{"id":63272,"date":"2014-03-03T11:30:09","date_gmt":"2014-03-03T16:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=63272"},"modified":"2014-03-04T19:00:05","modified_gmt":"2014-03-05T00:00:05","slug":"thinking-outside-the-box-moving-beyond-the-cubicle-and-other-office-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=63272","title":{"rendered":"Thinking outside the box: moving beyond the cubicle and other office space"},"content":{"rendered":"

Angela J.A. Kent, Head Editor, INALJ-Virtual Work<\/a><\/p>\n

Thinking outside the box: moving beyond the cubicle and other office space<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"angela.kent\"<\/a>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 log on to build your skills and earn some extra money. Below are a few interesting trends and tips specific to virtual job\u00a0searching.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Featured Jobs<\/strong>. There are some great jobs that can be done from the comfort of your own home.\u00a0Currently, INALJ-Virtual Work<\/a> has job postings for a \u201cContent Crafter,\u201d an \u201cOnline Curator,\u201d and\u00a0even Virtual Catalogers. As the INALJ-Virtual Work Head Editor, I have been happily surprised\u00a0and thoroughly impressed with the types of online library jobs that myself, our assistant, and\u00a0other members of the community have found.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Think about your favorite online sites<\/strong>. One reason to turn to virtual opportunities is because\u00a0the organization itself is geared towards the online environment. Think about online shopping\u00a0sites like Amazon, online readers like Feedly, or other online websites that you frequently visit.\u00a0All these organizations need employees who understand metadata, filtering, tagging, user\u00a0behavior, among other library skills. Just like you would seek out organizations you\u2019d like to\u00a0work with in person, the same philosophy can be applied to your virtual job search.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Health Information Technology<\/strong>. Health IT is not only a growing field within the general\u00a0marketplace (think, \u201celectronic medical records management\u201d) or even just in the field of library\u00a0and information sciences. It\u2019s also a growing field for virtual work. If you are a medical librarian,\u00a0a medical professional with a library science degree, or an LIS grad with an interest in records\u00a0and data management, you should be looking into virtual health IT work.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Keywords are key<\/strong>. As with any job search – and as any good librarian knows – keywords are\u00a0crucial to finding the types of virtual jobs you\u2019re interested in. If you\u2019re on a library jobs website,\u00a0include terms like \u201ctelecommute,\u201d \u201cvirtual,\u201d or \u201cremote.\u201d Sometimes you can also filter for\u00a0virtual positions using the \u201cLocation\u201d filter. If you\u2019re on a virtual jobs website, be sure to include\u00a0library keywords like \u201cKnowledge Management,\u201d \u201cRecords Management,\u201d and \u201cInformation\u00a0Professional.\u201d You can also focus in on virtual library-based jobs by looking for terms like\u00a0\u201cDigital Content Curator,\u201d or \u201cDatabase Designer,\u201d or \u201cUser Experience Design.\u201d See the left-hand side of the INALJ website for more examples).<\/p>\n

\u25cf Staying focused on librarianship<\/strong>. To go along with your keywords, remember to keep an eye\u00a0towards librarianship and not just the virtual. It\u2019s also no surprise that tech jobs dominate the\u00a0professional virtual work world, so here are some points to remember (thanks to Naomi<\/a> for\u00a0recently pulling these ideas together):
\n\u25cb While some librarians may have software developer<\/em> skills, most librarians can more\u00a0easily translate their skills and training into database developer positions.
\n\u25cb While some librarians can (or have to) act as the IT helpdesk<\/em>, most librarians are better\u00a0off leading with their analytical and information professional skills.
\n\u25cb While some librarians have taught and instructed<\/em>, stay focused on the library side of\u00a0education. In the virtual setting, this can include online academic companies that could\u00a0be looking for online resource professionals or library-based vendors that provide\u00a0course management software (like BlackBoard<\/a>, Moodle<\/a>, or LibGuides<\/a>). Other virtual,\u00a0academic-library positions to consider, include online bibliography managers (like\u00a0RefWorks<\/a> or Zotero), online IM services (like Library H3lp), and many academic journal\u00a0databases (like ProQuest<\/a> or Ebsco<\/a>, to name just two). All these vendors provide online\u00a0library services that may also hire virtual workers as well.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Virtual Volunteering<\/strong>. Just like in the physical space, online volunteering can lead to great things.\u00a0Some examples of virtual volunteer websites include Volunteer Match<\/a> (select \u201cVirtual\u201d from the\u00a0filters on the left-hand side) or the UN\u2019s Online Volunteering<\/a> website. And, while INALJ doesn\u2019t\u00a0focus on volunteer positions, we do promote virtual volunteering in one important way. INALJ\u00a0runs on volunteers who work all over the country and communicate primarily online. If your interests match the skills we\u2019re looking for, consider volunteering with INALJ<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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…<\/p>\n

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