SCALA

Election—Vote!

2012-02-15T11:04:00.001-05:00

Thanks for voting. The election has closed.

Scholarship: The Acquisitions Institute Conference

2012-02-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

The Acquisitions Institute is sponsoring a scholarship for a student currently enrolled in library school to attend the Acquisitions Institute at Timberline Lodge Conference on May 19-22, 2012 in Mount Hood, OR.

Students must submit a 300 word essay telling the Acquisitions Institute about themselves and why attendance at the Acquisitions Institute would benefit them. Applications should be submitted to planning@acquisitionsinstitute.org by March 5, 2012 to be considered for the scholarship.

The Scholarship will cover the Institute registration including meals, Timberline Lodge accommodations, plus up to $300.00 in travel expenses (reimbursed from receipts).

The Acquisitions Institute is a 3 day conference that focuses on the building and managing of library collections.

More information about the Institute, including the preliminary program for 2012, can be found at: http://www.acquisitionsinstitute.org/home

If you have any questions please contact: planning@acquisitionsinstitute.org

Public Library Association Conference in Philly - March 13-17, 2012

2012-02-06T17:58:00.000-05:00

The Public Library Association (PLA) conference is March 13 - 17 at the Philadelphia Convention Center. There's a great schedule of speakers and events—including a closing session with Betty White!

Check out the web site for the complete schedule: http://placonference.org.

Student Registration Discount
If you'd like to attend, the student rate for current ALA members is just $105 for all three days (both advance and day of). Single day tickets are available for $80 (until Feb. 10) / $85 (after Feb.10).

Register here: http://www.placonference.org/registration

Volunteer
If you'd like to save some money, you can also volunteer at the conference, helping out at the information booth, the PLA store, or with registration bag stuffing.  Volunteers get an exhibits plus badge, which gets them into the exhibit hall, as well as the opening and closing sessions and the all- conference reception. This is a great option for students who can't take advantage of the membership discount to still attend the conference.

Volunteer info: http://placonference.org/volunteer

Virtual Conference
Can't make it to Philly? The PLA 2012 Virtual Conference will consist of live programming on Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16, including five hour-long programs each day, plus author interviews, poster sessions, and opportunities for networking. Programs are chosen from among the highest rated in PLA’s session preference survey. Each day also will include a closing session "happy hour" event for attendees to get together and discuss the day's programming. The student registration rate is $85.

Virtual Conference info and registration:
http://www.placonference.org/virtualconference

Hope to see you there! Conferences are great ways to network with others in the field and get involved professionally.

Feb. 8: Online Meeting

2012-02-06T17:40:00.001-05:00

Join us to discuss how students, both online and on campus, can be more involved in SCALA & DUSLA. Bring your questions and ideas!

Wednesday, February 8
7:00pm - 8:00pm EST

Click the following link to join: http://drexel.enterthemeeting.com/m/FRCYW7GU

To dial-in to the meeting: Call (949) 202-4265 Audio Pin 42153#. Skype users use the same number and pin

[SkillShare] SimplyMap Webinar is now online!

2012-01-27T17:28:00.000-05:00

If you missed the Getting Started with Data Librarianship Using SimplyMap webinar or would like to revisit this great tool, check out the recording here:

[SkillShare Webinar] Getting Started with Data Librarianship Using SimplyMap

Thanks again to Tim Siftar for a great presentation and to the attendees for your participation.

Remember, if you have expertise to share, you could be the next SkillShare presenter!

Feb. 3: Guided Tour of the American Philosophical Society

2012-01-25T19:16:00.002-05:00

The American Philosophical Society, the country's oldest learned society, has played an important role in American cultural and intellectual life for over 250 years. Its library houses an incredible collection, including many priceless first editions and much of Benjamin Franklin’s personal library. Don’t miss it!

Friday, February 3 from 3 – 5 PM

There are 12 spots on the tour. Reserve your space by e-mailing duslaonline@gmail.com by Wednesday, February 1st.

To learn more about the collection, visit www.amphilsoc.org.

The American Philosophical Society is located at 104 South Fifth Street in Old City, Philadelphia. Directions and travel arrangements will be sent after RSVP confirmation.

This event is co-sponsored by SCALA and DUSLA.

Image credit: Flickr (APS Museum)

SCALA/DUSLA General Meeting & New Officer Recruitment

2012-01-19T13:00:00.005-05:00

Come find out what the student chapters of the American Library Association (ALA) and Special Libraries Association (SLA) have planned for 2012—and how you can get involved.

Several current officers are graduating, opening up opportunities for leadership. Officer positions are open to both on campus and online students. Help us continue to expand the resources and professional opportunities we provide for all iSchool students.

On campus: Friday, January 27 from 6 - 8 PM in Rush Room 014 (snacks will be served)

Online: Email drexelscala@gmail.com or duslaonline@gmail.com for more info or to submit your name for the upcoming elections

SkillShare Wants YOU

2012-01-15T21:03:00.001-05:00

Would you like to gain presentation experience? Test out a new talk? Highlight favorite resources and tips? Sign up to lead a SkillShare session!

The SkillShare series is an opportunity to share expertise and pick up new skills from colleagues. We welcome professionals at all levels (you too, students!) and diverse ideas.

To lead a session or suggest a speaker or topic, email drexelscala@gmail.com.

More Professional & Job Search Resources

2012-01-15T20:23:00.009-05:00

The Job Hunt

The ALA JobLIST Direct, the free bi-weekly e-newsletter from ALA JobLIST! The newsletter keeps you up to date on what’s going on with job-seeking and hiring in the profession—including information on new publications, professional development offerings and opportunities to connect and network. Sign up for it here:
http://ala.informz.net/ala/profile.asp?fid=1494

ALA JobLIST Placement Center at ALA Midwinter
If you’re looking for a job or a new employee, in addition to the networking possibilities at ALA Midwinter Meeting (Dallas, TX, January 20-24, 2012), the ALA JobLIST Placement Center is an excellent resource, with all services free to job seekers. Provided by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR), the Placement Center will be open on the Saturday and Sunday of the meeting, with an orientation on Saturday at 8:30am. January 21.

Job seekers should register and search for jobs on the JobLIST website at http://joblist.ala.org . Registration (recommended but not required) will give registered employers access to your resume information. It also allows for direct communication between job seekers and employers.  

How to become an Essential Librarian 
by Branne Kirsh 
Published in the November issue of Endnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round Table 2, no. 1 http://bit.ly/uGxgJw  

I Need a Library Job Launches Website 
Read the blog about locating a library job, connect with others, and see the jobs list all in on place.  http://inalj.com/  

When Looking for a Library Branch out!  
We all know that finding a job after library school can be tough, by expanding your search beyond the traditional library, you expose yourself to more opportunities and just might find the perfect job in an expected place. Here are a few places to look for jobs outside the traditional library realm.   

USA Jobs: The US Government has libraries at every agency and hires MLIS graduates for all sorts of information related jobs. All applications and job announcements for the Federal Government are posted at USA Jobs.  
LAC Group Hires for companies across the US. Some jobs are temporary but many are permanent positions.  
AIM Library Staff: A placement company that works with private organizations throughout the US.  
NonProfits: Nonprofits often hire researchers and other positions perfectly suited for someone with an MLIS. Search for nonprofit jobs here or on individual organization websites.  
Publishers: Like nonprofits, publishers are looking for talented folks for work with copyright, research, and much more. Take a look here or on individual company websites.

Opportunities

LITA/Ex Libris seeking LIS student authors
The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is pleased to offer an award for the best unpublished manuscript submitted by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited graduate program. The manuscript can be written on any aspect of libraries and information technology. Examples include digital libraries, metadata, authorization and authentication, electronic journals and electronic publishing, telecommunications, distributed systems and networks, computer security, intellectual property rights, technical standards, desktop applications, online catalogs and bibliographic systems, universal access to technology, library consortia and others.
Sponsored by LITA and Ex Libris, the award consists of $1,000, publication in LITA’s refereed journal, Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), and a certificate. The deadline for submission of the manuscript is February 28, 2012.

To be eligible, applicants must follow the detailed guidelines and fill out the application form at
http://www.lita.org/ala/mgrps/divs/lita/involve/committees/exlibris/ExLibrisAwardApplica.pdf

Send the signed, completed forms by February 28, 2012 to the Award Committee Chair,

Heidi Hanson, University of Maryland, McKeldin Library, IT Division, College Park, MD 20742-7011.
Submit the manuscript to Heidi electronically at hhanson@umd.edu by February 28, 2012. The award will be presented at the LITA President’s Program during the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. 
ALA Awards & Grants ALA offers hundreds of grant and award opportunities throughout the year and for all types of librarians/students. Check out their list of grant opportunities often so that you don’t miss out! http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/index.cfm

Conference Opportunities

3M/ NMRT Professional Development Grant  
The purpose of the 3M/ NMRT Professional Development Grant is to encourage professional development and participation by newALA members in national ALA and NMRT activities. Applicants must be personal ALA/ NMRT members who are working within the territorial United States. The 2012 3M/ NMRT Professional Development Grant will help finance attendance at the 2012 Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA: June 21-26, 2012. It covers round trip airfare, lodging, conference registration fees and some incidental expenses.  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/nmrt/initiatives/applyforfunds/3mawardinformation.cfm  

2012 ALA Annual Conference Poster Session Proposals 
Proposals for poster sessions to be presented at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim are now being accepted. An application form is available on the poster session website, at http://www.lib.jmu.edu/org/ala/howto.aspx, and the deadline for submission is January 6.  The poster session committee encourages submissions from all types of libraries and on any topic relevant to librarianship. Submissions may include a description of an innovative library program; an analysis of a solution to a problem; a report of a research study; or any other presentation that would benefit the larger library community.  The deadline for submitting an application is January 6, 2012. Applicants will be notified by Feb. 29, 2012, whether their submission has been accepted for presentation at the conference, prior to the ALA Early Bird Registration deadline. The 2012 ALA Annual Poster Sessions will be held June 23 and 24, 2012 (the Saturday and Sunday of the conference) at the Anaheim Convention Center.  More information: http://www.lib.jmu.edu/org/ala/  

Society of American Archivists-Call for Student Paper and Poster Presentations
2012 Annual Meeting The 2012 Student Program Subcommittee is accepting proposals for two special sessions dedicated to student scholarship during SAA’s Annual Meeting in San Diego, August 6-11, 2012. Work from both master’s and doctoral students will be considered.This year's theme is Thinking “Beyond Borders.” Thinking “Beyond Borders.” enables us to envision new opportunities beyond our institutions and specializations, to expand our perceptions of history, culture, memory, and recordkeeping to arrive at a more inclusive and holistic view of the great work of archives. In 2012 we have the opportunity to free ourselves from the imaginary borders of our past and leverage the opportunity, knowledge, and experience that lies beyond.Proposals that address the program theme are especially encouraged.  More information: http://www2.archivists.org/conference/2012/san-diego/student-call   2013 ALA Annual Conference program proposals will be due May 11, 2012 ACRL invites proposal submissions for the ACRL 2013 Conference to be held April 10 -13, 2013, in Indianapolis. Contributed paper, panel session, preconference and workshop proposals are due May 11, 2012. Cyber Zed Shed presentation, poster session, roundtable discussion and Virtual Conference Webcast proposals are due Nov. 9, 2012. Submit proposals via the online form available in the Call for Participation.

Call for Poster Proposals
ACRL Science and Technology Section (ACRL-STS), ALA Annual Conference, Anaheim California, 2012. Deadline Friday, January 6, 2012  The ACRL STS Research Committee and STS Program Planning Committee invite proposals for posters to be exhibited during the STS program reception at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. Posters will be displayed from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 25, 2012, immediately following the STS program, which starts at 8:30 a.m. All proposers for accepted posters must be present to answer questions.  We encourage proposals for posters relating to the following program theme: Educating Tomorrows Science Professional: The program seeks to establish a dialogue between science & technology librarians, faculty and students, focusing on the issue of preparing today’s students to become tomorrow’s science professionals. The discussion will explore the challenges faculty face as they seek to educate emerging scientists, new outreach models for working with faculty on creating information and data literate researchers, and the ways librarians can work with science students to support their goals of becoming science professionals. Posters that present innovative programs, cover new instructional methods, discuss successful outreach efforts and develop curricula for producing data literate faculty and students are welcomed.   Poster proposals should be:
• Well written, clear, logical and well organized (250 words or less).
• Original, timely and relevant to science/technology librarianship.
• Contribute to the advancement of science librarianship.
• Develop ideas, offer significant conclusions, and provide useful and practical findings.
• Appeal to and engage the audience, providing opportunities for discussion and interaction.
• Provide a good visual description of the project.
Special attention will be given to proposals that:
• Relate to this year's theme.
• Generate ideas or report on work that contributes to an ongoing discussion about the future of science and technology librarianship.
• Demonstrate innovative thinking.
• Contribute ideas for positioning science and technology librarians to be leaders both on and off campus.
• Present strategies for effectively implementing new ideas.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Friday January 6, 2012. Review of submissions by the STS Research Committee will begin immediately.  Poster proposals (250 words or less) should be submitted via e-mail to: Edward Gonzalez, Co-Chair of the STS Research Committee, elgonzal@iupui.edu  Be sure to include your name, institution, phone, fax, e-mail address, and poster title. We do not accept proposals from vendors.

Make Sure You're in the Loop
Follow the ALA Student Members Blog. A Library Writer’s Blog - Various library-related calls for proposals, chapters, speaking, etc

[SkillShare Webinar] Getting Started with Data Librarianship Using SimplyMap

2012-01-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

Thursday, January 19 * 8:00 - 9:00 PM EST * Free

Login at http://bit.ly/SCALAevent

Data librarianship is one of the fastest growing fields in library science. Knowing how to access demographic evidence and use data visualization tools can enhance your research, course assignments and reference work. (The skills looks great on a resume, too.)

Join Drexel iSchool Librarian Tim Siftar for an introduction to the amazing data sets available on SimplyMap's user-friendly platform. SimplyMap offers various trial data sets with over 70,000 variables to explore, including census, business, health and consumer information. We'll walk through some examples with lots of time for questions.

RSVPs are appreciated (but not required) so that we can request additional trial user seats for the demo. Please email drexelscala@gmail.com by January 18.

Image: A nifty example from SimplyMap: Point-data for all libraries and archives in the Philly area (Dun & Bradstreet data) on top of the overall population map showing a record for one site.

Join SCALA & DUSLA for a Guided Tour of the Rosenbach Museum & Library

2012-01-05T14:28:00.000-05:00

The Rosenbach collection includes many rare and one-of-a-kind books, manuscripts and works of art. Don’t miss this special opportunity to visit some of Philadelphia’s singular treasures!

Friday, January 20^th

Noon – 2 PM

There are 10 spots on the tour. Reserve your space by e-mailing duslaonline@gmail.com by Wednesday, January 18.

To learn more about the collection, visit www.rosenbach.org

The Rosenbach Museum and Library is located at 2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia. Directions and travel arrangements will be sent with RSVP confirmation.

