{"id":76195,"date":"2014-07-08T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=76195"},"modified":"2019-01-01T19:15:38","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T01:15:38","slug":"meet-paula-pergament-former-nonprofit-development-professional-current-mlis-student-and-inalj-illinois-assistant-editor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=76195","title":{"rendered":"Meet Paula Pergament, Former Nonprofit Development Professional & Current MLIS Student"},"content":{"rendered":"

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee\/interviewees’ positions<\/span><\/h2>\n

by Rachael Altman, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Illinois<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Meet Paula Pergament, Former Nonprofit Development Professional, Current\u00a0MLIS Student and INALJ Illinois Assistant Editor<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Paula<\/a> Favorite Library you have been to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The British Library<\/a> in London. My family and I lived in London for a summer\u00a0when I was 14. Seeing the pages of plays and books written by Shakespeare\u00a0and Virginia Woolf (among many, many others) made these authors and their\u00a0histories and experiences seem more human, and less like mythical figures.<\/p>\n

Favorite book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One Hundred Years of Solitude<\/a><\/em>. The transitions are seamless, and the\u00a0imagery is incredibly rich. I always feel that I have a better understanding of what\u00a0love is every time I read it. It\u2019s a great book to lose yourself in.<\/p>\n

Favorite website\/blog (it doesn’t have to be library related)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I read Ask a Manager<\/a> every day. The practical advice offered can be applied to\u00a0the workplace as well as personal relationships.<\/p>\n

Favorite thing about libraries\/library technologies?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 9\/11 Memorial Museum<\/a> in New York includes an exhibit featuring the\u00a0personal voicemail messages people left for their loved ones, and video that news organizations captured as the day\u2019s events unfolded. The preservation and\u00a0organization of digital information and how it can be used to tell stories, share\u00a0experiences, and teach history is fascinating. Digital preservation is a growing\u00a0area in the field, and represents how things are changing all the time.<\/p>\n

If you could take any of your hobbies and create a job of it or\u00a0integrate it into your job, what would it be? And how?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have designed and collected jewelry for several years. If I could, I would work\u00a0in jewelry department of the Boston Museum of Fine Art<\/a>, which was the first\u00a0American museum to create a curatorial position devoted singularly to jewelry.<\/p>\n

What positions have you held (both in and out of libraries)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From 1993 through 2012, I was a fundraiser. My area of expertise included\u00a0foundation and government relations, and I held director level positions at two\u00a0major Chicago cultural institutions before closing out my development career. I\u00a0plan to use the knowledge and experience gained in my previous to career as a\u00a0foundation in my path to becoming a librarian. Both professions are about helping\u00a0people, and connecting them with resources.<\/p>\n

How did you get these jobs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In several instances when I was fundraising, I applied for positions when they\u00a0were posted. There were two times during my development career when I\u00a0applied for jobs I found out about through my professional network, and I was\u00a0hired for both jobs. My contacts were able to provide additional insight into\u00a0the people I reported to, and this information was very helpful in the interview\u00a0process.<\/p>\n

Best piece of job hunting\/career advice?\"rachaelaltman\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seek out and pursue those positions where your skills and experience best align\u00a0with what employers are\u00a0looking for. If you recognize yourself when you read\u00a0over a job description, that\u2019s a compelling reason to apply even if you are missing\u00a0a desired skill. Also, networking can happen anywhere, and lead to unexpected\u00a0opportunities. When I attended my first ALA conference last year, I met a lot of\u00a0interesting people just standing in line to pick up registration materials, including\u00a0the chief technology officer for a university library.<\/p>\n

For 20 years, Paula Pergament worked as a professional fundraiser specializing in securing support from local and national foundations and government agencies. During her development career, Paula garnered resources for organizations such as Urban Gateways, Court Theatre, the Adler Planetarium, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra among others. Her work focused on obtaining funding for capital projects, arts education and science programs, and theatrical and musical productions. She holds a B.A. in art from Earlham College, Richmond, IN, and a M.A. in arts management and public policy from Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. Paula will embark on her studies towards her MLIS at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign this summer, and looks forward to utilizing the knowledge and experience she gained during her development career in a library setting.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee\/interviewees’ positions by Rachael Altman, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Illinois Meet Paula Pergament, Former Nonprofit Development Professional, Current\u00a0MLIS Student and INALJ Illinois Assistant Editor Favorite Library you have been to? The British Library in London. My family and I…<\/p>\n

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