Alumni Interview: Clinical Information Analyst Melissa

Melissa attended Drexel from 2008 to 2010 as an online student. By taking advantage of reduced student rates, Melissa was a member of SLA for a few years, as well as ALA and ASIST, but now that she has graduated and has to pay full membership fees, feels the need to be more selective about joining professional associations. Currently, she is a member of the Medical Library Association (MLA), and plans to one day join Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). She highly recommends that current students take advantage of student rates, conference stipends/grants, and association listservs, because they offer an excellent opportunity to learn about the professional world.

While attending school, Melissa worked in a corporate library, a hospital library, and a law library, mostly working with technical services and knowledge management. During her last quarter at Drexel, she took the Healthcare Informatics class (INFO 648), and really enjoyed it. Melissa was "...very impressed with the overall quality of my online experience. There are challenges to being an online student, but the convenience and flexibility can't be beat. I had many excellent professors who challenged me to do my best and I find myself silently thanking them on a regular basis as I confront the many situations at work that have some aspect of "information management" at their core."

What is your current job? Clinical Informatics Analyst at Olympic Medical Center, a small hospital in Port Angeles, WA. 

How did you find your job? I was extremely lucky that this job was being advertised right at the same time that I was planning to move to Port Angeles for family reasons. I applied and was competing against other people who had actual clinical experience, but I guess I interviewed well! I also had excellent references and had just taken the Healthcare Informatics class at Drexel.

What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job? My days bounce between sitting at the compeer, puzzling out some issues with the electronic medical record system (mostly issues caused by the interaction of imperfect end-users interacting with imperfect computers!) and going to meetings. It is rare to have a day without any meetings, whether it is sitting down with a clinical manager deciding on what their SharePoint site needs, or participating in a regular team meeting, or presenting about a topic (like Information Security) to a group of administrators. The word Analyst in my title is very apt, as I do a lot of problem-solving and "reference interviews" with people who are experiencing issues.

I am learning a lot about healthcare information technology (hardware and software), and I am getting more familiar with clinical processes and the way medicine works. Those were things I expected I would learn. What I didn't expect is just how much my librarian and knowledge management background would be relevant! I was recently assigned to be Primary Support for SharePoint, which is the hospital's main platform for collaboration and Internet functions. This is both scary and exciting, because it has so much potential from a Knowledge Management perspective, but it takes a lot of time and energy. I am also on the Education Committee, so I bring my "librarian" self to those meetings, but it constantly frustrates me that we don't have an actual medical Librarian or Hospital Library!

What do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy solving problems for doctors and nurses (and support staff) which enables them to provide better patient care and possibly save lives. I also enjoy being able to collaborate with others on various process involvement projects, because it's like solving future problems (preemptively!) There is also more to learn, and that is very satisfying. 

What are some common misconceptions about your job/area of librarianship? That "informatics" is the same as IT. Nobody really understands what "clinical informatics" means, or what we do (until we help them with a problem...and then they know who to call! But they still couldn't explain what informatics means.) To confuse matters even more, our Clinical Informatics team just merged with our Applications (software) team, so now there is a "software" team and a "hardware" team under the umbrella of Information Services. However, informatics is not just about software, it is largely about people and how they do their work (processes and workflow). But since we usually help people with problems that stem from computers, we end up getting labeled as IT.

What was the most valuable thing you did or learned while in library school? I'm extremely glad that I ended up pursuing the Knowledge Management/ Competitive Intelligence concentration. I have used the skills from those classes on many occasions. I also am thankful for learning about the structure of relational databases, and the main principles behind Information Architecture and website design. I think library school also instilled a deep appreciation for the value of providing excellent customer service. 

What inspired you to choose this career? Ironically, my very first library job was as a Library Assistant at a hospital library, but that was a job just for the sake of getting a job- until I feel in love with it during my tenure! My boss encouraged me to go to library school, so I did, but I did not think I would end up back in a hospital setting.

What do you wish you had learned more about? I actually wish I had learned more search skills! However, after some years of work experience (but not necessarily search experience) I know that after a certain point you can't learn it in school. You just have to jump in the pool and start helping your customers even though you don't think you know what you are doing! I call myself a librarian, when the situation warrants, but I often feel like I'm not a "real" librarian because I'm not doing long Boolean searches in obscure databases to find articles or books for grateful patrons. But I don't let that bother me too much- because I really love what I AM doing for my "patrons".

Any tips for current students? Learn about informatics! And especially consider going into the field of healthcare in some capacity, because we need more people with our skill set. It's one field where jobs are available these days, too (although it helps to have even a small bit of experience with something healthcare related, so volunteer, or cultivate healthcare connections in your network).