Photo via Flickr (P Donovan)

End of Term Social * Friday, December 2

2011-11-29T17:15:00.000-05:00

RSVP at our Facebook event or email drexelscala@gmail.com

Literary Events in Philadelphia

2011-10-25T09:52:00.000-04:00

Philly Happenings

October 25

6 PM "The Strangest Tribe: How a Group of Seattle Rock Bands Invented Grunge

Penn Bookstore, 36th & Walnut

FREE event

October 27

5 PM The Story of a Life: acclaimed Israeli writer Aharon Appelfeld speaks w/ Nili Gold, Penn's Hebrew languages department

Claudia Cohen Hall, Room G17, 36th and between Locust & Spruce, Penn's Campus

Free Admission

6 PM "The Ultimate Book of Gangster Movies"; local crime experts rank the greatest gangster films of all time.

Penn Bookstore, 36th & Walnut

FREE event

7:30PM Jennifer Egan, "A Visit from the Goon Squad" with Jaimy Gordon, "Lord of Misrule", and Karen Russell "Swamplandia!"

Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library, 1901 Vine Street

Free Admission

$15 General Admission, $7 Students. For Info: 215-567-4341.

October 29

2 PM Chuck Palahniuk speaking about "Damned"

Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library, 1901 Vine Street

Free Admission

No tickets required. For Info: 215-567-4341.

November 1

7:30PM Jeffrey Eugenides "The Marriage Plot"

Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library, 1901 Vine Street

$15 General Admission, $7 Students. For Info: 215-567-4341.

Novemeber 09

6 PM Straight Edge: writer Sacha Z. Scoblic discusses her memoir, "Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety"

Penn Bookstore, 36th & Walnut

FREE event

November 10

5 PM "People of the Book: The Politics of Writing in Jewish Modernity", the author Andreas Kilcher, professor of literary and cultural studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, discusses.

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, Class of '55 Room, 3420 Walnut Street

FREE event

for more info, email: jsp-info@ccat.sas.upenn.edu

November 15

6 PM former "Simpsons" writer, Larry Doyle discusses his new collection of humorous short stories, "Deliriously Happy: And Other Bad Thoughts."

Penn Bookstore, 36th & Walnut

FREE event

7:30PM Claire Tomalin "Charles Dickens: A Life"

Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library, 1901 Vine Street

Free Admission

No tickets required. For Info: 215-567-4341.

December 01

7:30PM Randall Kennedy "The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency"

Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library, 1901 Vine Street

Free Admission

No tickets required. For Info: 215-567-4341.

December 5

7:30PM Susan Orlean "Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend"

Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library, 1901 Vine Street

Free Admission

No tickets required. For Info: 215-567-4341.

December 13

7:30PM Edward J. Larson "An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science"

Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library, 1901 Vine Street

Free Admission

No tickets required. For Info: 215-567-4341.

Mentorship Opportunity

2011-10-19T12:10:00.000-04:00

Are you a library student thinking about a career in academic librarianship? The ACRL-Delaware Valley Chapter can match you up with a librarian mentor who can answer questions, give advice, or just serve as a sounding board for your worries and ideas.

To be matched with a mentor, please send your contact information and your areas of interest to DVCmentoring@gmail.com. We will match you with a librarian who has expertise in those areas, and works within a reasonable geographic proximity.

To learn more go to: http://www.acrldvc.org/mentor.htm

Professional & Job Hunting Resources

2011-10-14T11:00:00.006-04:00

Get involved in the LIS community and boost your job search with this helpful list of resources from our student chapter liaison at ALA. Good luck!

Five EBSCO Scholarships for 2012 ALA Midwinter

http://bit.ly/obuPik

NMRT Shirley Olofson Memorial Award for funding to the 2012 ALA Annual Conference

http://bit.ly/VOL4c

ALA Scholarships Program

ALA has lots of money that they want to give to students! Check out the opportunities here.

http://ala.org/ala/educationcareers/scholarships/index.cfm

Professional Development/Communication

ALA Listservs

So much information is shared through this listservs that I cannot stress enough that you should find some listservs to follow. There are tons and can get specific, but take a look and see what's of interest for you. I highly recommend following the New Members Round Table list (NMRT-L) as it has lots of resources for students and new librarians.

http://lists.ala.org/sympa/lists

Free Webinars!

Library Webinars is a blog organized by the Northeast Florida Library information Network and gathers information on library webinars being offered around the country. These are great opportunities to learn more about particular topics, might help generate ideas for events, and is just good information to share with members.

http://neflin2.blogspot.com/

Job Hunting Resources

I need a library Job (Facebook, email list, and twitter)

http://www.facebook.com/ineedalibraryjob

Higher Ed Jobs (good for those interested in academic libraries)

http://www.higheredjobs.com/

LibGig

http://publicboard.libgig.com/

ALA JobList

http://joblist.ala.org/modules/jobseeker/controller.cfm?rssjobid=17750

Association of Research Libraries Job List

http://www.arl.org/resources/careers/positions/index.shtml

LIS WIKI "HOWTO: Apply for a library job"

http://liswiki.org/wiki/HOWTO:Apply_for_a_library_job

Open Cover Letters

Wondering what your cover letter should look like? tired of looking at all those online templates? Check out Open Cover Letters, which is full of anonymous cover letters from hired librarians and archivists.

http://opencoverletters.com/author/opencoverletters/

iConnect Networking Event October 14-15 on campus & online!

2011-10-05T09:00:00.003-04:00

Join us and other professional associations at iConnect. R.S.V.P. for the events and webcast at http://www.ischool.drexel.edu/iconnect. See you there!

Lubuto Library Presentation Follow-up

2011-09-26T19:50:00.003-04:00

In case you missed the Lubuto Library presentation by Jane Meyers, you can catch it here:
http://goodwincollege.adobeconnect.com/p7p8axs73e9/

For more information, see their Youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LubutoLibrary or visit their website at http://www.Lubuto.org

Back-to-School Social * Friday, September 30

2011-09-23T09:45:00.000-04:00

RSVP at our Facebook event or email duslaonline@gmail.com.

Back-to-School Events Round Up!

2011-09-23T09:40:00.004-04:00

Here's a week of ways to celebrate the new term, socialize and network. Welcome back!

Graduate Student Association (GSA) Welcome Back Event
Celebrate with GSA, EGA and DIG at this social event for all graduate students. Two free drinks and endless appetizers. More info...

Friday, September 23 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Landmark Americana (on the Drexel campus - 3333 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104)

Special Event with Jane Meyers of Lubuto Library Project ONLINE too!
The Lubuto Library Project builds libraries for AIDS orphans and street children in Southern Africa. Come learn about how libraries make a difference in third world communities—and how you can get involved. More info ...

Monday, September 26 from 5:00 -6:00 PM
Hagerty Library Room 033 on the Drexel Campus and online at http://bit.ly/SCALAevent
R.S.V.P to drexelscala@gmail.com

iSchool Alumni Association (ISTA) Networking Happy Hour
Make connections with former classmates, iSchool alums, and graduating students. FREE for iSchool alumni and students. $10 per guest. More info...

Thursday, September 29 from 5:00 – 7:30 PM
World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104)
Click here to R.S.V.P.

DUSLA & SCALA Back-to-School Social
Kick off the new term with DUSLA and SCALA. Appetizers and beverages are on us. Come meet classmates and discuss upcoming events. New students welcome! More info...

Friday, September 30 from 5:00 -7:00 PM
Landmark Americana (on the Drexel campus - 3333 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104)
Click here to R.S.V.P. or email duslaonline@gmail.com

A Conversation with Jane Meyers of the Lubuto Library Project

2011-09-19T19:41:00.007-04:00

Please join us for a very special event with Jane Meyers, Founder and CEO of the Lubuto Library Project. The Lubuto Library Project builds libraries for AIDS orphans and street children in Southern Africa (mostly Zambia). Come learn about how libraries make a difference in third world communities—and how you can get involved. For more information visit www.lubuto.org.

WHEN: Monday, September 26 from 5-6 PM

WHERE: Hagerty Library Room 033 on the Drexel Campus - Refreshments will be served. This event will also be simulcast live online at http://bit.ly/SCALAevent

image credit: Lubuto Library Project

Life in Library School—with a Baby!

2011-08-20T19:26:00.001-04:00

We're kicking off a new guest blogger series featuring stories and advice about the library school experience. Today, recent Drexel grad Olivia Castello shares her perspective on becoming a parent while in school.

I started my MLIS at Drexel’s iSchool in March of 2009 and graduated in June 2011. During this time I took 1-2 classes a quarter, worked at 3 different internships, volunteered as a digital librarian... and had a baby!

Simon was born in August 2010, about mid-way through my time at Drexel. I learned a lot from the experience of being pregnant and caring for an infant while pursuing a graduate degree at the iSchool.

Contrary to what you might assume, grad school can be the perfect time to have a baby... especially if it is your first child. It was for me, at least. The feasibility of it all depends entirely on your particular situation. I am lucky to have a wonderful husband who, from the outset, committed to covering our expenses for the roughly 2 years while I pursued my degree. I was also enrolled at the iSchool as an online student even though I live in Philadelphia. I found this arrangement to be ideal since I was able to schedule the classes I needed online but was also able to make it down to campus for the occasional on-campus class, group work session and iSchool event. Because of all these factors, I had the freedom to stay at home with the baby while still actively pursuing my degree.

While I was pregnant I also started making contact with other librarians and library school students who had had babies during school or while working as an early career librarians. I realized that I would need to get as many classes out of the way as possible before the delivery and that I would also need to take a quarter off afterwards to recover. Finally, I sought out an ACRL mentor who was able to advise me specifically about being a mom of small children and launching a career in academic libraries at the same time.

In the end, I decided to take Summer 2010 off from school. Simon came later than expected so I ended up starting classes in Fall 2010 with a one month old baby at home. I started slowly with only 1 class. It was a little bit rough, due to lack of sleep, but I managed. As for professional activity, I did have to resign my post as Treasurer of Drexel's SLA chapter since I wasn't able to make it down to campus any more. I also stopped working right before I gave birth. When I took up classes again, I informed my professors at the beginning of each quarter that I had recently had a baby and found everyone to be very understanding.

By Winter 2010 I was back to my regular 2 class program and in Spring 2010 I added a part-time internship at Drexel Libraries and began job hunting. In short, life returned to normal much faster than I had imagined it would. This was possible because of the online format of iSchool classes and because of some very supportive professors (Profs. Rebekah Kilzer, Alison Lewis, Alison Miller and Deborah Turner, in particular). I was happy to find that I didn’t have to ask for as much special consideration in classes as I had expected and that it was possible to remain active professionally via the iSchool’s live-streamed events, webinars, etc. I even made it to the ACRL conference in March 2011 with the help of my husband and a babysitter. I job hunted all Spring and was lucky enough to secure a full-time academic librarian position starting this Fall.

What will work depends on your particular situation, but for some people, grad school may be an optimal time to take the plunge and start a family. I recommend not letting fears about juggling a new baby and your grad school program thwart your plans to have or adopt a baby. I, for one, found that doing both was much easier than I had imagined. And you don't have to have an “easy baby” (Simon definitely is not!) for it to work, though I would say a fully-engaged partner is essential. It also helps to have supportive colleagues and friends. Local mom’s groups are great resources as well. Through mine I ended up meeting several other local LIS professionals with new babies.

Everyone's experience of new parenthood is different. I found it helpful to hear as many people's stories as possible, not as forecasts of what would happen to me but just as a way to gauge the range of variation. Please feel free to contact me with questions or if you would like to hear more details of my experience. I also tweet about my particular combination of mom-hood and academic librarianship at @adaycalledzero. Good luck!

Olivia Castello earned her MS in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Digital Libraries from Drexel University in 2011. She was awarded a Dean's Fellowship from Drexel, served as the Treasurer of the Drexel Chapter of SLA and completed internships at UPenn Libraries and Drexel Libraries. Currently, she is the Outreach and Information Technology Librarian at Bryn Mawr College Library. You can follow her on Twitter @adaycalledzero

* Photo care of D Sharon Pruitt

Our New officers!

2011-08-05T14:30:00.001-04:00

Congrats to Leila Lucas our new Vice President and Jeff Lambert our new President! Our new website address is as follows: http://www.ischool.drexel.edu/studentorgs/ala/index.html

2011-07-27T17:00:00.003-04:00

Voting has closed for new officers.

Volunteer librarians needed for West Philly Schools!

2011-07-25T18:49:00.001-04:00

Gain library experience while supporting local schools! Read on for details...

The Lea School at 47th and Spruce has lost its staff librarian to the layoffs. To offset this and supplement the library, the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC )'s Open Books, Open Minds program will be coming to Lea in the fall 2011.

WePAC will provide books and materials for enhancing the library space as needed and a trained volunteer librarian several times a week to facilitate children checking books in and out as well as a storytime for visiting classrooms. For older children, assistance may be provided with doing research for projects. Scheduled library periods will not be considered "prep periods" for teachers, who will accompany children in their visits to the library. WePAC will offer an afterschool (or in school) writing or school newspaper club to be held in the library.

WePAC is looking for volunteer librarians for Lea and is especially interested in volunteers from the local community. The minimum time commitment requested by WePAC for its volunteers is two hours every other week. Those interested in volunteering at Lea through WePAC should contact Beth Menasion at emenasion [at] gmail [dot] com or Amy D'Antonio at amy [dot] dantonio [at] gmail [dot] com

Read more about the project on the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood School web site.

Surviving the Job Search: From the Other Side of the Desk... The Phone Interview!

2011-07-15T10:43:00.002-04:00

Today’s guest post comes from Vicki Gruzynski, an Information Services Librarian at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO).

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have recently finished up my duties as a member of a hiring committee here at SEMO, so these tips and tricks for a successful phone interview and on-campus interview experience are fresh in my mind.

You’ve managed to send out 4,000 copies (slight exaggeration) of your beautifully written cover letter and impeccably crafted CV. And now a potential employer wants to talk to you! Or better yet, wants to bring you on campus! Congrats! Phone and on campus interviews can be extremely nerve wracking (you only one chance to make a good first impression!) but with the right amount of preparation, you can feel confident and things can go smoothly.

First, let’s focus on the phone interview.

Generally, someone from the committee or human resources will contact you to set up a time for the official interview and a phone number where you can be reached. If it is possible to arrange your schedule to be available during the times the hiring committee has asked, please do so. I myself have never been part of a phone interview that has taken longer than an hour, with most being only about 30 minutes in length. Clear up any potential confusion about time zones, as well.

Be certain that the committee will be able to reach you at the agreed upon time. If you have poor cell phone reception in your apartment, find a friend who has an apartment with good reception. If you are a student, it is possible that your university will have some quiet rooms that can be used for such a purpose. You can always ask a professor if you can borrow his or her office line and space for an hour. My library mentor always offered her office to students needing a stable phone line and a room with a door.

