by Naomi House, MLIS How To Suck At Volunteering Surprise! This is not really and truly a list of how to suck at volunteering! I could have just as easily called it How to be Great at Volunteering. So why the negative slant in the title? Because I have been a bad volunteer and I learned more…
Flexibility in job hunting means considering part-time positions by Crystal Bauer, INALJ Missouri A few months ago I was approaching graduation from my MLS program. As excited as I was at the prospect of graduating, in the back of my mind, I began dreading the job search within the library field. Having volunteered as an…
Wanted: The Next Librarian of Congress by Andy Woodworth The next Librarian of Congress will be the most important job placement in our career lifetimes. Originally, I had written “may be” instead of “will be” because I thought the latter would be a bit hyperbolic. Upon further reflection, I made the decision to remove any…
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…
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…
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…
5 Ways to Take Control of Your Job Search by Brad McNally, Senior Editor A job search is an extremely large undertaking. It is easy to let it get out of control and become overwhelming. Recently, a friend of mine was in a show (The Art of Acting Out) about a young man that…
I can do that! Volunteering in Library Land by Mary-Michelle Moore, Senior Editor One of the tried and true pieces of library job hunting advice is to get experience in a library – any experience. If you can’t find a job, volunteer. The problem with just going to volunteer in a library is the types…
In order to better reflect how LIS folk currently feel I am removing all interviews that are more than 1 year old. This interview may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions, so it has been harvested to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine (see link below) and removed from INALJ. All…
Re-frame your education & experience in your mind to open new job horizons! by Lauren Bourdages, Senior Assistant, INALJ Ontario Something I’ve thought a lot about ever since I realised I wanted to work in libraries is that there are a lot of people in this profession who are adamant that the library is the…
On celebrating all victories in the job hunt by Mary-Michelle Moore, Senior Editor One of the greatest things about volunteering as a senior editor for INALJ is the opportunity to see and work with people who have found jobs/internships/volunteer opportunities using our site. My favorite INALJ articles to read and to write are the success…
And Now For Something Completely Different by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor For my first blog post of the year, I decided to change things up a bit. Instead of writing the obligatory advice piece; maybe create a list of web resources or grind my gears to rehash an older topic and attempt a new…
Do’s and Don’ts of Job Applications: Take Aways from #inaljchat 1/16/15 By Jennifer Divine, INALJ CIO Hosted by Leigh Milligan, Senior Editor Join @inaljchat MONDAYS 9pm ET for #inaljchat on Twitter Q1: Have you ever made a mistake or an error on a job application? If so, what was it? Everyone had made mistakes some…
by Alphild Dick, Senior Editor Please Remain Seated: 5 Tips for Dealing With Coworker Turbulence When we train to be librarians, we talk a lot about how to work with patrons. Libraries are people places, and it’s easy to get jazzed up about a career spent helping people. However, libraries are people places beyond patrons;…
by Emily Woodcock, Senior Assistant, INALJ Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island 8 must haves for going to a Library Conference In the near future, I am going to be attending my first library conference. I am going to the OLA Super Conference in Toronto, Ontario at the end of this month. I haven’t been to…
Ask a Special Librarian Tracy Z. Maleeff Library Resources Manager at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia @LibrarySherpa & LibrarySherpa.com Greetings, INALJers! This is the first installment of my new “Ask a Special Librarian” column for the INALJ.com site. I’ve gathered that there are many myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings about special librarianship through my interactions during…
By Angie Solis, Senior Editor Why I Love INALJ One year ago I began volunteering for an amazing organization – INALJ. My time at INALJ has been not only a fulfilling one, but an educational one. I never thought that I would volunteer for an organization that would allow me to help other professionals in…
by Lisa Iannucci, Senior Assistant, INALJ New Jersey A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That When I first received my M.L.I.S. degree, I was dead set on a full-time position in the archives field. The Great Recession seemed to be abating, and the jobs numbers were on an upswing. However, New Jersey, where I make…
by Courtney Baron, former Head Editor, INALJ Georgia previously published 5/22/13 3 Ways to Get Library Experience without a Library Job I just finished my first semester of library school and I don’t have a library job. By the time I realized I wanted to be a librarian and decided to apply to my MLIS…
by Christina Wilson, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alberta and INALJ Manitoba Volunteer to Boost Your Career Although I’ve worked full time in my field as a library and information professional since graduating from library school, I’ve always found time to volunteer as well. While I enjoy contributing to my community, volunteering has helped me gain valuable experience and learning opportunities that were…
