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 Jennifer Devine, Head Editor, INALJ Maryland Keeping up with your Career through Professional Development One of the great and frustrating things about being an Information Professional is that information is ALWAYS changing! Most of the information you gain from you Master’s Degree eventually will be outdated within a year or so of graduating, which is why we…
by Rebecca Crago, former Head Editor, INALJ Virginia Professional Advancement for Shallow Pockets In the LIS field there is a huge emphasis on professional advancement, but the cost of doing so can be a barrier for many of us. Workshops and conferences are not cheap; they often require travel, registration and supplies costs. In many…
by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Professional Development: Helpful Websites Looking for professional development opportunities has been a priority of mine since I graduated with my MLS about five years ago. Since then I’ve been trying to find as many ways as possible to keep myself updated on developments within the library field. I have been specifically…
by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming Staying Relevant Outside the Profession I graduated from my library program in 2011 and have yet to be employed as a professional librarian. I worked as a legal assistant while getting my degree and then moved to a job in student affairs shortly after receiving my MLIS. I have…
by Leigh Milligan, Head Editor, INALJ Wisconsin New York Comic Con: A Rewarding Experience for Librarians On October 10th, I attended New York Comic Con (NYCC) for the first time. I have always heard about it and wanted to go, but never had an opportunity to until this year. NYCC includes pop culture related vendors and artists, as…
by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho Networking Nerves I know there have been a huge number of articles on the web (including on INALJ) that contain testimonials as to why it is, in fact, worthwhile to go to conferences and other continuing education type events. Spoiler alert: this is another one of those articles.…
by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina “Do You Have Any Questions?”: Four Areas of Focus I dread the “do you have any questions” part of the interview. It can be difficult to know what to ask, especially if you are interviewing for an area of librarianship that is new to you. I’ve found…
by Julie Watson, Head Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania Stop Focusing on your Career! (Soft Skills = Success) This is the fifth in a series of articles on soft skills. Ladies (especially), listen up: Are you anxious for that big breakthrough promotion or that dream job offer? Do you worry that you don’t know what you’re doing…
by Aimee Graham, Head Editor, INALJ New York State What to Do, What to Do: Finding the Library That Fits You When you peruse the job vacancies posted on INALJ (or any job board), you can clearly see that the title of “librarian” can be found in a variety of entities: public, academic, corporate, legal…the…
by Brad McNally, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio Designing (and Maintaining) an ePortfolio Online presence is an interesting thing for job seekers. On one hand, the easier it is to find out information about a candidate, the more a potential employer might feel confident that the hire is a good decision. On the other, a poorly…
by Amanda Viana, Head Editor, INALJ Massachusetts At the Crossroads: Taking the Next Step Post-MLIS In my library career, I’ve had a lot of different roles: volunteer, friend, part-time page, Library Assistant, Information Services Librarian, Library Trustee, and most recently, Assistant Director. Despite having graduated with my MLIS less than two years ago, lately I’ve…
by Stephanie Taylor, Head Editor, INALJ British Columbia Job Searching by the Book I was having coffee with someone I knew in high school, and we were talking about our jobs. I recently landed a pretty sweet job in a my field (library technician) at a time when a lot of people just starting out…
. . . . by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Professional Development in the Workplace Keeping yourself current with library trends and technologies is crucial to furthering your career as a librarian. Professional development in the workplace is a great way to challenge yourself and keep your information professional skills sharp. It is up…
by Kate Kosturski, Head Editor, INALJ NYC All About Mentoring When I attended Drupal Camp CT earlier this month (read my wrap-up here), our keynote focused on mentorship, and the importance of mentors in the Drupal community. The keynote speaker, DrupalEasy co-founder Mike Anello, believes highly in the value of mentoring – for both mentor…
by Sarah Deringer, Head Editor, INALJ Mississippi Back to the Book Shelf: This Librarian’s “To-Read” List If you are anything like me, you have plenty of books on the shelf to read but are always looking for more. I recently ran across a Pinterest item that describes the situation perfectly. It reads, “Abibliophobia: (n). The…
by Mychal Ludwig, Head Editor, INALJ New Mexico Why You Must Travel Full disclosure: I’m writing this from atop a hillside overlooking Laboucherre Bay on the most North Western point of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Currently on vacation in what I like to call Baja Alaska, technically volunteering for an archaeologist friend on…
by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina What Do You Do When You Can’t Relocate For a Job? The most frequent piece of advice that I was given in library school was that I would need to relocate to find a job. “You’ll likely have to move to a place where you won’t want to…
by Jill Olsen, Head Editor, INALJ Nevada My Friend Is Interested in Becoming a Librarian, Can You Talk to Them? I seem to be getting this question a lot lately so I thought I would put it out here and talk about my recommendations to someone who is thinking about becoming a Librarian. I’d love to…
by Alexandra Janvey, Head Editor, INALJ Iowa 6 Great Books on Writing One of my new years resolutions for 2013 was to begin writing seriously and I’ve followed through, with my work appearing in numerous publications in the past few months. To get into the proper mindset, I began devouring a slew of good books…
by Mary-Michelle Moore, Head Editor, INALJ Vermont Mapping out your library career – 3 great reads How to stay afloat in the academic library job pool edited by Teresa Y Neely So you want to work as an academic librarian but you’re not sure what the interview process will look like or what the search committee…
by Alexis Rohlfing, Head Editor, INALJ New Hampshire A Midsummer’s Resolution Resolutions are something we usually associate with New Year’s: new year, new goals, a way to restart some aspect of our lives. By the time we hit midsummer, those resolutions are usually in the rearview mirror — we’ve abandoned the gym membership, the new…
by Adrith Bedore Bicchieri, Head Editor, INALJ Maryland Keeping Current: Low to No-Cost Professional Development Opportunities in June It’s already the end of May, INALJ visitors! Can you believe it? I know I can’t. Here is a list of excellent free webinars open to all for the month of June. The eagle-eyed reader will…
by Adrith Bedore Bicchieri, Head Editor, INALJ Nevada Keeping Current: Low-Cost Professional Development Opportunities in May May is a busy month for many people. If you find yourself with an extra hour, you may be interested in one or more of these free webinars: Extending Access to E-books for Public Libraries: New Strategies, hosted by…
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,…