Sometimes there will be a committee on the other end of the line, and sometimes there will only be a single individual. I have yet to use a phone with high quality speaker capabilities, so the most frustrating part of interviews (from the perspective of an interviewee) is use of a speaker phone with the whole committee. It is impossible to comfortably sit 5 people around one phone, so inevitably there will always be one or two committee members who are too far away to be heard properly. It is perfectly acceptable to politely say, “I’m sorry; I was having trouble hearing you. Can you repeat the question?”

Usually you will be asked about 8 questions. The questions tend to be a mix of general “why do you want this job/why did you join this field?” questions and more position specific questions about current library trends, web skills, teaching ability, and reference experience. Ask your peers who are also in the job search process what types of questions they have been asked in their interviews. My library school had a wiki with a list of questions that people had been asked - some were real doozies, but for the most part, there was nothing too crazy that needed extensive preparation. I also suggest you search online for general interview questions - things like “What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? How do you manage conflict with a coworker?” etc. These questions are not necessarily library related, but they help the committee get a sense of your interpersonal skills.

I STRONGLY encourage you to do a few mock interviews with friend, either in person (just don’t look at each other!) or over the phone. That way, you can have some well prepared and well thought out answers on the tip of your tongue on the day of the interview. Be detailed and concise in your responses. Try to eliminate your vocal fillers - the “umm”s and the “like”s. Speak clearly, and not too quickly.

I also had my notes in front of me during the interview - facts about the school I found intriguing, interesting research/projects the library was undertaking, and anything else I thought might be useful to have on hand in case I suffered a brain blip during the interview (for me, that is the ACRL Information Literacy Standards - I know them, but sometimes under duress, I can’t quite get them in the proper order).

After the committee has finished with their questions, be sure to have 2-3 questions of your own. You may think of something during the interview, but I like to be prepared. Asking about the student body (not the numbers but the general academic atmosphere on campus), the position’s duties (what does a typical work week look like?), and research and conference expectations are all good ways to show you’ve done your homework on the position but want to know a little more.

When the interview is done, generally the committee will give you an idea of when you’ll be hearing from them. If they don’t, ask! And be sure to send a follow up thank you note to the members of the committee. E-mail is fine. Thank them for talking to you, answering your questions, explaining the position, and taking time out of their schedule. Emphasize that you would be a good fit for their library, and tell them you look forward to hearing from the committee.

With any luck you’ll be asked to campus for a live interview!

If you'd like to share questions that a search committee asked you during a phone interview or another tip, leave a comment below.

ALA Virtual Conference - July 13-14

2011-07-05T07:10:00.000-04:00

Missed the ALA conference? Check out the Virtual Conference:

"ALA Virtual Conference brings you additional interesting and useful sessions—perfect for those who couldn’t make it to Annual Conference as well as those who did and are ready for more—right from your own computer.

ALA is offering a full series of 11 interactive web sessions on Wednesday, July 13 and Thursday, July 14 after the 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA. The conference will begin each day at 9:30 a.m. Eastern/6:30 a.m. Pacific and end at 5:00 p.m. Eastern/2:00 p.m. Pacific."

For more info and to register visit http://www.alaannual.org/virtual/

Special Library Association Conference 2011

2011-06-21T14:12:00.006-04:00

Special Libraries Association (SLA) is an international professional association for library and information professionals working in business, government, law, finance, non-profit, and academic organizations and institutions.

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) was founded in 1909 in the state of New York and is now the international association representing the interests of thousands of information professionals in over eighty countries worldwide.

Click on this link to find out more about the Special Libraries Association: http://sla2011.tornado1.com/

The 2011 SLA conference in Philadelphia provided me with the tremendous opportunity of becoming "future ready" by exchanging ideas and connecting with thousands of information professionals.

I learned many things from the lectures at the conference. Below are the highlights of some of the lectures I attended.

Thomas Friedman

http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/

The opening keynote speaker Thomas Friedman, winner of 3 Pulitzers and New York Times columnist, talked about how the global economic playing field is being leveled. Thanks to the internet, globalization has taken off, and more and more people can collaborate together to create things and share it with the world.

Since the world is now "flat":

The job market has become more competitive, because employers can reach out to people all over the world. You have to be above average in order to stay competitive in the job market. Employers no longer want people who do well at their job, but continuously reinvent their job. They want people who can do critical thinking and reasoning too. You need to find your “extra”, develop it, and exploit it.

Today cross-disciplinary studies are more important than ever. Thomas Friedman said if you spend your life in one silo, you won’t have the ingenuity to connect the dots. Now more than ever, we need to synthesize and collaborate, incite innovation and inspiration, so that we can create universal connectivity.

Silos no longer exist; groups are getting broader and more diverse. Subject specialty is no longer crucial. Inter-disciplinary studies are becoming more and more relevant in today’s society.

How we treat a person is more important than ever, because we live in a transparent world. We are in the age of behavior, because we are under constant surveillance through social media networks.

Since there is more information than ever on the internet, we have to learn how to sift out the noise, and find the facts or the “golden nuggets” of information. As information professionals, we should be able to help people find these golden nuggets of information, while giving them a sense of ownership.

Forensic Science Explained

I went to this lecture purely out of curiosity. An FBI agent Gene Lanzillo taught us the basics of crime scene investigation. At this lecture I learned:

When people are deceased they have no constitutional right to privacy
Don’t make assumptions about what happened, even if it looks obvious
People at crime scenes wear hazmat suits, face masks and booties so that nothing is contaminated
Dr. Edmond Locard (1877-1966) formulated the basic principle of forensic science: "Every contact leaves a trace". This became known as Locard's exchange principle.
It takes them 30 minutes to set up each photograph
They take several photographs of everything at several different angles
They also use Nikon cameras, ultraviolet light systems, alternative light sources, pathfinders, and dental stone to make foot print impressions in the ground

So they say you have to be published

Step one to getting published: Read, read, read

Step two: Ask yourself…what is missing? What are the real needs?

Step three: Meet those needs incrementally, excellent research develops slowly and other time

Step four: Think cross-disciplinary

Step five: Think about how to approach your problem and think carefully about your methodology

Step six: Consult with colleagues

Step seven: Create small pilot components of your project

Step eight: Look up studies that need updating—

Step nine: Develop a thick skin; some reviewers can be a little harsh

Step ten: Participate in poster sessions, writing reviews and columns

Also…

Keep a log of your ideas
Practice writing as much as you can
Be aware of things that spark your interests
Watch for special issues
Don’t sulk, take the feedback, fix the changes and submit your writing again
Share your ideas with your mentors and colleagues by talking out loud, so you can clarify your thoughts.

Writing habits

Develop a routine
Create a schedule and stick to it
Write regularly
Create goals and deadlines
Proofread before submission and read things aloud
Find a writing partner.

Core Competencies

Choose an appropriate journal and follow their requirements and formatting guidelines

Reviewer Criteria

Topic of potential interest to readers
Originality
Clearly defined topic and purpose
Appropriate choice of research methods and procedures
Research results clearly presented and explained
Logical/ justifiable conclusion
Organized

Manuscript acceptance/rejection

Accept
Accept, with pending revisions
Reject, but invite resubmissions
Rejection
If you get accepted with pending revisions, you should respond promptly. If you do not want to make the revisions, you need to provide justifications for not wanting to make changes. However, publishers do not like it when you quibble. Finally, you need to submit the revised article to the editor with correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, data, statistics, tables and figures.

Alternative uses of the Library Degree

What employers are looking for?

Employees who accepts challenges
are Quick to learn and not afraid to change
Flexible
Resourceful—finds the best solution within a budget
Positive attitude
Someone who knows software, html, CSS
The ability to thoroughly understand all levels of online search interfaces and data structure
Broad knowledge of web applications and tools
Understands the limited nature of the web

Ways to find work:

Volunteer
Network, network, network
Be proactive
Get out and show your knowledge
Continue learning new things

Lastly, remember:

We are all self- employed
Change is always heading our way
The investments you make in yourself will define your career opportunities
Forget about perfection, focus on resiliency and courage
Let go of the attitude that --no one understands what it is I do
Professional viability is reliant on our continuous ability to learn new things on demand and remain flexible
Don’t get too comfortable or complacent. Keep working hard, take chances and always have an exit strategy.
Define your own value to a potential employer
You learn a heck of a lot more from failure than from success, it’s okay to make mistakes
The only time you learn something substantial is if you risk failure
You are not a failure so long as you learned something from the experience
Have confidence in your skill set—the world needs what you know
Use LinkedIn!

Best Resume Practices

There are no rules about resumes
Always keep your resume updated
Think about who your reader is
Try to keep one document that is your basic resume and make changes when needed. In other words, don’t have several different resumes for several different jobs. This can be challenging to keep up with.
Curriculum vitaes are better for international
Resume must create a bridge between where you are now, and where you intend on going
Create a bridge statement for your resume…What are your preferred skills and what makes you unique?
Highlight skills that would be applicable to the library position you are applying for
Be quick, concise and clear
Don’t go over two pages
Divide your skills in areas that will match your bridge statement. In other words, divide your skills into areas or skill buckets.
Project what it is you really enjoy doing
Highlight your strengths
Use key words because often times your resume is simply scanned for key words that fit the job description
End on a strong note, begin on a strong note—most of the time resumes are scanned and not thoroughly read
However, check for grammatical and spelling mistakes
In your cover letter begin with…I was excited to read about the position, show enthusiasm and interest. Let them know why it is you are interested in the job.
In the second paragraph of the cover letter, explain why it is you match the job description
In the third paragraph, confirm you interest and how you can be contacted.

Closing Keynote Speaker: James Kane

James Kane has been recognized as one of the leading researchers and consultants in the science of loyalty and the role it plays in human relationships and the communities we form. He has merged the worlds of business, neuroscience and behavioral psychology. From http://www.jameskane.com/

From his lecture, I learned:

Predictions are based on the context of the present, so they are not always correct
The reason why our species has survived is because we continue to work together
What keeps people together are relationships not politics--Human beings look for trust, belonging and purpose
Use insight to strengthen your relationships with other—look beyond what is obvious, show empathy and ask yourself—what is causing them to act this way?
Anticipate people’s needs before they ask you
People like to be included
Connect with the people you interact with—go beyond the basics and share some commonalities
Talent is overrated, you need to work hard in order to be successful

If you have any questions about the conference, please feel free to contact me. Also, if you would like to know of some people in the area that do career counseling and resume review, I would be happy to share that information with you.

Sincerely, Sarah Parnell

sgparnel@gmail.com

Volunteering for the ipl2

2011-06-17T08:00:00.004-04:00

One of the best work experiences I had during my pursuit of the MLIS at Drexel was as a volunteer for the ipl2. The ipl2 is an “information community” that provides authoritative collections, information assistance and instruction to patrons from around the world. It was formed by the merger of the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarian’s Internet Index (LII) websites and is hosted by Drexel University at the iSchool. The ipl2’s Ask an ipl2 Librarian service is heavily used by thousands of patrons, particularly teachers and youth.

I originally got the opportunity to volunteer via my INFO 522 Information Access and Resources class, one of the requirements for the MLIS. That quarter I was trained by the ipl2’s Manager Alison Miller to be a Digital Reference Librarian (volunteer brochure) and I began answering questions.

Digital Reference Librarians claim and answer questions submitted by ipl2 patrons on a wide range of topics. Volunteers have some choice in what questions they answer, so there is an opportunity to concentrate on your particular subject specialty or interests. Overall, the emphasis is on providing excellent customer service. Volunteers need to be able to not only find answers to patron questions but also to communicate these answers in ways that are articulate and accessible to the patron.

Personally, I love the scavenger hunt aspect of helping patrons to answer questions. I love the opportunities for impromptu instruction and I love the sheer variety of questions that you get. Since the ipl2 tries to promote free, publically accessible and authoritative online resources, answering questions for them quickly familiarizes you with some of the best such resources available on the web. Another great aspect of this volunteer experience for anyone who is new to providing reference services is that the email format is “asynchronous”. This avoids the time pressure that new reference service providers sometimes feel in a chat or in-person reference interaction, making it a great way to get your feet wet. The web searching and website evaluation skills I honed at the ipl2, as well as the writing skills I gained from drafting informative and instructional answers, have definitely benefited me in subsequent professional experiences.

Since I enjoy digital reference and have been training to be a public services librarian, I also took Prof. Eileen Abel’s INFO 740 – Digital Reference Services (a class I highly recommend). In this class, I was able to take my volunteering for the ipl2 a step further by becoming a Reference Administrator (volunteer brochure). Reference Administrators are responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of Ask an ipl2 Librarian. They sort and classify incoming questions and provide guidance to the volunteer Digital Reference Librarians. In busy times they also reprise their role as Reference Librarians by helping out with longstanding or difficult patron questions.

I found the experience working for the ipl2 so rewarding that I stayed on as a volunteer after my classes ended. I’ve found that getting so much digital reference practice has really helped me become a better communicator and a better teammate to a group of other librarians working together to provide service to patrons – both essential qualities for working in a library, regardless of department or specialization.

If you are a library school student who has the option to integrate the ipl2 experience into your coursework or if you are a professional librarian looking for a great way to get more reference experience, I recommend volunteering for the ipl2. It’s educational, rewarding and fun!

Olivia Castello earned her MS in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Digital Libraries from Drexel University in 2011. She was awarded a Dean's Fellowship from Drexel and served as the Treasurer of the Drexel Chapter of SLA. Currently, she is the Drupal Intern at Drexel Libraries. She blogs about family history research at http://givenkerbs.wordpress.com and you can follow her on Twitter @adaycalledzero.

Summary - Job Search Information by Jenny Maurer

2011-06-08T10:39:00.004-04:00

SUMMARY NOTES
Managing your online presence and networking

· If there is information about you online make sure it is accurate, up-to-date, and that you set yourself apart (especially when you have a common name) when possible.

· Google your full name to see what comes up. Set up a Google Alert of your name, and variations of it, to keep on top of what information about you is online.

· Word of mouth, referrals, and recommendations are all common ways of hearing about job openings. Make sure you keep in touch with your network and let them know you are looking for a job.

· Always present yourself positively and in a collegial manner. You never know when someone you meet or when someone who is following you online might be in a position to hire you.

Finding vacancy announcements

· Volunteering, internships, informational interviews, temporary and paraprofessional positions may all lead to a permanent job. Make the most out of these opportunities while you are in them.

· Use RSS feeds to manage online job postings.

· Don’t forget that the institution or HR website may post positions before they are sent to aggregators.

Answering job announcements

· Applying for a paraprofessional job when you already have an MLS can help prepare you for a professional position or lead to a promotion.

· Use your judgment to determine if this is a good step for you based on your career goals.

· If you do not meet all of the qualifications for a job, but you can make a strong case for how you are qualified through other types of experience use the cover letter to reflect this.

Cover letters and resumes

· Bullet points in resumes—okay, but make sure they contain relevant content in an informative but concise manner. Use descriptive action verbs

· Use the cover letter to link your experience to the qualifications of the job. Be careful with the cover letter---typos and incorrect information are judged pretty harshly

· If you call to check in after submitting your materials, inquire about the receipt of your materials and the status of the search. Follow instructions (ie “No call”) in the vacancy announcement.

