{"id":29346,"date":"2013-07-10T12:15:49","date_gmt":"2013-07-10T16:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=29346"},"modified":"2013-07-10T13:49:40","modified_gmt":"2013-07-10T17:49:40","slug":"my-library-bucket-list-summer-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=29346","title":{"rendered":"My Library Bucket List: Summer Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Courtney Baron, Head Editor, INALJ Georgia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

My Library Bucket List: Summer Edition <\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"courtney1\"<\/a>I\u2019m in my second semester of library school now and still do not have a library job (nor am I planning on looking for one just yet). I try to stay connected to the field through INALJ and my collection development internship, as well as my coursework, but it\u2019s easy to put forth the \u201cI\u2019m so early into my program\u201d or \u201cI don\u2019t have a library job yet\u201d excuses and avoid networking opportunities. So, to light a fire under my you-know-what and hopefully inspire others<\/strong> in a similar position to do the same, here are eight things I\u2019m planning to cross off this summer as a MLIS student who does not have a library job.<\/p>\n

1. Join ALA and my local state organization<\/strong><\/p>\n

Guys, it\u2019s time. No more \u201cit\u2019s still very early\u201d excuses! I can get a joint membership to ALA and GLA (Georgia Library Association) for a mere $35 as a MLIS student. I don\u2019t know all the benefits of membership yet, but it\u2019s better to have membership on my resume now than wait until after I\u2019ve graduated!<\/p>\n

2. Register for the ALA Virtual Conference<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t afford to swing ALA this year. Not only do I not have the money but I also don\u2019t have the luxury of taking the time off. I\u2019m considering it for next year, but I stumbled upon the 2013 ALA Virtual Conference and I\u2019m probably going to sign up. This is a great way to hear amazing presentations without the hassle of traveling. Of course, you miss the opportunity to network, but it\u2019s still a great resume builder and way to show that you are staying involved in the profession. The conference takes place on July 24 -25 and is completely online. Registration for ALA members is $70 (another incentive to do #1 above). One session that I\u2019m particularly looking forward to is \u201cEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Finding Your First Librarian Job.\u201d Perhaps I will do a recap for INALJ. J Here are the details for the ALA Virtual Conference: http:\/\/www.ala.org\/conferencesevents\/virtual<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Register for a local conference<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since ALA is not a possibility this year, I\u2019m going to try to attend a local conference. For Georgia librarians and job seekers out there, I\u2019ve been told COMO is a must. It\u2019s the annual joint conference for the Georgia Library Association, Georgia Association for Instructional Technology, and the Georgia Library Media Association. The conference is October 10-13, 2013 at the Macon Marriott City Center. You can view more details here: http:\/\/gla.georgialibraries.org\/events.htm<\/a>. Another upcoming conference is the Southeastern Library Assessment Conference that caters to academic librarians and others interested in library assessment. This is interesting to me because I did a project on assessment in my foundations class. I was told that COMO is a better investment for my fist conference so I will likely attend that one but I highly recommend those in the South East area check it out: https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/southeasternlibraryassessment\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. Attend a networking session<\/strong><\/p>\n

Georgia has a group called Atlanta Emerging Librarians for up and coming professionals and MLIS students. They hold free events in the Atlanta area. I haven\u2019t attended one yet but I think it\u2019s time to bite the bullet and go! The next event is on Saturday, July 13 2:00-4:00 PM at the Toco Hills-Avis G. Williams Library and will cover \u201cGoing Pro: From the Interview to First Year\u201d: http:\/\/gla.georgialibraries.org\/div_nmrt_atllibmeetup.htm<\/a>. I can\u2019t speak for other areas, but if Georgia has networking sessions for new librarians, I\u2019m sure you can find similar events in your area! Ask your INALJ Head Editor for advice.<\/p>\n

5. Attend a Webinar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Webinars offer a no-excuses opportunity to engage in the profession. You don\u2019t have to worry about travel, money, or taking time off from your busy schedule. I usually find out about webinars from various listservs but it\u2019s clear that they are happening all over the place and on fascinating topics. Georgia librarians can benefit from the Carterette Series Webinars. They are, of course, free and archive for your viewing pleasure: http:\/\/gla.georgialibraries.org\/mediawiki\/index.php\/Carterette_Series_Webinars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6. Take a library-related MOOC<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve posted about upcoming MOOCs before (https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=21822<\/a>) but I recently heard about another MOOC from the ALA Think Tank Facebook page. It\u2019s the New Librarianship Master class from the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University: http:\/\/ischool.syr.edu\/future\/grad\/newlibopencourse.aspx<\/a>. The course is offered in a guided mode from July 8 to August 4.<\/p>\n

7. Write on my blog<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a professional blog but I\u2019m not a very good blogger. I created the blog to record my experiences and ideas during library school in order to have some educated thoughts to share with future employers. But it probably doesn\u2019t look good to have several weeks or months without a post! I\u2019m going to commit to post at least three times this summer. I\u2019m learning cataloging and really enjoying it so I definitely have material to share. I should probably Tweet a bit more while I\u2019m at it.<\/p>\n

8. Pass my classes<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m taking two MLIS classes this summer while working full time. I was actually told this probably wasn\u2019t a good idea and, while I don\u2019t regret it, it has been intense and time-consuming. I definitely want to put myself out there and emerge from my comfort zone, but I can\u2019t let that distract me from my studies. So this may be the most important goal on my summer bucket list. Of course, I don\u2019t hope to merely pass, but to pass with flying colors!<\/p>\n

Whew, now that I\u2019ve put that out there, I have to get it done! I hope I\u2019ve inspired you to create your own library bucket list and explore some of the options out there. Summer is the perfect time to kick start your library career<\/strong>. Just don\u2019t forget to enjoy some sun and fun!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Courtney Baron, Head Editor, INALJ Georgia My Library Bucket List: Summer Edition I\u2019m in my second semester of library school now and still do not have a library job (nor am I planning on looking for one just yet). I try to stay connected to the field through INALJ and my collection development internship,…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[712,233,3592,3867,4773,3593,4772,356,4774,4376],"class_list":["post-29346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-american-library-association","tag-articles-2","tag-blog","tag-courtney-baron","tag-georgia-library-association","tag-inalj-georgia","tag-library-bucket-list","tag-networking","tag-virtual-conference","tag-webinar"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-7Dk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29346\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}