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 Aimee Graham, former Head Editor, INALJ Georgia Parting Words from a Parting Editor My journey began with INALJ in the summer of 2012. I was in a whirlwind, trying to complete my Masters of Science in Information Science from the University at Albany, SUNY within one year, and juggling work, family, four summer classes…
by Naomi House, MLIS A Change You Might Not Even Notice Next week INALJ will undergo a significant change in its volunteer structure…and if I was not sharing this with you you might not even notice once it happened. That is intentional. The change is to lesson the time each volunteer spends on INALJ, while concentrating…
by Sarah Roark Schott, Head Editor, INALJ Arizona previously published 11/1/13 How I Really Feel about Volunteering There have been some great articles here at INALJ about the pros and cons of volunteering, and why you should or should not consider doing it. Overall, I think everyone here acknowledges that volunteering can be a great…
Amanda Brooks, Head Editor, INALJ British Columbia A Primer For Conference Volunteers The INALJ community’s recent discussions about the ALA conference and Lisa Huntsha’s How Volunteering May Actually Be Hurting Your Job Hunt were added incentives to write my planned recommendation for volunteering for conferences. As Lisa pointed out, you should not volunteer in a role which replaces a…
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden previously published on 6/19/13 How Volunteering may actually be Hurting your Job Hunt If you’re job hunting, undoubtedly countless people have suggested that you spend some time volunteering. This can, of course, be beneficial for a several reasons: You can get your foot in the door at a…
by Naomi House, MLIS The Less Trap: 8 Tips on Combating Doing the Same with Less Last May I was invited to speak at the National Press Club by LexisNexis. My passion for volunteer work and reality of staffing cuts at my workplace at the time were colliding. I spoke to the group about building versatility…
by Gabrielle Spiers, Head Editor, INALJ Montana Why I like Volunteering There have been several articles on INALJ over the years about the pros and cons of volunteering but rather than go into that I thought I would talk about how volunteering has helped me. So what kind of volunteer work do I do? Well I am the…
Angela J.A. Kent, Head Editor, INALJ-Virtual Work Thinking outside the box: moving beyond the cubicle and other office space Need to stretch your library skills? Need some extra cash? Looking to fill a gap in your skills, interests, or time? One way to fulfill these needs is through virtual work. Cut the commute time and…
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…
Charissa Brammer, Head Editor, INALJ Maine How to get a volunteer position Resume-building is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, as I have been applying for scholarships and grants and trying to build my LinkedIn profile to attract potential employers in a year when I graduate from library school and enter the world…
by Nena Schvaneveldt, Lauren Bourdages, and Kate Kosturski So You’re Thinking about being a Head Editor… About a year ago, a plucky group of people said yes to a new venture – being head editors on states pages on INALJ. Some are staying, some are going, leaving openings for future Head Editors. If you’re thinking…
by Shelley Macon, former Head Editor, INALJ Florida A Year at INALJ A year ago I was scrolling through facebook and noticed a shout out for volunteers to be state editors of INALJ. And truthfully, I noticed it, but I just kept right on scrolling and didn’t give it another thought. Then I went on…
by Nicole Usiondek, former INALJ Michigan Head Editor Volunteering for INALJ I’m sure many of you are wondering what it is like to volunteer for I Need a Library Job. I can tell you it is an experience that I am so grateful for and have not regretted once. As a Head Editor I spend…
by Mary-Michelle Moore, Head Editor, INALJ Vermont 5 Things I’m Grateful For (Librarian Edition) It’s the end of the year – which means that it’s time to start reflecting on what has happened this past year and to start making plans for the upcoming one. It’s also the season to take reflection on what I’m…
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…
by Nena Schvaneveldt, Head Editor, INALJ Utah Other Benefits of Volunteering When I was 14, I started volunteering at a local hospital. My parents wanted me to get experience and give back, as well as help my college applications stand out. For several years, I volunteered in order to get something in return. Even in…
by Aimee Graham, Head Editor, INALJ New York State Why I Volunteer (And Why You Should Too) My first encounter with INALJ came during a summer session in graduate school; I was going to be completing my MSIS at the end of the upcoming fall semester and needed to find a professional position before they handed…
by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut Resume Building While Searching for a Job Building your resume doesn’t have to be put aside because you can’t find a job at the moment. Use your free time wisely and refine your skills as an information professional. Here are a few tips that I have found helpful…
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…