References

· Make sure you ask for permission to use someone as a reference. And ask if they can give you a positive reference, ie “Would you have time to write a strong letter of support for me?" or "May I ask you to provide a positive reference for me?”

· Provide references with a “virtual folder” with relevant materials, such as transcripts, CV, the job description and a cover page that highlights the work you did together

· Be sure to thank your references

· Provide a brief comment on your reference list about your relationship to the individual (“direct supervisor”, “colleague”, etc…)

Interview prep

· Informational interviews—call in advance for an appointment, keep to the time commitment agreed upon, and send a thank you note

· In advance of an on-campus interview, visit the library (if possible), read all materials in the interview packet and read everything you can find online (mission statement, vision, goals…).

· Sometimes for Tech Services positions, tests (create a MARC record) are administered during the interview

· Have questions for the search committee—shows professional engagement and interest in the job.

· Geography can sometimes be a relevant factor in the search process, so if you’re relocating (or are willing to relocate) you may want to indicate something along those lines in your cover letter.

RESOURCES

Online presence

· ALA Midwinter 2010 ACRLNew Members Interest Group panel on Personal

· Branding http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/nmrt/news/footnotes/february2011/personal_branding_for_new_librarians_yelton.cfm

· Google Alerts (from the posting of Cynthis Wetzel) http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en

· Labrecque, Lauren I.; Ereni Markos and George R. Milne (February 2011). "Online Personal Branding: Processes, Challenges, and Implications". Journal of Interactive Marketing 25 (1): 37–50.

· Slideshare for sharing your presentations www.slideshare.net

· Scribd for sharing your documents www.scribd.com

· Social networking with a brain: a critical review of academic sites by Kim Leeder http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2008/social-networking-with-a-brain-a-critical-review-of-academic-sites/

· You: The Online Version by Michael Porter aka Libraryman http://www.libraryman.com/blog/2009/10/02/you-the-online-version/

Networking

· ACRL New Members Discussion Group on ALA Connect http://connect.ala.org/node/66417

· ALCTS New Members Interest Group on ALA Connect http://connect.ala.org/node/85257

· liscareer.com articles on networking http://www.liscareer.com/networking.htm

· Shontz, Priscilla K. Jump Start Your Career in Library and Information Science. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2002. ISBN 0810840847 Chapter 4: Networking

Finding Vacancy Announcements

· ALA Joblist http://joblist.ala.org/

· The Chronicle – Library related jobs http://chronicle.com/jobCategory/Library-information-sciences/58/

· Consortia job posting sites

· LibGig http://libgig.com

· Library Job Postings on the Internet http://www.libraryjobpostings.org/

· LibWorm http://www.libworm.com/

· LISJobs.com http://www.lisjobs.com/

· NASIG Jobs http://jobs.nasig.org/

· State and regional job posting sites

· Temporary agencies that specialize in library jobs Library employment agencies http://www.lisjobs.com/jobseekers/

· University and college job posting sites

· USA Jobs www.USAjobs.gov

· Your network! Tell everyone you are looking for a job. Tell them every time you see/meet them, but also be ready to tell them about your career interests and what you have to offer.

Answering the job announcement, cover letter and resume

· 5 Resume Mistakes You’re Making and How to Avoid Them (http://www.careerrocketeer.com/category/resumes)

· Avoid These 7 Killer Cover Letter Mistakes (http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/cover-letter-tips/Avoid-7-Killer-Cover-Letter-Mistakes/article.aspx)

· Career Q&A with the Library Career People (http://www.lisjobs.com/careerqa_blog/)

· Cover Letters, Resumes, and Interviews, Oh My! (http://mrlibrarydude.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/cover-letters-resumes-and-interviews-oh-my/)

· Crafting a Winning Resume (http://liscareer.com/allen_resumes.htm)

· How to Write a Resume (http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/how-to-write-a-resume/article.aspx)

· Making Your Cover Letter Work For You (http://liscareer.com/allenmurray_coverletters.htm)

· Resume Mistakes: The 5 Worst Resume Sins (http://www.careerealism.com/resume-mistakes-worst-sins/)

· Shontz, Priscilla K. The Librarians’ Career Guidebook. Scarecrow Press, 2004.

· Spring Cleaning for Your Resume (http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/spring-cleaning-for-your-resume/article.aspx)

Professional references

· Career Q&A with the Library Career People (http://www.lisjobs.com/careerqa_blog/)

· Shontz, Priscilla K. The Librarians’ Career Guidebook. Scarecrow Press, 2004.

· To Whom It May Concern: A Guide for Giving Employment References (http://liscareer.com/allen_references.htm)

The Interview

· The Ins and Outs of Job Hunting for Library Positions by Brian Keith, Assistant Dean for Human and Financial Resources, Smathers Libraries, University of Florida:http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00103153/00004.

· NMRT First Impressions, Lasting Impressions: Tips for Job Interviews http://www.ala.org/cfapps/archive.cfm?path=nmrt/footnotes/interview.html

· Interview Checklist http://www.careeronestop.org/ResumesInterviews/Interviews/Checklist.aspx

· NMRT Interview advice websites http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm/resreview/interview.cfm

Surving the Job Search: From the Other Side of the Desk

2011-06-06T10:02:00.000-04:00

Today’s guest post comes from Vicki Gruzynski, an Information Services Librarian at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO).

Being on a search committee is a valuable and rewarding experience, albeit very time consuming. It has given me a unique perspective on the hiring process that I will certainly keep in mind when applying for jobs in the future.The timing of this post could not be more perfect, as my colleagues and I finished our committee duties mere days ago. While I cannot speak for every university hiring committee, I can lend you my insight from my recent experience of being on the other side of the hiring process. For brevity’s sake, I will only be focusing on the written application portion of this whole ordeal because the phone interview and on campus interview are worthy of their own attention.

Every university is different. First of all, the level of involvement of human resources can vary. This school year, we had a shift in faculty hiring processes (librarians are considered faculty at SEMO) that entailed a much higher level of involvement from human resources. Instead of applicants sending their materials directly to the library, as they had in the past, HR vetted all applications and passed on to the search committee anyone who met the primary cut. After that, the ranking of candidates was in our hands, with various HR loopholes to jump through.

The unfortunate thing about the hiring process, from the perspective of an applicant, is that every university/library/committee is different, so I can’t give any hard and fast rules for EVERY hiring committee, but I can talk about best practices for making sure your application doesn’t instantly get tossed into the “no” pile.

First, some nitpicky things.

Sending the completed application: Double, triple, quadruple check that all requested files have been included. When a hiring committee is dealing with anywhere from 50 to over 200 applications, it’s really easy to come up with reasons why applications should be thrown in the “no” pile, so keep these things in mind.

File names: What is your file titled? The best titles are ones that make it easy for the committee to search for the file later, something like “Gruzynski cover letter SEMO” makes it clear to the reviewer who has sent the file, but also that this cover letter was written specifically for this position.

File types: send a PDF. Mac and PC users can easily download this type of file, and the reviewers won’t be able to see all of your previous edits like can sometimes happen with a Word file.

Formatting: Cover letters - no more than two pages, but don’t try to squeeze everything onto one page by making the margins and font teeny tiny. I would rather read two pages of well formatted writing than one page of microfont.

CVs - When an academic library job asks for your CV, it doesn’t have to be limited to one or two pages. My CV is currently at 6 pages, between the various jobs I’ve held over the years, scholarships I’ve won, presentations I’ve given, committees I’m on, tech skills that I have, etc, which I can easily shorten by removing certain sections. Make your CV cleanly formatted and easy to scan with well-written and clear bullet points.

Reference page - Keep this to one page. Most jobs ask for three references, but I always send a list with five to six people, in order of preference, just in case one of my top references is unavailable. And do be sure to let your references know that you’re on the job market!
For all three of these documents, use the same header so that materials that may get separated are easily reunited. I never realized how annoying it was not to have an applicant’s name on every page until I was on a committee myself! Nothing fancy, but you generally want your name to be the biggest, and you want your contact information easy to locate as well. Leave space, since some committee members will want to take notes.

Grammar/typos: I know you’ve heard this before, but proofread, proofread again, have a friend proofread, and then proofread again before you hit send. When a hiring pool is large, it is very easy to put someone in the “no” pile for a simple spelling or grammar mistake.

Addressing the letter: This is a potential sticking point for some librarians. It’s not one worth stressing out over because everyone has a different opinion. Follow the directions in the job ad. If there are no directions, I see no problem with addressing it “To the members of the search committee:”. Some applicants will try to guess who will be reading the letter (the director? the head of information literacy? the administrative assistant?). At SEMO, the letters get addressed to our Human Resources department head as per the job ad instructions, who does little more than forward the e-mail to the hiring committee, which, in this case, consisted of neither the library director nor a department head nor our administrative assistant! Some people think that addressing it to a person shows that you “went the extra mile” but frankly, I think it’s far more important to focus on the content of the letter, which leads me to my next point.

The actual letter: I cannot stress this enough. Address EVERY “required qualification” in the job ad. You may have ample teaching experience, but if the job ad asks for “familiarity with the ACRL Information Literacy standards” and you don’t work that in somewhere, you will very likely be tossed out. Use THEIR language to show you’re paying attention. Don’t lie, either. If you don’t have experience in some area - perhaps you don’t have much experience with professional uses of social media, for example - be sure to write about it more generally - why you think it’s important and how you have seen it used in other places, for example. If the extent of your collection development experience is in the confines of the classroom, write about a project you worked on in class.

Don’t write: “I love to read!” or “I love books!”. Our jobs as librarians are so much more than that, and many of us will quickly eliminate someone who holds onto the antiquated and romantic view that libraries are all about books. Don’t include that line because, even if it’s true, you want your application to stand out. It’s more important to focus on your skills and ideas than your love of books.

I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at vgruzynski”at”semo.edu. Best of luck to all of you on the job market!

Celebrate the end of the Spring term with SCALA, DUSLA and DUSAA!

2011-05-31T16:06:00.000-04:00

We'll be sharing a delicious dinner at New Delhi in University City (4004 Chestnut St.) on Friday, June 3 at 7 PM.

The dinner buffet is awesome and costs $11.95 (and there's also a full bar).

We hope to see you there! Questions? Email gbt25@drexel.edu.

Surviving the Job Search, Part IV

2011-05-31T09:56:00.001-04:00

Our guest blogger series on surviving - and succeeding in - the job search continues with Peter Coyl, librarian at an international K-12 school in Taiwan.

Job searching can be tough. But it’s even tougher when there is economic hardship and Library jobs are being cut all over the country. Some people are lucky to live in an area that has an abundance of options, while others live in an area that seems to be saturated with more job seekers than there are jobs.

My job search began when I was 4 months into my studies at Drexel. I applied for jobs all over the United States. I applied for jobs I was underqualified for as well as overqualified for. I sent out resumes and job applications and learned quickly that most places were not acknowledging their receipt and many of them didn’t even respond after the job had been filled. They were simply overwhelmed with applicants.

Having said that, don’t be discouraged and take your time. Make sure you craft your cover letter to speak to the job you are applying for. Sure, being a Librarian is pretty general, but if the job posting speaks about program planning, make sure your cover letter does too. If it talks about supervising other employees, address that, even if your supervisory experience was at a Chicken Shack during your sophomore year of college. Your cover letter is your introduction and some would argue even more important than your resume.

I had a schedule I kept. Every Monday I would check the job postings first for my local area, then the surrounding states and region and then spread out from there. I kept these all bookmarked in my browser. Then, when I found one that I wanted to apply for, I printed out the job posting and began crafting my cover letter. I’d keep notes on the job posting of when I sent the application materials (hard copy or email) and then keep that in a file folder on my desk so I knew where and when I had applied for a job.

It was tough for me. I applied for over a hundred jobs and received a handful of responses and in some cases they stated how many people had applied for the job (over 150 for 1 job in a small library in Iowa). I had a handful of first interviews, but never made it to a second one. I began to get discouraged, but then after nearly a year of searching I began applying for jobs overseas. I applied to an international school in Taiwan, where I had lived before and was offered the job. Their Librarian had left suddenly and there was a backlog of work to do. So I packed up my things and moved to Taiwan.

I was lucky in the fact that I found a job in a place I wanted to live. I know the job market is hard and many people have been searching for a while. There were times where I wanted to give up and find something else to do because I was not finding a job, and that might be the answer for some, but if you really want to stick with it, do. It might take a while but you will find the right job for you.

Peter Coyl earned his MS in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Youth Services from Drexel University in 2010. He was awarded the Dorris Keller Hossler Endowed Fellowship from Drexel and the Knower Award from the Philadelphia Chapter of SLA. Currently, he is the Librarian at Hsinchu International School in Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC. He blogs at http://www.adventuresofaguybrarian/ and you can follow him on Twitter @petercoyl.

Webcast: Leveraging You! Developing an Online Presence for the Job Search and Beyond

2011-05-29T09:00:00.003-04:00

Learn how social media can help you develop and maintain a personal brand and professional reputation. LIS students can leverage these tools to successfully land a position, develop a support network, and participate in the conversation of librarianship. The session will include practical tips, recommended sites, and best practices.

This interactive webcast will be presented by librarians Kiyomi Deards, Erin Dorney and Bohyun Kim and will include time for Q&A. If you'd like to submit a question to the presenters in advance, leave a comment below or contact SCALA via email, Twitter or Facebook.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 6 pm EST

WHERE: Online! If you missed the talk or would like to review, click here to view the slides and speaker notes.

THE PRESENTERS:
Kiyomi Deards is Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln acting as a science librarian in the areas of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Physics and Astronomy. She received a BS in Chemistry, with Minors in Music and History, from the University of Redlands, and a MSLIS from Drexel University. Kiyomi manages the web site of the Association of College and Research Libraries Residency Interest Group and maintains the personal blog The Library Adventures of Kiyomi on topics including librarianship, technology, science, education, career issues, diversity, library management, mentoring, and teaching.

Erin Dorney is the Outreach Librarian for the Millersville University Library in Pennsylvania. She received her MLIS & CAS-DL from Syracuse University and a dual BA in Communication/Journalism & English from St. John Fisher College and is completing a MA in English Creative Writing at West Chester University. Erin maintains the personal blog Library Scenester where she writes about new librarians, multi-generational library workplaces, academic libraries, sustainability, graphic design, outreach, social networking and more.

Bohyun Kim is the Digital Access Librarian at Florida International University Medical Library in Miami, Florida. She received an MSLIS at Simmons College and MA at Harvard University and has worked in web services, e-resources management, digitization, reference, and instructional technologies. Boyhun maintains the personal blog Library Hat on librarianship, web design, digital services, information technology, Web 2.0., emerging technologies and other topics.

LinkedIn LinkUp

2011-05-28T08:23:00.000-04:00

Are you LinkedIn? Professional online presence is an important part of the job search and way to continue to network with colleagues and engage in the conversation of libarianship. As part of our focus on career development in May, we're encouraging members to create or update their LinkedIn profiles and make as many connections as they can by the end of the month.

