by Aisha Conner-Gaten Traveling While Broke: Library Conferences and Scholarships For librarians and information folks, conference attendance can provide essential opportunities for networking, professional development, and, of course, gainful employment. Unfortunately, those seeking new jobs or just better pay cannot often afford conference housing and air travel that accompany exorbitant registration fees. Some conferences totals…
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Mindfulness Tips
by Amanda M. Leftwich Mindfulness Tips Mindfulness has been a hot topic over the course of several years, but what does it mean and how can it fit into your work life? Mindfulness simply means awareness of self and everything around you. Still confused? Ponder this, mindfulness is non-judgmental awareness of self and your place…
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“Why do you need a master’s degree to be a librarian?”
by Alexis Waide, former Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota “Why do you need a master’s degree to be a librarian?” Crowdsourcing an answer for an irritating question Recently, I went to a party attended largely by librarians and/or friends from library school. Several of us were discussing the minor annoyances of our respective jobs and one…
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My Best (Worst) Interview
by Naomi House, MLIS My Best (Worst) Interview Five years ago I had an interview for a dream job at one of the most prestigious libraries in the country. I did not get the job and they made the right choice. I had a great interview despite a wardrobe malfunction and major issues with my online application. In…
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The Importance of Saying “No”
by Naomi Gonzales The Importance of Saying “No” I want to preface this piece by saying this is not an article on negativity, but taking care of yourself. We live in a very “yes”-oriented culture. A professional world where “sure I can do that”, and “I’ll take care of it” are phrases that abound because somehow,…
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3 Ways to Get Your Mojo Back
by Veda Darby Soberman, former Head Editor, INALJ Hawaii 3 Ways to Get Your Mojo Back Perhaps you joined the fray of job seekers full of hope and confidence, but searching for a library job can be a difficult road. You could grow quite disheartened as time passes with little or no job prospects, as…
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7 Tips for Leading a Lively Book Discussion Group
by Kristen Lauderdale, former Head Editor, INALJ Maine 7 Tips for Leading a Lively Book Discussion Group Fall is an exciting season at my library! Adult programs will be starting up again soon, and this year will be my third year leading our small but dedicated book discussion group. Here are some tips and insights…
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How I leveraged my librarian network and training to create a bookish startup
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Baby Face in the Workplace
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Professional Development: Doing it on your own
by Erica Calvert Professional Development: Doing it on your own Whether you are a novice into a degreed-field job hunt or are a veteran of the discipline, securing a job can be a daunting feat. Luckily there is a plethora of resources, organizations and websites that are dedicated to helping jobseekers. With this support system…
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Tips for Getting Unstuck
by Margot Note Tips for Getting Unstuck If you’re looking for a new job or happily employed, there are moments in your professional life when you feel immobile, despite your best efforts. Here are a few pointers for getting unstuck. MariKondo Your Life In the bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese…
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Ten Useful Websites for Techie Librarians
by Rebekah Kati, former Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina Ten Useful Websites for Techie Librarians As a techie librarian, I am frequently overwhelmed by the number of tech blogs and resources that show up in my feed reader and on the internet. It is difficult to know which stories and sites are important, and which…
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Respectfully Declining a Job Offer
by Sarah Deringer, former Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi Respectfully Declining a Job Offer There are times when you cannot accept a job offer. Whether it is because you do not feel like you fit into the culture, the job does not fit into your life goals, or the salary or benefits are not enough, you…
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Self-Care for Job-Seekers
by Elinor Crosby previously published 5/17/13 & 6/19/14 & 12/9/15 Self-Care for Job-Seekers Job searching is a difficult task, and sometimes it seems Sisyphean. There are points in the process where even the toughest, most dedicated seeker becomes disheartened and begins to spiral into despair. Many factors contribute to this, and under- and over-employment are…
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December 2015 Roundup (INALJ Stats)
15 million page views! What a great month! December stats often get overlooked as everyone looks at their end of year stats, but we had a darn good December! Our busiest day in December had 20,964 views on 12/1, and our busiest week had 106,365 views, and our month had 402,184 views! We reached 15 million page…
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10 Fake Books from TV and Film
by Andrew Koval 10 Fake Books from TV and Film #WhenLibrariansHaveTooMuchTimeOnTheirHands “From Outer Space” by Jose Chung (The X-Files Television Series; Season 3 Episode 20) The author in this episode (Jose Chung) speaks to special agent Dana Scully on writing a book on alien abduction whereby he will create a brand new literary genre…
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How Not to Impress a Hiring Manager: Lessons I’ve Learned from Hiring Student Assistants
by Ruth Harries, Content Editor, INALJ Alaska How Not to Impress a Hiring Manager: Lessons I’ve Learned from Hiring Student Assistants I’ve been supervising student employees in academic libraries for around five years, during which time I’ve had to hire one or more employees almost every semester. Going through this process on a regular basis…
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November 2015 Roundup (INALJ Stats)
14.5 million page views! What a great month! On a personal note I celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary to my husband, Sana, and we decided to relocate, temporarily back to Washington, DC. Our busiest day in November had 21,081 views on 11/3, and our busiest week had 105,070 views, and our month had 415,565 views! We reached…
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Applying for Jobs Outside of the US: A Few Places to Start and Some Things to Consider
by Yandee Vazquez, former Head Editor, INALJ Texas previously published 10/28/13 & 10/2/2014 Applying for Jobs Outside of the US: A Few Places to Start and Some things to Consider I love living in Texas, but sometimes the itch to move starts setting in. It’s a need for new adventures, new experiences, a new place.…
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Essential Research Mobile Apps for Librarians
by Stephanie Noell previously published 11/3/2014 Essential Research Mobile Apps for Librarians With so many people using their phones and tablets for everything, it is important for all of us to be aware of the mobile applications for research resources. Many of the research databases that libraries subscribes to have free mobile applications for their…
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Highly Desired: Straightforward Library Job Ads
by R.C. Miessler, former Head Editor, INALJ Indiana previously published 8/16/13 & 9/25/14 Highly Desired: Straightforward Library Job Ads When searching for jobs, sometimes the requirements seem ridiculous. Some job listings appear to be a list of all the library buzzwords and trends over the past 10 years, which can be a bit discouraging when trying…
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5 Creative writing tips to enhance your communication skills
by Kristin Charles-Scaringi previously published 11/12/2014 5 Creative writing tips to enhance your communication skills Before I took my seat at the reference desk of a public library I could be found at a computer writing. I found that my professional background as a journalist and public relations writer, as well as my experience as a creative…
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A Thank You Post to the Rejection Phone Call
by R.C. Miessler, former Head Editor, INALJ Indiana republished from 12/4/13 & 11/24/14 A Thank You Post to the Rejection Phone Call It might be that my favorite season is upon us, that I’m just feeling the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, or maybe the cynic in me is getting soft, but I feel…
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Last day to sign up for @BlogHer’s #NaBloPoMo (blog more!)
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How to stay positive during a long job hunt
by Scottie Kapel, former Head Editor, INALJ Oregon previously published 6/20/13 & 9/26/14 Keeping your head above water: How to stay positive during a long job hunt For many of you reading, you may very well be on your fourth, fifth, or sixth month of your job hunt. For others, you may have passed that…