by Ashley Mancill previously published 10/6/14 BANNED! 8 Lesser-known Books Banned in the United States Most of us have read or at least know some of the works that are on the American Library Association’s lists of banned and challenged books. From literary masterpieces, to edgy young adult fiction, to beloved tales and new classics in children’s…
by Ashley Mancill previously published 10/25/13 & 10/30/14 Green Spaces: 6 Structures Repurposed as Libraries I have a thing for repurposed buildings. One of my favorites is a pizza place in Pensacola that is located in the basement of an old hospital, supposedly where the morgue used to be. Eeriness aside, it actually has a…
by Naomi House, MLIS INALJ 2015 Leadership Team! Update: as of 8/31/15 Rachael Altman & Ashley Mancill resigned – I (Naomi House) went back to never resting, lol and running INALJ daily I began INALJ (initially called I need a library job) in October 2010 as a list of jobs for my fellow Rutgers classmates.…
by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alabama Opening a Library, the Future of Librarianship, and Teaching—Interview with Tracy Hall Tracy Hall is the library director for Spanish Fort Public Library, a long-awaited addition to the small Alabama community set to open in Spring 2015. Tracy previously served the staff and student body at Virginia Tech as the Information Literacy Instruction…
by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alabama Make a Lasting Impression in Your Exit Interview Most companies and organizations conduct exit interviews as a way of obtaining feedback that will (ideally) help improve the workplace and employee retention. From an employee’s perspective, this type of interview can be time-consuming (especially if scheduled close to the employee’s departure), cause uneasiness…
by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alabama (Google) Drive Your Library An overwhelming number of patrons I assist in the library have Google email accounts, yet only a handful of them use the Google Drive service it comes with. Most of them have never even heard of Drive. And more and more often, I find myself teaching patrons how…
by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alabama Credit Thieves: How to Protect Your Work and Ideas Most professionals over the course of their careers will likely have the unpleasant and aggravating experience of someone else taking credit for their work or ideas. Sometimes it is as simple as a supervisor not being aware of an employee’s accomplishments, especially if…
by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Four Pieces of Advice from Mary Schmich When coverage of commencement season began over a month ago, I found myself mentally reciting a few random lines from the late-90s hit “Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen.” Those familiar with the song know it is not actually a song as much as it is…
by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama previously published 9/19/13 Knowledge Is Power: Awesome Websites for Learning Library Skills I became interested in library work shortly after leaving the fast-paced and closely related field of publishing. Although I was confident that my work experience was relevant and that I had quite a few transferable skills,…
by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama No Sad Sandwiches Allowed: Tips for Better Workweek Lunches As information professionals, we dedicate a lot our time to organizing and managing information and making it accessible to others. But when it comes to organizing our lunch boxes and making sure we have access to healthy, satisfying meals at work, we sometimes…
by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Tips for Completing a Self-Evaluation I recently had to complete a self-evaluation, a task dreaded by nearly every employee no matter what field he or she works in. Having been in the position for only three months and having limited responsibilities, I couldn’t help feel that I hadn’t made any significant contribution…
by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Tackling the Job Search with Evernote Those familiar with the note-taking app Evernote know that it serves a variety of uses. It helps researchers organize and track data, collaborate and share drafts and documents with colleagues, and delegate study-related tasks. Foodies use it to manage and share recipes…
by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Network at the Holiday Party Hop Andy Williams calls it the most wonderful time of the year, but just because it’s the holiday season doesn’t mean you should put off your job search until January. Although it may seem as if the only companies hiring during December are…
by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Volunteering in Storyland We all have heard how volunteering can serve as job experience and provide those who are seeking a career in librarianship an opportunity to network. But it can be beneficial in other ways, too. Some find it relaxing while others say they find satisfaction in…