Drexel's student library associations have started a new group on LinkedIn called Drexel DISCO (Drexel iSchool Student Chapter Officers) to help students connect. LinkUp now to the DISCO Group, SCALA Group and the iSchool community. These connections will be an ongoing way to build your professional network, learn about job postings and more.

Looking for additional ideas on how to develop your personal brand and utilize social media in your professional life? Participate in the upcoming webinar Leveraging You! Developing Online Presence for the Job Search and Beyond.

Surviving the Job Search, Part III

2011-05-23T12:36:00.004-04:00

Our guest blogger series on surviving - and succeeding in - the job search continues with Jessica Evans Brady, Visual & Performing Arts Librarian at Florida State University.

The job search can be daunting. It can sometimes feel like you are sending resumes out into a black hole. It can be a challenge to stay optimistic and continue to put your best face forward. Here is my story of how I survived the job search and finally found a position that keeps me challenged, inspired, and gainfully employed.

Start Early.
This is common advice. The job search is long; start early. Yet no matter how times I heard this, I was still surprised at just how long it was. Start to finish, my job search would take a full year. I should say that my search was focused exclusively on academic libraries which move notoriously slow in the hiring process. To give you a realistic sense of this process, it was approximately six months from the day I applied for my current job until the day I started. Prior to that, it took six months of diligent applications and interviews to get to this one. While my experience is specific to academic libraries, I get the sense that this overall timeline is fairly common given the current job climate.

Don’t Give Up.
Here I mean a number of things. Don’t give up in the practical sense. Keep sending out applications. Keep building and refining your skills. Don’t give up hope either. If you find yourself getting burned out, take a break or change your strategy. When I first started applying for jobs, I felt compelled to apply for everything that might possibly be a good opportunity. This is impossible. The more that I focused my search on the jobs that stood out as the best fit for me and spent my time carefully crafting each application, the better response rate I had. When faced with inevitable rejections, I tried to focus on the next opportunity. I reminded myself that there were always interesting jobs appearing in new places. I cultivated an openness to possibility and dove into the next application.

Stay Active.
Staying busy will keep you sane. It can also build your experience and your skill set, ultimately making you a stronger candidate. Throughout my studies and job search, I was always looking for opportunities to learn something new. Although I was primarily interested in art librarianship, I took an internship in educational technology at Penn Libraries because it sounded interesting and I needed a paycheck. I ended up discovering a new passion and building a skill set that I draw on every day. The internship led to a temporary full-time position, allowing me to grow my professional library experience and keeping me economically afloat while I continued my job search. I volunteered for ARTstor and the Print & Picture Collection at the Free Library to get more experience with specialized art libraries. I also joined the Art Libraries Society (ARLIS) where I attended local chapter meetings, traveled to the national conference, and kept up with the professional literature. When I finally did get that interview and was asked to prepare a presentation on the role of the art librarian at a research university, I was well-versed in the major issues, familiar with many case studies, and had several mentors to help me prepare.

Be Flexible.
Take different opportunities, even if they aren’t what you had in mind. You might find something inspiring. Even if you don’t, it might lead to a new opportunity. Move beyond your comfort zones. I hesitated to apply for my current job because it was in a part of the country I hadn’t considered living in, but which turned out to be nice. I am glad I took the risk.

Jessica Evans Brady graduated with a MS(LIS) from Drexel University in December 2009. She is currently the Visual & Performing Arts Librarian at Florida State University, and can be contacted here.

Surviving the Job Search, Part II

2011-05-16T10:42:00.003-04:00

Our guest blogger series on surviving - and succeeding in - the job search continues with Megan Good, Director of the J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.

Hello everyone!

I’ve been asked to write a guest spot about my experience searching for librarian/archivist jobs in the vast ocean that it is. Since many of you probably haven’t met me, I thought that I would give some background information about myself and then jump into what worked for me, what didn’t and some tips that I’ve picked up along the way.

First off, I’m a recent graduate (March 2011) of the iSchool with a concentration in Archival Studies. I went through the program full-time, which gave me a decent amount of time to work on my studies and intern at many of the Philly area archival repositories. Before coming to Drexel, and Philadelphia, I graduated from a women’s college in Baltimore, Maryland with a degree in history, along with minors in classical studies and political science. As you can see, I have a pretty extensive history background, which helped immensely with the archival track.

Currently, I am the Director of Archives and Library at Independence Seaport Museum right here in Philadelphia. How did I get a job so fast out of school, you may ask? Well the position actually dropped into my lap when I was least expecting it. However, I know that my experience and job tips I picked up definitely got me past the interview and now into the chair that I’m currently typing from.

Job tips:

Get a variety of experience in a variety of places, even if it’s just for a few months.
If you have work experience that is directly related to positions you are applying for, great! If you don’t, I would highly recommend you to volunteer, intern or work in a library or archives to gain experience that you would like to ultimately do, whether that is cataloging, reference, processing collections, whatever. Without current, relevant experience, employers just look the other way. There are too many LIS grads competing for the same jobs, which makes it intensely harder to get an interview, or even a call back, even if you do have the experience.

Look everywhere for job postings!
When I was searching for jobs, I took an hour or so out of every day to check the internet for job postings. Most of the open positions are not listed publicly so I mostly checked libraries’ websites that I wanted to work at and visited the PhilaCulture job listings website, along with the iSchool job listings website. While many places might not list jobs with national clearinghouses, they will post openings on their Facebook or Twitter accounts. For job searching, I specifically created a Twitter account that followed every library or archives I could think of. It really helped because all I had to do was check my Twitter feed once a day to see if any new postings were related to jobs.

Don’t ignore the importance of networking!
Everyone groans when "networking" is mentioned but it is so true. While it may be awkward and uncomfortable, you can get great contacts that might be able to help land you a job, or email you when they have an opening. You may not want to name drop in a cover letter, email or phone call but believe me, it will make a difference. As long as you had a nice conversation before with the name droppee, the contact will not only remember you but also think of how nice you are to remember them too.

Don’t give up!
My luck always seems to be that when I least expect something to happen, I will get that phone call or interview. From my experience, the more a person gets stressed out about the process, the least likely they have success. The job search process, especially today, is overwhelming and frightening but it is manageable. Don’t waste your time applying to jobs that you aren’t really qualified for and don’t get overly proud by not applying to jobs "below" you. The bitter fact is that most jobs that you are applying to as a new grad are also being applied to by seasoned librarians. The fact that a job requires "x" amount of experience doesn’t mean much these days; apply for jobs that you like the description and then later worry about other things.

Never turn down an interview!
Even if you have already been offered a position or if you think the job is not what you are looking for, just go and interview! I have been on terrible interviews and great interviews, both of which helped me to get to a more comfortable level now. It may be a hassle and not worth your time but in the long run, think of it as an investment. Plus, it is always a great pick-me-up to know that someone feels you are qualified enough for an interview in a sea of no call backs.

Pay attention to the details!
If I can add one last tip, it would be to make sure you tailor each cover letter to the job you are applying for. I have two standard cover letters for either a librarian or archivist position but I updated it each time I applied to a job. Now that I’m an employer, I can say that applying to a position here, but calling us the Philadelphia Museum of Art in your cover letter, probably will get your application tossed. Make sure every document you submit has been edited and cross-checked down to every little detail. Believe me, it makes a difference!

Overall, my advice is to stay calm and carry on, just like the obnoxious posters that are everywhere. It’s a cliché but it is true; try not to get too stressed and you will find that job! Good luck!

iSchool Night at the Phillies on June 8

2011-05-12T14:51:00.001-04:00

Let's go Phillies! The iSchool is sponsoring a night at the ballpark on June 8 at Citizens Bank Park. Tickets are available to students for just $15 each. Student group members get first dibs on tickets today! Click here for information on how to purchase and other details.

Check out this Event at the Penn Bookstore

2011-05-09T18:14:00.004-04:00

The Googlization of everything : (and why we should worry) (Book, 2011) [WorldCat.org]

5/10/2011
Googlization of Everything (& Why We Should Worry)
Media Studies and Law professor Siva Vaidhyanathan joins us to discuss his latest book, "The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry)." Vaidhyanathan examines the influence of Google on our society and its rapid move into mainstream culture.

Time: 04:00 PM-05:00 PM
Location: 2nd level of the Penn Bookstore 3601 Walnut Street
Recurrence: One Time Event
Occurrences: 5/10/2011

Surviving the Job Search, Part I

2011-05-09T09:00:00.026-04:00

SCALA's guest blogger series debuts with advice from recent Drexel grads on surviving - and succeeding in - the job search. The first post is from Kiyomi Deards, Assistant Professor and Science Librarian with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln University Libraries.

Job Search Timeline:

November 2009 – Submit first job application
June 2010 – Graduate from Drexel
July 2010 – Receive job offer from University of Nebraska-Lincoln
July 27 2010 – Move to Lincoln, NE
August 2 2010 – Start work at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Total time from first job application to job = 9 months

Advice for Job Seekers:

1. Be selective.
Only apply for academic library jobs you are truly passionate about. None of the applications I completed for positions which were interesting but not in my area of expertise led to a phone interview. Looking solely at my applications for science librarian positions I had approximately a 55% response rate.

2. Remember that no one succeeds alone.
Have 2-4 people review your resume and cover letter; at least one of these people should be a non-library person. Remember many of the applications you send out will be pre-screened before being given to the search committee; too much jargon can kill a great cover letter. Ask for advice from your professors and working librarians and then act on it.

3. Balance customization with practicality.
Some people will tell you that every cover letter should be written from scratch; however, I believe that this is a waste of time and energy. Most likely the positions you are interested in are in a single or similar domains. While each letter should be tailored to the specific institution you are applying to sentences, greetings, and even whole paragraphs can be lifted from previous cover letters. Tighten your language, become more concise, but never feel like each sentence of every cover letter has to be completely original.

4. Explore alternate career paths in librarianship.
There are some engaging and fun places to work that don’t fit into the traditional categories of academic, public, and school libraries and archives. Check into SLA (Special Libraries Association), international librarianship, and the Peace Corps. Even if you take a traditional path exploring all your options will increase your confidence in your career path.

5. Online presence–you need to have one!*
If you aren’t in the first three to five search results for your name, or your name combined with the word librarian you have a problem. At the very least you should have a LinkedIn account; this is the first place that many human resources personnel and hiring managers will search for you. If you aren’t on LinkedIn you need to make sure you are findable elsewhere such as: a personal website, Academia.edu, Twitter, or Facebook.

Success isn’t easy; dedication and enthusiasm can create its own brand of luck. Do your best, follow your passions, and the rest will follow!

Kiyomi Deards is an assistant professor with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln University Libraries. She is the librarian for chemistry, biochemistry, biological sciences and the Cedar Point Biological Station, and the incoming physics librarian. Kiyomi belongs to several professional organizations focused on libraries, education, science, and technology. She is the outgoing manager of the website for the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Residency Interest Group. Her research and educational interests are in STEM education and career issues, diversity, library management, mentoring, and teaching. She maintains a personal blog and website, The Library Adventures of Kiyomi.

*Need to develop your online presence? Participate in our LinkedIn LinkUp and the webcast Leveraging You! Online Presence for the Job Search and Beyond.

Cool Careers: Culinary Library & Federal Archives

2011-05-05T20:04:00.003-04:00

It's field trip time! Join us for an exciting library career event on Thursday, May 19 at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College.

Library Tour: Feast your eyes on the culinary and hospitality collection.

Networking Reception: Mingle in the on-campus restaurant. Wine, cheese and appetizers will be generously provided by the The Restaurant School.

Career Panel: A conversation with dynamic librarians about their career paths, interesting collections and advice for students entering the field:

Madeline Copp, Academic Librarian at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, which grants Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts and Hospitality Management degrees.

Beth Bensman, Archives Specialist for The National Archives at Philadelphia, which maintains the historically significant Mid-Atlantic federal records from 1970 to the present.

This event is FREE but reservations are required. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to drexelscala@gmail.com by Monday, May 16.

WHEN: Thursday, May 19
6:00 pm - Library Tour (optional)
6:30 pm - Networking Reception
7:00 pm - Career Panel

WHERE: Allison Mansion, on the campus of The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, 4207 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. Free parking in the Allison Mansion lot. Also accessible via SEPTA Market-Frankfort Line (40th Street Stop) and 21 Bus.

Summer Special Collections Research Opportunities at Temple

2011-05-04T08:33:00.001-04:00

The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and Temple University Special Collections Division are pleased to invite you to explore the collections housed within the Temple libraries.

The Temple University Special Collections Division is located in the Paley Library on the main campus of Temple University in Philadelphia. The Special Collections Division now includes the Temple Urban Archives, the Philadelphia Jewish Archives, Conwellana & Templana, and Rare Books & Manuscripts. Temple's Urban Archive contains the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin clipping and photo collection, along with thousands of manuscripts, pamphlets and books. Temple collections are particularly strong in the time period from early to mid 20th century, and include materials from hundreds of Philadelphia businesses, manufacturing companies, community and social organizations.

Three summer research sessions available; only twelve researchers can be accommodated per session. Session dates are June 15, July 13, and August 17. Visit www.genpa.org for more information and to register.

First Friday at Yards in Philly

2011-05-03T08:58:00.002-04:00

Join student groups SCALA, DUSLA and DUSAA for a casual networking event this Friday night. This is a public event—friends and partners welcome.

Yards Brewery's very first First Friday event: Local beer, food, art & crafts! Fudge & cupcakes from Betty's Speakeasy and local cheese & sausage from Birchrun Hills Farms. Paintings by Brad Carney and Brian Potash (Devilfish Ink). Local art & craft vendors. Live music by Gringo Motel, Chalk & The Beige Americans, and The Sideshow Prophets. Draft specials all night!

WHEN: Friday, May 6 from 5 pm - Midnight
$5.00 door charge starting at 7:30pm for the bands

WHERE: Yards Brewing Company, 901 N. Delaware Avenue - just north of Spring Garden Street at the intersection of Poplar Street and Delaware Avenue in Philadelphia

Get directions and SEPTA info.

No RSVP necessary, but check out the Facebook event.

Spring Meeting Friday, April 29

2011-04-23T12:20:00.003-04:00

Come welcome new members, meet other students and discuss upcoming events. In the spirit of spring, we're having a picnic with pizza in the iSchool garden.

On the agenda:

Prize giveaway from Library Networking Event
Professional branding events in May
Debut of guest blogger series
Your ideas for future events (speakers, field trips, quizzo, etc.)
Volunteer opportunities and upcoming conferences (ALA, SLA)
Youth Services themed event
Ways to reach online students

When: Friday, April 29 from 5 - 6 pm.

Where: Rush Garden (in front of of the iSchool building)
If the weather does not cooperate, we'll be in Rush 014.

Online students: How can we provide better virtual programs and support? Would you be interested in a live Tweet of the meeting? Send ideas, suggestions or questions via email, Twitter or Facebook.

Answer our poll to let us know if you plan to attend.

Image credit : Bruno Monginoux / www.Landscape-Photo.net (cc-by-nc-nd)

Professional Library Association Networking Event

2011-04-11T10:42:00.011-04:00

Happy National Library Week!

