’s essential for me not only to remain current as far as what’s happening in the book industry but to stay abreast…
Taking Chances and Blooming Where You are Planted by Heidi Greathouse, Senior Assistant, INALJ New Mexico So, you may be in a situation in which you haven’t found your dream library job yet or even a library job at all and still are looking. You may be in library school and will be graduating…
Librarian Certification and Good Vibrations by Rose Noel, Senior Assistant, INALJ Kentucky I felt the vibrations as I entered the library. There was a new energy pulsing through the beautiful, but normally serene public library building. I wondered as I stuffed my purse into a spare employee locker whether I had forgotten a particularly grand…
So You Want to be a Librarian: is it necessary to visit libraries in person? by Emily Woodcock, Senior Assistant, INALJ Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island The short answer is YES! While enrolled in the MLIS program at Western University in London, Ontario, I have gone on tours of a number of different libraries and information…
by Amanda Viana, former Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts republished from 2/14/14 & 4/15/14 Dr. Taxlove, or: How I learned to stop crabbing and embrace tax season For everything there is a season. In public librarianship the year falls into distinct seasons: planning for summer reading in the spring, end of the fiscal year reporting, the…
2nd best month EVER & 10.5 million page views! What a great month! March was such an amazing month at INALJ! 2nd best ever, in fact! Our busiest day in March was 22,633 views on 3/30, and our busiest week had 122,687 views, and our month was 543,482 views, our 2nd best month ever! We also hit 10.5…
by Holly Boyer, former Head Editor, INALJ Virginia previously published 4/14/14 Gamification, or adding a little excitement to your work If you’re looking for a librarian position in an academic (or even a public or school) library, you’ve probably seen ads that require familiarity with emerging technologies. And if you’re like me, you aren’t really sure what that…
Celebrating Women’s History Month – Susan Sosin: Library Friend Extraordinaire by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida Susan Sosin’s volunteer work for libraries and other community organizations is an important part of her life. From an early age growing up in Highland Park, New Jersey, Susan learned the significance and impact of volunteering her time…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions Q&A with Dr. Sandra Hirsh, Editor of Information Services Today: An Introduction by Alison Peters, INALJ Contributor Lewis Carroll wrote in Alice in Wonderland: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will…
By Katie Blake previously published 4/16/14 Which Boolean Search are you? Operator as Mantra Remember your delight when you really dug into how we search for information? Boolean terms are relevatory in providing tidy parameters for search patterns. They are so often applied in our everyday, we Information Professionals might forget to savor them. Let’s review: Or And…
Amanda Brooks, former Head Editor, INALJ British Columbia previously published 3/13/14 A Day in the Life of a Conflicts Information Specialist “What is a Conflicts Information Specialist?” you may be asking yourself after reading that title. I certainly was when I stumbled across a job posting for this position. The purpose of a Conflicts Information Specialist…
Have you contributed content to your library’s website? by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Senior Assistant, INALJ Michigan If you haven’t yet, it’s only a matter of time. Think of all the pieces of content on your library’s website: event listings, ebook download instructions, lists of services, how to get a library card, research guides, blog posts…that’s…
Resume Missteps & Solutions by Amy Steinbauer, Senior Assistant, INALJ California The job search is a messy, complicated game of employment. It can seem like all of the hiring factors are out of your control. You get excited at job ads and prospects, send your resume and cover letter in, and wait, and wait, and wait.…
Tips for Boosting Your Presence in the LIS Community by Angie Solis, Senior Editor Being a part of the INALJ team means that I’m surrounded by many amazing people who rock my world every day with their knowledge and ability to be superstars in the LIS community. Seriously, it’s like I know celebrities. I find…
Mining Your State Library by Tracy Wasserman, Senior Assistant, INALJ Florida State libraries are information resource providers for their state governments, serving the information needs of state agency employees and the state legislature. That’s their first mission. Their other mission? To collect and preserve the published history of their state. The State of Florida, for…
Don’t Discount the Digital Community by Sarah Morrison, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alberta and INALJ Manitoba I’ve noticed an underlying feeling that pervades discussion of the internet, introversion, and community. It’s one of those things that isn’t always explicit, and I don’t have one or two “exposé” links to point to for proof. But there seems…
Ask a Special Librarian – March Edition Tracy Z. Maleeff Library Resources Manager at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia @LibrarySherpa & LibrarySherpa.com Spring cleaning time is almost upon us. It’s a good way to clear out some cobwebs, air some things out and just prepare for a new season of your life. Yes, I’m…
Why Running Makes Me A Better Librarian by Alphild Dick, Senior Editor I’m not fast. I don’t wear a GPS watch. I don’t track my mileage on MapMyRun and I usually wear my old winter reading sweatshirts on cold runs rather than the high tech gear my family buys me for the holidays. But I…
Techniques, books, and e-books for the young, unengaged reader Melodi Pulliam, Senior Assistant, INALJ Kentucky I would like to tell you all a little story. My son has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and I am sure we all know someone (or know someone who knows someone) who has a child that has been diagnosed with…