Alumni Interview: Academic (and Medical!) Librarian Jackie

Jackie earned her MLIS from Drexel in 1994, while working full-time as a cataloging technician at the Scott Memorial Library of Thomas Jefferson University. Six months before she graduated, she got her first job as an entry level reference librarian at Scott Memorial Library. She stayed in the reference department for three years, and then moved over to access services for another three years. She left Jefferson in 2000 to work as the director of the library at Chestnut Hill Hospital, where she provided services to healthcare providers, staff, and patients. Currently, Jackie is the department head of Access Services at the Community College of Philadelphia. She has also taught a course on medical bibliography, and earned a Master's of Education degree from Drexel in Learning Technologies in 2009. 


Jackie has served as the president of the Philadelphia Chapter of SLA (1999-2000), the president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the MLA. She has enjoyed attending conferences for these associations, especially because she is able to visit places that she would not otherwise have traveled to.


What is your current job? My current job title is Department Head, Library/Access Services Librarian at the Community College of Philadelphia.


How did you find your current job? I found my job advertised on a listserv, HigherEdJobs- www.higheredjobs.com


What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job? My typical day will consist of a combination of activities such as staffing the reference desk, collection development, circulation responsibilities and administrative activities such as signing invoices, monitoring the library budget, and attending meetings. I did not expect to be as busy as I was afar taking the job at CCP. Life as a hospital librarian was tame compared to being in academia. I had forgotten the demands of academia after working 8 years at the hospital.

What do you enjoy most about your job? I like that my job is challenging, and every day is different. Having the chance to get to know our students and to watch them as they work towards their goals is nice. As faculty, librarians attend commencement each year. It is an inspiration to see students that we have helped in the Library march down the aisle to receive their diplomas. 

What are some of the common misconceptions about your job/area of librarianship? In general, I don't think people realize how intense a job being a librarian can be. I believe that people recognize librarians as information professionals who are experts in the field, particularly as the Internet has developed over the past decade or more. People look to libraries to satisfy their technological and information needs so if anything, the misconception would be that this is all we do. We still perform traditional tasks that are now technology driven. As far as access services goes, library users may not know what those words mean, however, everyone has a concept of the circulation desk. Being department head is something that must be experienced to be understood. The role of department head requires a major amount of multitasking to keep up with those demands, in addition to managing access services, and everything else that being a librarian requires. 

What is the most valuable thing you did or learned while in library school? Because I worked in libraries for many years as a cataloging technician before attending library school, learning the theory behind the practice of what I was doing was valuable to me. I also learned the power of networking. 

What inspired you to choose this career? I have always been a lover of libraries since I checked out my first book. My mom took me to our local branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia (Cobbs Creek Branch) to get my very first book and library card. I came to admire the work of the librarians at Jefferson. Some even served as mentors, unbeknownst to them. My focus then changed from wanting a career as a cataloger to public services. 

What do you wish you had learned more about? Well, I worked very hard to get a "B" in Resources in Business. I feel that I survived the experience more than retaining the content of the course. 

Any tips for current students? I think students should join professional organizations and attend conferences and local programming in order to meet people and of course, to learn. Professional organizations have reduced membership rates for students, take advantage! I also think students should be open to experiences that may not be in the area of librarianship they wish to pursue. You never know where you may get that first job. I would of course advise students to give back and support ISTA. Brenda Sheridan and Jennifer Lally are really great and totally invested in iSchool students and alumni. A relationship with the iSchool is one that will be of value long after graduation.

Alumni Interview: Library Media Specialist Deborah

Deborah considered herself to be "non-traditional student", because she returned to school for her MLIS when her children were in middle school. She graduated in 1992, and took many classes while still working as a part-time aide in an elementary school near her house. She feels fortunate to have had stellar professors, such as Dr. Mancell, and to have worked as a graduate assistant for Dr. McNamara. Twenty years later, she says she still hears some of their advice when considering different approaches to a problem, and she feels lucky to still love her career.


What is your current job? Library Media Specialist in a grade 3-6 building (PA).


How did you find your job? Job opening in my home school district, and previous place of employment.


What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job? Rarely are two days the same, except for my half hour lunch which I've worked hard to maintain. I am the only librarian for a building of 1600 students, with two part-time paraprofessionals. We see about 70 groups every week in 15 minute intervals for book choice/exchange. Additionally, I see flexibly scheduled groups for instruction on an "as needed" bass (the classroom teachers are the ones who identify the need). 


I also work on curricular committees for the district and serve as a "leader of integrated instruction". I work with groups of teachers and coaches on professional development programs, and have the opportunity to work with our Literacy Coach to help promote and plan for our shift to Common Core Standards.