To celebrate, the iSchool at Drexel is hosting a Professional Library Association Networking Event this Tuesday, April 12 from 5 -7 pm.

This event is FREE and open to anyone who is interested in librarianship. Students, alumni, and friends are welcome. Wine and appetizers will be served.

Network: Meet representatives from professional library associations and student chapters. This is a great opportunity to learn about the different kinds of librarianship, student discounts and the chance to network with library professionals. Association involvement is one of the best LIS job-hunt secrets.

Win: Stop by the SCALA table and enter to win a student ALA membership or a copy of This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All.

Resume review: Two career services representatives will be in attendance; bring your resume for feedback.

Location: Drexel University – Main Campus, Paul Peck Alumni Center, 32nd and Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Click here to RSVP.

Online students: The event will be recorded and available online for viewing. If you'd like to enter the giveaway, email us.

See you there!

It's time for ACRL!

2011-03-29T17:55:00.000-04:00

ACRL hits Philadelphia tomorrow, and there are plenty of opportunities to meet up with other librarians, even if you are not attending the conference. Join SCALA for dinner Friday night, meet iSchool students and faculty at Drexel's reception, and get your groove on for a good cause at Bibliodiscotheque! Here is a rundown of events, followed by some general conference-going advice in the SCALA's first DOs and DON'Ts post.

Wednesday night: A Conversation with Colleagues & Future Academic Librarians at Hagerty Library, 33rd and Market streets (RSVP requested)

Thursday night: Bibliodiscotheque!

Friday night: Dinner with other library school students? Drexel student or not, let us know if you're interested by filling out this form.

Ready to take on the conference? Here's what you need to know.

If you registered in advance, DO bring your badge and remember to stop by the registration table.

DO plan ahead. Take a look at the schedule and note which events interest you most. Have a backup plan, too. The conference schedule lets you search by keyword, date, and track (pre-determined lists of related events).

DON’T be married to your schedule. Opportunities come up, sessions may not be what you expect, and you want the flexibility to make the most of your conference experience.

DON’T feel like you have to suffer through a session that is not what you expected or that you are not interested in. You can attend more than one session in a given time period. DO sit by the door or the aisle if you plan to bolt.

DO attend the fun events – Bibliodiscotheque, the reception, the keynotes. You can sleep on Sunday.

DO attend the exhibits on Thursday or Friday (it's free!), Bibliodiscotheque, and the Drexel reception Wednesday night even if you are not attending ACRL.

DO tweet during the conference! If you are a Drexel MS(LIS) student and @DrexelSCALA isn’t following you on Twitter, let us know.

DO bring a bag large enough to carry home more than you brought. ACRL is not providing tote bags this year, so any swag you pick up will have to be carried another way.

DO wear layers and comfortable shoes. Hotels and convention center rooms can be chilly, and freezing is far from fun.

DON’T dress too casually. Library conferences are far from formal affairs, but that is no excuse to wear a high school theater T-shirt, ill-fitting jeans and flip-flops. Even if you are not job-hunting now, you want to put your best self forward.

DO meet new people, students and otherwise. Exchange business cards or contact information, and remember to follow-up later, especially if they work someplace you would love to be someday!

DO make up some simple business cards with your contact information and your status as a student. You never know who you’re going to meet. DON’T be afraid to give your card to someone, no matter how important they are in comparison to you!

DO bring a few copies of your resume to be reviewed at the Placement Center, or to hand out if someone asks (but DON’T plan on handing a lot out – people don’t want to be burdened with a ton of paper).

Got comments? Post them on Twitter or in the comments below.

— Catherine and Andrea

Breaking the Mold panel is online!

2011-03-17T18:55:00.000-04:00

Now that school is winding down, here are some archived job-related talks from SCALA and ALA!

First is the DUSLA/SCALA panel discussion Breaking the Mold: LIS Careers Outside the Library. Some people have reported an audio echo, but if you use the slider bar to jump into the talk and then back to the beginning, it seems to fix itself.

The LLAMA job hunting talk from November also is online. LLAMA (Library Leadership & Management Association) is a division of ALA, and the presenter, Brian Keith, is the assistant dean of the University of Florida Libraries. Keith discussed finding, applying for, interviewing for, and getting library jobs from the perspective of the hiring manager. Learn what mistakes NOT to make and how to make yourself stand out!

Do you have any tips about where to look for jobs or learn more about LIS careers? Share them in the comments!

Volunteers Needed for the Philadelphia Book Festival

2011-03-15T09:29:00.002-04:00

The 2011 Philadelphia Book Festival is looking for volunteers to help run various author events, musical performances, interactive programs, and a festival street fair. From April 11th - 16th, the Central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia will be bustling with activity and they need your help to make it happen. Get more details on the Book Festival's website about volunteering.

Image: (c) 2011 Mikey Burton

Elections!

2011-03-11T20:20:00.003-05:00

Image

Well, it's that time of year. Two of our officers are graduating in just a few days, so we're electing new officers.

Voting is open now until Wednesday, March 16th, at 5pm EST. We will announce the new officers at our end of term happy hour at Landmark (33rd and Market) from 5-7 that evening.

Vote now!

End of the Quarter Happy Hour

2011-03-07T20:42:00.004-05:00

Are you jumping for joy knowing the quarter is almost over? SCALA wants to celebrate with you!

End of the Quarter Happy Hour
Wednesday, March 16th
5-7 pm
Landmark Restaurant
(Market St between 33rd & 34th Sts)
FREE APPETIZERS & SPECIAL DRINK PRICES!

Answer the poll below!

Image Credit: flickr.com - elston - CC license

Opportunities from Drexel and ALA

2011-03-03T12:56:00.001-05:00

Friday, March 4: One-hour open online chat with ALCTS New Members Interest Group (ANMIG) at 11 a.m. Eastern.

Are you a graduate student or recent graduate student looking for your first full time job as a cataloger? Or maybe you are a more experienced librarian that who has recently been laid off or are looking for new opportunities? Maybe you have found a satisfying cataloging related position and would like to share your experience with those who are looking for work? If so then, you should be interested in the ALCTS New Members Interest Group's March chat. Topics include where to look for cataloging jobs, desirable qualities and qualifications for cataloging applicants, ways to build cataloging skills during a job search, access to professional materials and keeping up to date with the profession, managing your online presence, and traditional job search topics such as resume building, cover letters, interviewing etc.

ANMIG team members Sarah Smith and Erica Findley will host the chat. If you can't make the chat, the transcript will be made available in ALA Connect.

The chat is open to all ALA members of all types and non-ALA members.

To join the chat please visit our ALA Connect page and look for the embedded Meebo room. Get more information here: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/alcts-webinars-free-lis-students-and-faculty

Tuesday, March 29: Drexel University Research Day proposals due.

All members of the Drexel University community are invited to a celebration of Research, Innovation, Scholarship and Creativity with a day of posters and presentations at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on Friday, April 8, 2011.

Please note that the abstract submission site will close at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, March 29, 2011.

For more information, visit www.drexel.edu/researchday or email researchday@drexel.edu.

Free webinar from ALCTS: Current student members of the American Library Association will be able to register for any ALCTS webinar free of charge. Students who wish to take advantage of this offer need to be current student members of ALA and register in advance for the webinar(s) in which they are interested. Students need not be ALCTS members.

"Beyond Books" Graduate Fellowships Available

2011-03-03T09:46:00.004-05:00

Check out this fantastic opportunity to attend "Beyond Books: News, Literacy, Democracy & America's Libraries." Apply for one of 10 fellowships which will pay for registration, travel, and lodging for the event in Cambridge, MA, April 6-8, at the MIT Center for Future Civic Media.

For more information, go to http://journalismthatmatters.org/biblionews/2011/03/03/fellowships/

Applications are due March 15.

Breaking the Mold: LIS Careers Outside the Library

2011-02-20T21:34:00.002-05:00

Want to know what other careers are available to MSLIS students?

Join SCALA, Drexel University Special Libraries Association (DUSLA), and a panel of information professionals Wednesday, February 23 for “Breaking the Mold: LIS Careers Outside the Library.”

The panel discussion starts at 5 p.m. in Rush 209. The event will also be simulcast LIVE at http://bit.ly/DUSLAtalk AND http://bit.ly/SCALAevent for online students' convenience. As always, there will be free pizza!

The speakers will describe their current positions and career paths before a Q&A session. These information professionals have a wide range of professional experience, including academic libraries, vendors, corporate information centers, and knowledge management.

Amy Graham, a Drexel MSLIS alumna, has worked as a one-person information center for the technical support department of a computer retailer; a research associate at an executive search firm; a college library cataloger; and now works for an authority control vendor.

Richard Townsend, MS, R.Ph., is Manager, Strategic Business Intelligence, at Global Competitive.

Susan Zalenski, another iSchool alumna, is Senior Manager of Scientific Information at Cephalon. She also has worked at Thomson Reuters/Dialog as a trainer and consultant and at AstraZeneca as a knowledge manager. She previously participated in a panel on Non-Traditional Library Careers at the SLA Annual Meeting.

For more information, email drexelscala@gmail.com.

Image Credit: Flickr - Shannon K - CC license

Elections at Winter meeting

2011-02-03T11:54:00.003-05:00

At next Monday's Winter meeting, SCALA will be selecting new officers. If you are interested in becoming an officer or getting more involved in the group, please come! Being a SCALA officer looks great on your resume, connects you with the larger professional organization of the ALA, and can qualify you for perks such as the ALA Conference Student-to-Staff program.

Want more info on what it's like to be an officer? Email drexelscala@gmail.com.

SCALA Elections and Winter Meeting

When: Monday, February 7th @ 5-6pm
Where: Landmark Restaurant, Market St between 33rd and 34th Sts
FREE APPETIZERS!

If you are planning on coming, please let us know in the poll below!

LibraryTube - Private Viewing Room URL

2011-01-11T09:57:00.003-05:00

LibraryTube is happening tonight! This is SCALA's first event of 2011. If you want to get involved in SCALA, or you're just looking to take a short break from studying to hang out with other iSchoolers, this is the perfect opportunity!

To join fellow SCALA members and iSchool students in this library video extravaganza, log online at 9PM EST and go to the following web address: http://www.synchtube.com/r/K6Wr.

Pop some popcorn, grab a glass of wine, and meet us tonight for LibraryTube!

Email drexelscala@gmail.com if you have any questions. :)

Internship - Villanova University - Digital Library

2011-01-07T10:59:00.003-05:00

Check this out if you are in the Philadelphia area and interested in digital libraries...

Title	Villanova Digital Library Internship Spring 2011
Categories	Para-Professional, Part-Time
Location	Villanova, PA
Employer	Villanova University
Position Description	The Villanova Digital Library offers 1 dynamic and innovative internship position for the Spring 2011 academic semester. Interns will work a 20 hour work week, with flexible work scheduling; starting and ending dates are also flexible. Interns will be provided training in creation and management of digital library collections. The primary mission of Villanova's Digital Library is accomplished through the ongoing development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections and online digital library resources. These include materials such as medieval manuscripts, letters, typescripts, books, photographs, maps, sheet music, posters and broadsides, and newspapers. During the course of the internship, an intern will follow a project through the development life cycle and will acquire and enhance their digital project management skills. Activities may include image preparation and quality control, metadata creation, text encoding, transcription, scanning, web site development, student supervision, computer programming, research, writing, and interface evaluation. In addition, the intern will have the opportunity to assist in digital preservation activities.
Duties & Responsibilities	* Participates in the development of metadata by following project-specific guidelines and procedures and by adhering to established national and local standards. * Maintains quality control and project goals by reviewing work, site proofing, monitoring of OCR, SGML and XML output, and record editing and updating as necessary. * Assists in development of supplemental contextual materials for project. * Maintains statistical records of production by monitoring the material flowing through the unit and resolving work-flow problems. * Maintains flexibility and awareness of changes in department by assuming other duties and responsibilities as assigned. * Enhances database quality and searchability by collaborating with staff on database design issues.
Qualifications	* Interest in digitization in cultural heritage settings; * Ability to perform diverse and complex tasks with accuracy and attention to detail; * Ability to exercise independent judgment; * Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships; * Ability to work successfully in a production-oriented environment; * Ability to direct the work of others; * Flexibility; * Good written and oral communication skills; * Working knowledge of historical research methodology and experience with standard bibliographic tools. * Familiarity with digital projects preferred; * Coursework or experience in cataloging and/or archival description preferred. * Experience with digital imaging and OCR software preferred. * Prior experience in an archival or museum setting preferred. * College degree with background in humanities or social sciences preferred. * Current graduate students in a library science, archival studies/public history, museum studies, or computer/ information science program are encouraged to apply. * Creativity required.
To Apply	To apply, please go to the Villanova HR website at: https://jobs.villanova.edu/postings/2703 Contact information: Michael Foight Special Collections and Digital Library Coordinator Falvey Memorial Library Villanova University Villanova PA, 19085 michael.foight@villanova.edu 610-519-5185
Salary	$15/per hour
Hours	20 hours per week

LibraryTube - Video Suggestions Needed!

2011-01-04T15:55:00.004-05:00

As another iSchool quarter begins, so does another quarter of SCALA events! Next Tuesday night (1/11/11) at 9pm EST, join us for a night of LibraryTube.

LibraryTube goes something like this:

Everyone suggests their favorite funny or inspirational library-themed YouTube videos to SCALA co-chair Lindsay Cummings (lindsaysc@gmail.com).
Then join your fellow online (or on-campus but online) classmates for a synchronized screening of great library videos on Tuesday, 1/11 at 9PM EST.
LibraryTube will take place on SynchTube in a private viewing room open only to iSchool students. We can watch the videos together simultaneously and chat at the same time!

But we need your help! Send Lindsay (lindsaysc@gmail.com) your library-themed YouTube video suggestions to make this event a success!

Keep an eye out on the blog and Google group for the link to the LibraryTube private viewing room soon.

Image Credit: Flickr - Corie Howell - CC license

Freedom to Read Foundation Memberships

2010-12-18T16:00:00.001-05:00

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is offering free one-year memberships to students graduating from ALA-accredited MLS programs. The offer is good for three months after graduation. See www.ftrf.org/graduates for more information.

Current students can join for just $10 a year at www.ftrf.org/joinftrf.

FTRF is an affiliated organization of the American Library Association that works to promote and defend the right of individuals to freely express ideas and to access information in libraries and elsewhere.

LITA Student Writing Award

2010-12-10T09:52:00.005-05:00

Did you write a killer paper this quarter? Don't let it just sit there on your hard drive. Submit it for the LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award! Your paper could win you $1,000 and a chance to be published in LITA's professional journal. See the guidelines for more information.

Image Credit: CC - Flickr - karindalziel

End-of-Quarter Happy Hour

2010-12-07T10:56:00.002-05:00

It's the end of the Fall quarter! We invite you to join us for Happy Hour at the Landmark Restaurant (Market St, between 33rd & 34th Sts) this Thursday, December 9th, at 5pm. Free appetizers will be provided by fellow iSchool group, DUSLA!

Image Credit: flickr.com - MissTessmacher - CC license

Job - Reference/Circulation Assistant - Penn State Abington

2010-12-06T09:09:00.002-05:00

New part-time job available!

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Reference/Circulation Assistant

The Penn State Abington Library has an opening for a part-time Library Assistant, 18 hours per week, primarily evenings and weekends. Responsibilities will include reference and circulation duties and assisting with other tasks and special projects as assigned.

Required: Bachelor's degree. Excellent interpersonal , customer service, verbal and written skills. Ability to work both independently and with others in a team environment. Good computer skills. Commitment to providing responsive and innovative services to a culturally and racially diverse campus. High degree of reliability and ability to work a flexible schedule. Prefer some library experience.

Graduate students are encouraged to apply. Review of candidates will continue until position is filled.

To apply: Send letter of application, resume, and the names of three references to Dr. Dolores Fidishun, Head Librarian, Penn State Abington Library, 1600 Woodland Rd., Abington, PA 19001.

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.

Winter Term Low Enrollment

2010-12-02T09:27:00.004-05:00

Pounce on these classes before they are gone! The following Winter term classes are in danger of being canceled due to low enrollment. If any of these look interesting to you, sign up now in DrexelOne before it's too late!

On-campus classes

INFO 604-500: Object-Oriented Prgmg Info Sys
INFO 780-500: Storytelling
INFO 780-501: International Information Issues

Online classes

Image Credit: flickr - matt knoth

Be very, very quiet -- I'm hunting jobs!

2010-11-21T16:26:00.000-05:00

As the fall quarter begins to draw to a close, it's beginning to look a lot like job hunting season for soon-to-be full-fledged MS(LIS)es.

The Steinbright Career Development Center can help you develop your resume and fine tune your job applications. SCDC's Ken Bohrer shared a Power Point presentation on best practices with us during our resume review night last month, which we've made available as a Google Doc. His contact information is on the last slide.

Jen Lally, the iSchool's Career and Event Services Coordinator, is responsible for the practicum program and also can provide advice about the job search process. For more information on doing a practicum, see this handout or the iSchool website. You can contact Jen at lally AT drexel.edu. Jen also shared this incredibly helpful post from academic librarian Joe Hardenbrook about all aspects of the library job search process.

If you are a member of the New Members Round Table, make sure you take advantage of the group's resume review service. If you are already a member of ALA, joining NMRT is easy, inexpensive (just $10) and extremely practical, connecting you to other new librarians and mentors throughout ALA. The NMRT page also has a bibliography of helpful links for all who are job hunting.

One final note: We'll post the link to last week's webinar -- Job Hunting for the Recent or Future MLS Graduate -- as soon as it is available.

If there are other career-related events or posts you would like to see during the winter or spring quarters, let us know in the comments or by sending us an email at drexelscala AT gmail.com.

2010-11-16T09:09:00.003-05:00

LIScareer.com has a new article by a recent LIS graduate, Anne Jumonville, on the sometimes strange and uncertain transition from student to professional.

What are your concerns about graduating into the work force and leaving library school behind?

Image Credit: flickr.com - [ModernDope] - CC license

Two New Internships

2010-11-09T11:25:00.002-05:00

The University of Pennsylvania has two new internships!

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Title	Penn Libraries Van Pelt Library Reference Internship
Categories	Part-Time
Location	Philadelphia, PA
Employer	University of Pennsylvania
Duties & Responsibilities	§ Work in the Research & Instructional Services Department (RIS) of Van Pelt Library, the University's social sciences and humanities library. § Assist patrons at the Reference Desk in using Penn's large collection of print and digital resources. § Process reference materials into and out of the reference collection. § Participate in a range of library instruction activities. § Special projects as appropriate.
Qualifications	§ Must be a current student in an ALA-accredited graduate program in library/information science § Strong academic background. § Able to learn quickly, take initiative, handle busy situations. § Public service orientation. Our extensive training program leads us to ask for a minimum one year internship commitment.
To Apply	Please send a cover letter and resume to: Elizabeth Martin martinev@pobox.upenn.edu Please write "RIS Internship" in the subject line.
Salary	$15.00/hour; paid vacation and sick time.
Hours	20 hours per week; daytime and weekend hours.

Title	Library Cataloguing Intern
Categories	Part-Time
Location	Philadelphia, PA
Employer	Demography Library, Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania
Duties & Responsibilities	Retrospective barcoding of the LC classed books in the collection, special emphasis on the Foreign Government Documents; Copy Cataloging; MARC record maintenance and clean-up; Add holdings information for serials to MARC records; Create original and complex copy cataloging MARC records for books and other formats as needed; Assist with data entry for other databases maintained by the center staff as needed; Assist with special research project collections; Assist with non-cataloging projects and tasks as needed.
Qualifications	Required: Experience with library cataloguing or training in how to catalog for library databases; Basic computer skills including intermediate MS Office skills; Experience with or knowledge of the US MARC format, AACR2R2 and LC Classification and Subject Headings; Ability to work independently and as a member of a team; Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills. Preferred: Prior experience working in an academic research library; Experience in processing and evaluation of library materials in various formats for cataloguing; Ability to learn quickly, take initiative and to be flexible desired; and Cataloguing experience using the EOS International system. Current MLS students strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply	Funding is available for this position through the end of May 2011 and the position is to be filled ASAP. Interested applicants should send an EMAIL expressing interest in the position with a resume to: Nykia M. Perez nmperez@pop.upenn.edu
Salary	$15.00/hour
Hours	20 hours per week; Temporary Part-Time Staff position

Upcoming (and free!) job search webinar

2010-11-04T09:28:00.000-04:00

From the ALA Chapter Relations Office …

LLAMA Human Resources Section Presents a Free Webinar on Job Hunting for the Recent or Future MLS Graduate

You have or soon will earn your MLS degree---but what’s next? –- how do you put it to work? Applying and interviewing for a professional library position can be fraught with anxiety and frustrations. But you can put yourself ahead of the herd with the right information and strategies. The Library Leadership and Management Association’s Human Resources Section (LLAMA-HRS) will present “Job Hunting for the Recent or Future MLS Graduate” Thursday, November 18, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm CST. This free webinar is geared towards library students or recent MLS graduates about to enter the workforce or start a job search.

Participants will increase their confidence and raise their success rate; gain a comprehensive understanding of how libraries conduct searches and make hiring decisions; and learn what libraries are seeking.

Speaker: Brian Keith is Assistant Dean for Human and Financial Resources at the George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida. He will share his insight and advice from years of experience recruiting librarians.

Register online at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/188096954

Help Wanted!

2010-11-03T16:24:00.003-04:00

Are you busy completing the youth services concentration? Or do you love public libraries, video games, crafts, or all of the above? Then you may be interested in helping our fellow library student Rosy Henderson with her late-night teen event!

She's looking for extra chaperones for an upcoming Teen Night at the Collingswood (NJ) Public Library. It's happening Thursday, November 4th, from 8:30 to midnight. There will be two Wii tournaments, a scavenger hunt, craft tables, and the night will wrap up with a showing of Nightmare Before Christmas, and movie trivia.

If you'd like to participate and get a glimpse of how to put on an awesome teen event, contact Rosy Henderson directly at rosanneelizabeth@gmail.com. This could be a nice addition to your resume!

SCALA Happy Hour

2010-11-03T11:14:00.002-04:00

Image Credit: jennifer konig - flickr

We're having another Happy Hour! Come hang out with fellow students and take a much needed break from studying and writing papers.

When: Tuesday, November 9th, 5pm

Where: Landmark Restaurant & Bar (On Market St between 33rd and 34th Sts)

Enjoy free appetizers and special happy hour drink prices!

Hope to see you there!

ACRL Conference Scholarships

2010-10-31T20:55:00.002-04:00

More Than 80 Scholarships Available for the 2011 ACRL Conference

To facilitate attendance in Philly, ACRL is offering more than 80 scholarships exceeding $40,000 in value to support participation in the conference for librarians, students, Spectrum Scholars, and support staff.

There are five scholarship categories, and all applications must be received by November 9, 2010.

Visit the scholarships section of the conference website for more details.

Get your spook on — Drexel-style

2010-10-28T17:55:00.001-04:00

Kick off your Halloween celebration on campus with two events Friday, October 29.

Start with the Drexel University Archives' zombie party from 3-5 p.m. The archives will be bringing their collections “back from the dead” with a hands-on conservation demo and showing off rare books and artifacts. Don't miss the zombie-themed cookies and cupcakes! The archives are located on the ground floor of Hagerty Library (33rd & Market streets).

From there, head to the Graduate Student Association/Chemical and Biological  Graduate Student Association Halloween Party from 5-9 p.m. in the Van Rensslaer Ballroom (33rd & Powelton). The theme for the costume party is Nerd Alter-Ego.  There will be music, food, adult beverages, pumpkin bowling, pie eating contest (sign up at the door),  bobbing for apples, horror movie trivia and more. GSA is our main funding source, so please take the opportunity to check out one of their events.

Happy Halloween!

Resume Review Night Coming Up

2010-10-22T11:17:00.004-04:00

SCALA and the iSchool are hosting a Resume Review Night featuring one-on-one resume critiques with librarians in the field and a presentation of best resume practices by a representative from the Steinbright Career Development Center. Sign up for a meeting with a librarian and bring your latest resume draft! If you aren't available for a one-on-one session, join us for our Best Resume Practices presentation and learn something new! Food will be provided as well.

When: Wednesday, October 27th
4-5pm - One-on-one Resume Critiques (15-minute slots available)
5-6pm - Presentation by SCDC on Best Practices followed by Q&A session, FOOD TOO!!!
6-7pm - More one-on-one Resume Critiques (15-minute slots available)

Where: Randell Hall, Room 329, (On Chestnut St between 31st and 32nd Sts.)

Sign up for a resume critique here: http://bit.ly/ResumeReview

We will contact you individually with your time slot and librarian. Or you can join us from 5-6pm for some food and an informative presentation!

Hope to see you there!

Job - Learning Resource Specialist - Community College of Philadelphia

2010-10-22T11:07:00.002-04:00

A great position for someone looking for basic library experience!

*****

Part-Time, Learning Resources Specialist B

The largest public institution of higher education in Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia is seeking a part-time, Learning Resources Specialist B to provide outstanding customer service to students, faculty, staff and patrons at the College library.

Hours are Monday 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Wednesday 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. with a ½ hour unpaid lunch totaling 16 hours per week. This position performs clerical and technical duties including check-ins and check-outs; accepts fines and answers policy questions; enters and processes materials; shelf-reading, etc.

Minimum qualifications include a high school diploma or GED, one year experience in a library environment, and exceptional teamwork and customer service skills required.
For a complete position description, required qualifications and to apply online, please visit our career site at https://jobs.ccp.edu.

Interested persons should complete an online application and attach a cover letter of interest and resume. You may also attach the names and contact information of three professional references. Applicants must be legally eligible to work in the U.S.

Review of applications will begin on 11/04/2010 and will continue until the position is filled.

Financial Assistance and Scholarships for LIS Students

2010-10-19T16:05:00.001-04:00

Via the ALA Student Member Blog ...

"Looking for additional financial assistance? Look first in the 2011 Financial Assistance for Library and Information Studies Directory(FALIS). In this annual directory of awards from state library agencies, national and state library associations, local libraries, academic institutions and foundations you will find various types of financial assistance for undergraduate and/or graduate education programs in library and information studies.

For information on scholarships available through the American Library Association, visit ALAScholarships."

Entry-Level Job Ads for MLS Grads

2010-10-14T09:54:00.002-04:00

Want to know more about the current trends in entry-level librarian jobs? Check out Reeves and Hahn's study of job ads for new MLIS graduates and get a better idea of what you can expect to see when applying for that first professional library job.

Reeves, R. K. & Hahn, T. B. (2010, April 21). Job advertisements for recent graduates: Advising, curriculum, and job-seeking implications. Journal of Education in Library & Information Science, 51(2).

Sign up for Resume Review Night

2010-10-12T11:39:00.000-04:00

Image Credit: Flickr - SOCIALisBETTER

SCALA's Resume Review Night is only two weeks away! If you come to our Fall Meeting tomorrow (10/13/10, 5:00 PM, Rush Rm 209) you can be among the first to sign up for a slot!

On October 27th, you will have the chance to get your resume critiqued one-on-one with a seasoned librarian who has real hiring experience. They will look at your resume from the hiring librarian perspective and tell you what you can do to make your resume grab the attention of prospective employers.

Online sign ups will be happening soon, but why wait? Come to our Fall Meeting, grab a bite to eat, and sign up to get your resume reviewed before the rest of the crowd.

Job - Part-time Librarian - Community College of Philadelphia

2010-10-08T14:02:00.002-04:00

Position
Librarian, Part-Time

Job Description
Community College of Philadelphia seeks to hire a Part-Time Librarian (up to 24 hours per week as needed) to provide public service activities in a culturally diverse community college library.

Job Requirements
Master of Library Science (MLS) Degree that is ALA-accredited required. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal and interviewing skills, knowledge of general reference resources. Must have demonstrated experience with electronic databases, instruction, library automation and an articulated philosophy of teaching.

How To Apply
* Interested persons should complete an online application at https://jobs.ccp.edu.

* Cover letter of interest and CV/resume REQUIRED.

* Names and contact information of 3 professional referenced REQUIRED.

* Applications will be accepted until position is filled.

* Applicants must be legally eligible to work in the U.S.

Community College of Philadelphia is an affirmative action, equal opportunity and equal access employer. The College encourages applications from individuals from traditionally under-represented groups. AA/EOE.

SCALA Fall Meeting

2010-10-07T12:41:00.003-04:00

Image Credit: Flickr - paul (dex)

Fall means getting out your sweaters, drinking pumpkin lattes, and coming out to SCALA's fall meeting!

We will be planning upcoming events and as well as asking for your ideas on what you'd like to see us do more of in the future.

When: Wednesday, October 13th, 5:00 PM

Where: Rush Building, Room 209

FREE FOOD!! TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!

We hope to see you then!

FALL MEETING FLYER

Banned Books Week — the online event!

2010-10-03T23:41:00.001-04:00

Do you want to win a banned book of your very own? Share your thoughts, comments and experiences about banned and challenged books and materials below and be entered for a chance to win. SCALA will randomly select one commenter to win a copy of one of the four books given away during Thursday's on-campus event.

After Rancocas Valley Regional High School faced a full-fledged book challenge last spring, librarian Dee Venuto presented her take at ALA's Annual Conference. Check out her talk here (starting around 34 minutes): http://blip.tv/file/3998284/  

For a closer look at the Prezi shown during the talk: http://prezi.com/pnlljhzmikkd/book-challenge/

NEW: Check out the notes from "Social Networks, Teens, and Controversial Content: A New Take on Banned Books Week" by iSchool associate professor Denise Agosto.

ALA Banned Books Week site: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm
Mapping Book Censorship: http://bannedbooksweek.org/Mapofbookcensorship.html

SCALA events this week!