What do you enjoy most about your job? Having the chance to work with adult as well as student learners. For example, we have almost completed our first year of faculty interaction in professional learning communities which I helped to plan and implement. 


What are some common misconceptions about your job or your area of librarianship? That I sit and read books, that I know the Dewey Decimal system by heart, and that I expect the library to be a quiet place.


What was the most valuable thing you did or learned while in library school? Attended professional conferences, and worked for a professor (graduate assistant) to facilitate Drexel/Free Library award and conference.


What inspired you to choose this career? A desire to teacher students how to learn, instead of telling them what they need to know. And my own need for order and organization in life.


What do you wish you had learned more about? Rare and aged books and how to care for them. 


Any tips for current students? Get out and see as many examples of working professionals in your field as possible. Everyone has their own "angle" on procedures, etc. and everyone has something of value to share!

Bored over Break? Why Not Try an Informational Interview?

Are you looking for something librarian-ish to do over the week-long break between Spring and Summer Quarters? If so, then why not schedule an informational interview with a professional in the library and information science field? Many librarians will tell you that they not only love what they do, but also that they love discussing what they do with anyone who is interested. Additionally, people in the information profession are especially eager to share their ideas, experiences, and advice with future librarians. So why not use this lull in school-related activity to learn more about the profession directly from a professional herself through an informational interview?

Before scheduling an informational interview, you should first do some internet research about the libraries in your area, especially if you do not have a library or an interviewee in mind. A general rule of thumb is to limit the list of potential libraries to visit according to your own interests, particularly in terms of library type (public, academic, special, etc.). For example, if you think you would like to work in an academic library someday, create a list of academic libraries located near you (try using the College Navigator search on the NCES homepage), find the homepage for the libraries at these colleges and universities, and take a look around each library’s website.

After obtaining a better sense of what each library is like, decide on which libraries you would like to visit. For these libraries, find the staff directory (usually labeled “Staff” on the website’s navigation bar) and take a look around. Not only is a staff directory useful for finding contact information, but it is also a fast way to find out who does what at a library. Depending on the directory, some libraries might list each staff member’s title, credentials, and short professional biography. Even if a directory does not have all of this information, it will almost always list staff members’ titles. Use this information to figure out who is responsible for what interests you about the library (e.g., if you are interested in a library’s information literacy program, find the director of this program on the “Staff” page).  Finally, send emails to these libraries to request an informational interview.

Write your email as you would any professional correspondence (click here to review professional email basics). As for content, explain the purpose for contacting the librarian (you would like to schedule an informational interview), where you found their contact information, who you are as a student (the degree you are working towards, where you go to school, etc.), and a common point of interest (e.g., digital libraries) and/or a compliment on project they have worked on at their library. End the email by listing your availability and by thanking them for considering your request.

Once you receive a response accepting your request, start preparing your questions. You may decide to use stock questions that could work when interviewing any professional (click here to see a list). Stock question are quite useful for obtaining general information about the person and the position they hold at the library. Nevertheless, your questions should become more specific as you work your way down the list, and you will need to tailor these questions to the person being interviewed. To do this, base your questions on what information you found about the person or their position at their library from your basic internet search. By asking these types of questions, you are trying to find information about the key competencies needed for the position, as well as the kinds of non-library-specific skills (e.g., project management) one would need to develop to succeed in the position. While it is important that you come to the interview with a list of questions written down and ready to be asked, you should also allow the interview to follow any interesting or potentially useful tangents that might arise. Also, while you should be respectful and appreciative, you should not be so formal as to make the interviewee uncomfortable.

As with a job interview, you should arrive early to the informational interview in professional attire (click here to review tips on job-interviewing ). Also, as with a job interview, make sure to send the interviewee a “thank you” email afterwards. This type of email is especially important to send after an informational interview because, unlike a job interview, the professional with whom you have met has no immediate incentive for taking time out of their workday to speak with you; in this sense, then, the informational interview is primarily for your benefit, which is why you should express your appreciation to the interviewee appropriately.

Those readers who have taken INFO 520 have already interviewed at least one information professional and so are already familiar with the purpose of and steps involved in informational interviewing. Consider this post, then, a reiteration of what your INFO 520 professor has said about informational interviewing with an additional, first-hand affirmation of its value. To be more specific, two current SCALA officers have been offered internships as the result of conducting informational interviews. While there is no guarantee that you will be made the same offer, the more you put yourself out there and get to know people in the profession before you graduate, the better chances you have of finding a position that suits your interests and needs. Additionally, the more informational interviews you conduct, the more you will learn about the profession and the larger your network will grow. Thus conducting informational interviews is an excellent pre-professional activity in which you can actively engage.