2010-09-28T13:38:00.000-04:00

Join SCALA, Drexel's student chapter of the American Library Association, for two events this week -- the iSchool's Fall Festival and our own Banned Books Week event, cosponsored by the iSchool.

Fall Festival -- Wednesday, September 29

SCALA will be at the iSchool Fall Festival on Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Rush Alumni Garden. Come make your own cheesesteak and learn more about the iSchool's student organizations, career services and peer mentoring programs. RSVP to this event at: www.ischool.drexel.edu/fallfestival

A New Take on Banned Books Week -- Thursday, September 30
In honor of Banned Books Week, iSchool associate professor Denise Agosto will be giving a talk titled "Social Networks, Teens, and Controversial Content: A New Take on Banned Books Week" at 5 p.m. Thursday, September 30 in Hagerty Library room L33. Pizza and refreshments will be provided by the iSchool. The event will conclude with banned book giveaways!

The talk will be simulcast at http://bit.ly/SCALAevent

The archived lecture, along with additional Banned Books Week resources and another chance to win a banned book, will be on our blog (http://drexelscala.blogspot.com/) starting Friday.

For more information, email drexelscala@gmail.com

Abstract: Librarians and others interested in issues relating to censorship and the freedom to read have been celebrating Banned Books Week for nearly 30 years. In today’s highly digital information world, it’s time to expand our thinking about censored materials from just printed books to include other forms of controversial reading materials, such as websites and digital networks. This presentation will summarize the major issues relating to teens and privacy and security in online social networks and suggest ways that librarians can help adolescents to become safer digital citizens while still protecting their freedom to read and exchange information.

Volunteer Job - Student Web Editor - ACRL

2010-09-22T20:45:00.003-04:00

Do you have web design skills and superb writing chops? The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is looking for two student volunteers to contribute to the Residency Interest Group website. This is a great way for future academic librarians to boost your resumes.

Student Web Editors

The editors of the ACRL Residency Interest Group (RIG) website are looking for two student volunteers. Volunteers will develop stories and contribute content, in various formats, on topics of interest relevant to current library science students, new graduates, and early career librarians. Applicants should be currently enrolled in a library science graduate program with a strong interest in academic librarianship.

Additional requirements include:
* CMS: Familiarity with WordPress or a similar CMS
* Image editing: Proficiency in a photo editing software
* Audio/Video editing: Experience creating and uploading audio and/or video podcasts
* Writing: Ability to write in both a scholarly (academic) and informal (blog) style, as required

Please send letters of interest to Rabia Gibbs (rgibbs4@utk.edu) or Faith Steele (faith.steele@marquette.edu).

SCALA/DUSLA/DUSAA happy hour this Thursday!

2010-09-22T10:03:00.001-04:00

Celebrate* the new academic year with your favorite student groups this Thursday! Drexel’s student chapters of the American Library Association (SCALA), the Special Library Association (DUSLA) and the Society of American Archivists (DUSAA) will be at Landmark Americana for a special joint Happy Hour from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 23. This is a great opportunity to meet other students in the MS(LIS) program and learn how to get involved in these three groups. Everyone is welcome, and appetizers will be provided.

Landmark is located at 34th and Market streets (in the Drexel recreation center).

Questions? Email SCALA at drexelscala@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

*If you would rather lament the beginning of classes, Landmark has a full bar. See the full menu.

Job - Library Assistant - Philadelphia Museum of Art

2010-09-17T11:28:00.005-04:00

For those of you interested in special libraries, art, or museums, here's a fantastic job opportunity with the renowned Philadelphia Museum of Art!

Image Credit: Flickr - Joy Gant

Library Assistant (part-time, temporary position for 12 months).

The Philadelphia Museum of Art seeks a temporary Library Assistant to provide support for the Library’s serial and interlibrary loan operations, and to assist with paging and re-shelving of library materials. This position is responsible for the following duties: check-in all incoming current issues of periodicals, microfilm, microfiche, etc.; identify missing issues for claiming; gather and prepare materials for the commercial bindery; maintain and weed the newspaper collection and the current-year-only periodicals; assist library patrons in the use of periodicals; assist in locating materials for patrons; page and deliver materials; receive and prepare for shipment interlibrary loan materials; staff reference desk as assigned.

This is a temporary, part-time position (16 hours a week) for one year, beginning in Fall 2010. Hours: 12 noon to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Occasional Saturday hours may be assigned.

Qualified candidates should have two years of library-clerical experience or two years of college. Computer skills, including experience with word processing and database software; organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to climb ladders/stairs and to lift 40 lbs.; familiarity with library research methods; desire to provide a high level of customer service.

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume via the Museum’s job opportunities page at http://www.philamuseum.org/jobs/. EOE

Job - Library Assistant - Philadelphia University

2010-09-15T09:12:00.005-04:00

Want experience in an academic library? Here's a new opportunity for you!

Image Credit: Flickr - mollyali

Position: Stack Attendant/Library Assistant

Philadelphia University
Paul J. Gutman Library,
School House Lane & Henry Ave.,
Philadelphia, PA 19144

The Paul J. Gutman Library of Philadelphia University is seeking a part-time (20 hrs/week) Stack Attendant/Library Assistant to organize returned books and reshelve them in correct order. Also needed to maintain neat, proper appearance of bookshelves and work on stack shifting projects. Will spend one day per week copy cataloging.

Familiarity with libraries and classification systems preferred. Must be able to stand, bend, stretch, and lift books and have physical stamina to shelve and push heavy book carts.

EDUCATION REQUIRED: High School diploma required, Library School students are welcome to apply.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES: Interested applicants should submit a letter of application and resume to:
Karen Albert, MLS
Library Director
Paul J. Gutman Library, Philadelphia University
School House Lane and Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19144
Email address: albertk@philau.edu

"Meet and Greet" Event with ALA Accreditors

2010-09-10T10:37:00.004-04:00

Image Credit: Flickr - Enrique Burgos

Attention LIS Students!
You are Invited to a VERY IMPORTANT iSchool Event

Did you know the iSchool at Drexel was first accredited by the
American Library Association (ALA) in 1927? ALA Accreditation has an
impact on the College's rankings and, more importantly, on the value
of your degree.

This October, an ALA Review Board will be reviewing the iSchool's
MS(LIS), and you can have an impact on the accreditation decision by
attending a special "meet and greet" event with members of the
Accreditation Review Board.

Monday, October 4, 2010
Feel free to stop by anytime between 4 and 6 PM
Rush Building, Room 014
Refreshments & Pizza will be served!

R.S.V.P. to Jennifer Lally by Friday, October 1st to JL352@drexel.edu

So you want to be a librarian?

2010-09-03T12:11:00.004-04:00

If you're curious about how to build your career before you finish the degree or what kind of skills a 21st century librarian needs, head on over to the Librarian by Day blog.

Blogger Bobbi Newman has complied an extensive list of career advice on the Web for potential MLS students, current students, and new job seekers.

Check out the list:

So You Want to be a Librarian? A Guide For Those Considering an MLS, Current Students & Job Seekers

Please complete the ALA student chapter survey

2010-08-30T09:43:00.001-04:00

The 2010 ALA Student Chapters Survey is now available.

By completing this 20-minute survey, you will provide ALA with invaluable information that no doubt will result in your having a greater ALA Student Chapter experience. We hope this information will help us, as well as other student chapters, build better networks and activities for our members.

Get involved in SCALA — online!

2010-08-10T21:05:00.000-04:00

Greetings to the iSchool’s online students! Looking to get involved in SCALA from where you live? You can!

You’re already on our blog. Other ways to get involved from afar are to follow us on Twitter (@DrexelScala) and join our Google group (http://groups.google.com/group/drexel-scala) and Facebook group. As a bit of a housekeeping matter, filling out our membership form (using the link at the top of the blog), if you haven't already, also helps us keep interested students in the know.

While our most recent meeting wasn’t simulcast online, our events this fall will be. These include discussions about banned books and alternative career options, as well as a talk about best practices for résumés. We're really excited for these events, and we want everyone to be able to take part.
Being on campus, it’s hard for us to know what works best for those of you who are not. So we’re handing the conversation to you: How can we help online students be involved? Are you interested in participating in events as they happen? Online discussions afterward? Having recordings to watch in your own free time? What about downloadable podcasts?

Leave a comment here with your ideas. We look forward to hearing from you!

Awful Library Books

2010-08-05T10:03:00.003-04:00

In need of a good laugh? Check out Awful Library Books, a blog that displays some of the most awful library books found in a Michigan public library's collection. Talk about the need to weed!

Meeting - Thursday, July 29th

2010-07-26T11:53:00.001-04:00

Please join us for our summer meeting. In keeping with SCALA tradition, there will be FREE pizza and drinks! Please RSVP to our Facebook event so we can get an idea of how much food to bring.

When: Thursday, July 29 at 5 p.m.

Where: Hagerty Library, Room L33

Why: To meet your fellow students and get involved!

New members are welcome! Come learn about who we are and the great events SCALA has planned for this fall! We will also be ratifying our constitution. This is a great opportunity to get involved in SCALA and meet other future librarians.

If you have questions, please email SCALA at drexelscala@gmail.com

Job - Archives Assistant - Children's Literature Collection

2010-07-22T13:37:00.005-04:00

For those of you who are interested in archives and want to get some experience, there's a great new opportunity available at the Free Library of Philadelphia!

The Archives Assistant will be working on collections by children's literature authors, creating finding aids for each collection. This is a part-time/temporary position and is a great way to get that archival experience you've been looking for.

More information about the position and how to apply can be found on the Free Library of Philadelphia's Career webpage.

Philadelphia Library's Budget is Spared

2010-07-15T10:48:00.004-04:00

Image Credit: flickr - teachandlearn

After Mayor Nutter's threat to include libraries in his slashed budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the Free Library of Philadelphia can now breathe a sign of relief. Library lovers will still enjoy five days of service, instead of having to make due with a proposed cutback of only four days.

While the Library may be rejoicing, police and fire companies are not happy about the cuts to their departments. Also, the Library may still face a large cut in state aid, almost $750,000 worth.

Read more about the budget and its details in the Philadelphia Inquirer's article ("$47 million in budget cuts spare libraries", July 15th, 2010).

What are your thoughts on how Nutter has handled the budget situation? Are you willing to have a cut in police and fire programs to keep libraries more accessible?

Commentary in Philadelphia Inquirer

2010-07-09T11:41:00.002-04:00

In today's Philadelphia Inquirer, author Marilyn Johnson writes a rousing call for communities to get behind their libraries ("Are libraries unnecessary?" July 9, 2010).

Johnson most recently wrote This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All. She also came to the Free Library of Philadelphia a few months ago to talk about her book and the many librarians she met who are doing some amazing work in the world.

How refreshing to have a non-librarian, someone who isn't part of the profession, coming out and advocating for libraries! I wish more people understood the vital role libraries play in maintaining an informed, educated, democratic society.

Changes to Constitution

2010-07-01T10:56:00.002-04:00

The officers are making changes to SCALA's constitution.

One of the most important changes has to do with membership requirements. We will no longer require SCALA members to be a member of ALA as well, although it is encouraged. As many of you have learned from INFO520, professional associations are a great way to network and find jobs! Plus, ALA student membership is cheap - only $33! And you will get a copy of American Libraries mailed to you every month.

Check out the ALA Student Membership page for more info. But remember - you can still participate in SCALA even if you don't belong to ALA.

Thoughts on the Library Job Market

2010-07-01T09:41:00.005-04:00

Read Rick Roche's thoughtful blog post on the library job market today. He has a lot of insightful comments from his perspective as a Department Head hiring a new Reference Librarian, including some important tips about resumes, cover letters, and asking questions about why you may not have been picked for the position.

What do you think about his observations of the current and future state of library jobs?

The conference is here — now let's eat!

2010-06-24T14:10:00.001-04:00

For those of you attending the ALA annual conference, let's meet up Saturday night. We'll find some dinner and you will have the opportunity to meet other students and make plans for the rest of the evening.
So, the plan:

Who: Drexel SCALA, Drexel library science students and selected awesome alumni
What: Dinner and then fun, including, but not limited to, walking to the National Mall and seeing some of the monuments at night
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Meet at Four Points Sheraton, 1201 K St NW
Why: Because we need at least one opportunity this weekend to talk about Drexel — and also have some fun!

For the rest of your meals, check back here later today for some suggestions for affordable eats.

Where to eat during ALA

2010-06-24T14:03:00.002-04:00

ALA Annual is upon us, and if you're like me, you're in DC (or will be soon) and trying to plan the next few days, including where you'll be eating. As SCALA's resident DC expert (sort of), I thought I'd offer up some restaurant ideas for the conference. What follows is by no means a complete list, but they're all places near the convention center that I've either been to or had recommended to me. Keep in mind that DC prices are far more expensive than those in Philly (or most of the rest of the country, for that matter), so you'll spend more for a comparable meal.

For quick lunch or dinner:

Five Guys (808 H St. NW) - Five Guys does great burgers and fries. It's fast food, but it's better quality than something like McDonald's. Everything's fried in peanut oil and they serve peanuts in the restaurant though, so if you're allergic, avoid going here.
Chop't (730 7th St. NW) - Chop't is all salads, all the time. They have a bunch of signature dishes, or you can create your own.
California Tortilla (728 7th St. NW) - Burritos, tacos, salads, etc.
Potbelly (726 7th St. NW) - Sandwiches and salads.

For a sit down meal:

Capitol City Brewing Company (1100 New York Ave NW)
Matchbox (713 H St. NW)
Ella's Pizza (9th St. NW between F and G) - Really good pizza, plus fantastic happy hour specials from 4-7 Monday through Friday
Gordon Biersch (900 F St. NW)
Chinatown Express (746 6th St. NW) - Great Chinese food, and inexpensive by DC standards.
Full Kee (509 H St. NW)
Ping Pong Dim Sum (900 7th St. NW) - Really good food, and since it's dim sum, you can try lots of different options and share for a slightly less expensive meal.

Do you have a favorite place in the convention center/Chinatown/Penn Quarter area of DC? Comment and let other conference-goers know!

Sign up for our Longwood Gardens Trip

2010-06-23T11:00:00.003-04:00

Fountains at Longwood Gardens
Image Credit: anne.oeldorfhirsch

The date has been set for our Longwood Gardens trip - Friday, July 16th.

Longwood Gardens is a premiere horticultural garden, with innovative landscaping displays and a focus on community engagement through the environment and the arts. Our trip will include a tour of their library and archives of 31,000 items, including a rare book collection.

We will be leaving at 1PM on Friday, July 16th from campus (Rush Building) and will carpool to the Gardens. If you would like to sign up for this trip, please email us at DrexelSCALA@gmail.com. Spots are limited!

Longwood Gardens Trip coming soon

2010-06-17T11:33:00.003-04:00

SCALA will be hosting a trip to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA sometime this summer. This will include a tour of their library and archives which offers materials in horticulture, botany and the allied arts and sciences.

Are you interested in joining us? Email to let us know!

More details to come...