Interview Series: Awesome Alumni

This post introduces our  interview series with Drexel iSchool's 'awesome alumni'! Through this series, we hope to show current students what they can do after graduation with their MLIS. We also want to show students what it takes to get that elusive full-time job, and what that job looks like on a daily basis. For our first entry, we spoke with Doreva Belfiore,  who graduated from Drexel with her MLIS in 2011.


Doreva attended the iSchool as a part-time student from 2008-2011, and was a co-chair of SCALA from 2009-2010. Throughout her program, Doreva had four internships: digital collections management internship at the Internet Public Library (ipl2), a general library internship at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Library of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), a digital libraries and circulation internship at the Rutgers Camden Law Library, and an electronic resources licensing and cataloging internship at the University of Pennsylvania.


What is your current job?
Dorevea: I work as a bibliographic assistant in the Digital Library Initiatives Department of Temple University Libraries. This is a relatively new department that is charged with digitizing materials from the Special Collections Research Center and other specialized collections at Temple Libraries.

Temple University Digital Collections website:   http://library.temple.edu/digitalcollections/

How did you find your job?

Doreva: I found my current job via a combination of networking and tracking job ads. I had been an intern at the University of Pennsylvania in the Information Processing Center (technical services department) for slightly over one year. I had met my current supervisor while she was working at Penn, and I knew that she had moved to Temple University to be the head of digital projects. After graduation from the iSchool, I saw that a position had come open at Temple University. I contacted her for more information about the position, and subsequently applied for it.

What does your typical day look like? Is this what you expected when you took the job?

Doreva: My typical day involves managing up to four students in various projects related to digitization: scanning print materials, organizing scanned materials for cataloging and upload into our digital management system (OCLC’s ContentDM), or editing metadata for cataloged materials.  I generally attend anywhere from 1 to 3 departmental or project meetings per day that are related to the management of specific digital projects going on throughout the library. At other times, I may be found testing and troubleshooting software for our future upgrade to a new version of ContentDM, or I may be reviewing and editing metadata for sets of digital objects. Currently, I am learning Drupal to manage websites and import data from external systems using XML.

Overall, this is pretty much exactly what I expected to be doing. One thing that surprised me is the amount of planning and team effort that is required for large scale digitization projects. Much of digitization is entirely dependent upon a robust hardware, software, and support personnel infrastructure in order to be successful. Also, in a large system, metadata choices can have long-term implications, so you generally want to get it right the first time.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Doreva: Primarily, I enjoy being able to work on multiple projects that have a diverse variety of subjects and materials. I love the fact that in this field I get to learn new things every day on and off the job. It’s very satisfying to be able to show a digital collection or a thematic exhibition website as the final product of many hours of effort and teamwork.


What are some of the most common misconceptions about your job or your area of librarianship? 
Doreva: I often wonder if other people think of me as “one of those people in the basement (archives) who run the scanners”.  Of course, I do work with scanning materials, but our work is much more than that: we are actively involved in cataloging digital materials, maintaining and configuring the software which supports our projects, and ensuring the long-term access to our digital materials by configuring a robust server hardware infrastructure that will support large-scale storage with future format migration over time. I believe that digital librarians and archivists are really members of an institution’s collection development team. As academic libraries in particular move away from collecting tons and tons of print materials, and instead focus more on specialized collections, people working in the realm of digitization are important partners in the efforts to develop, maintain, and promote such special collections.

I think that members of the general public may wonder why librarians are needed when one can just Google anything on the internet.  Well, if your website and your digital collections do not have specific metadata and specific data structures, Google might not be able to find your digital objects. It’s important to have knowledgeable people behind digitization projects who can manage these types of details so that digital collections are actually discoverable. You cannot use what you cannot see.

What was the most valuable thing that you did or learned while in library school?
Doreva: I think the most valuable thing that I did during my time at Drexel was to seek out a variety of internships related to digital libraries. In particular, I took an internship in which I had to work an inconvenient schedule that involved evenings and weekends. While the schedule could occasionally be frustrating, that experience gave me direct experience in computer programming and digital library infrastructure. It enabled me to complete relevant, real-life projects and then publish a paper about my work in an online professional journal, Code4Lib Journal.  I would argue that there is no “perfect” internship, and that you get out of the internship what you put into it.

In terms of classes, the most important things that I learned came from areas related to my concentration – Digital Libraries.  Every week I utilize skills that I learned in various classes, including HTML editing, MARC cataloging, Dublin Core metadata, and XML and XSLT transformations. In a greater context, I also am called upon to have knowledge and appreciation of database architecture, archival processing, archival materials preservation, copyright, and professional ethics.

What inspired you to choose this career?
Dorevva: For many years I worked in information technology in technical support, network administration and project management. I enjoyed that work but I knew that I had a longstanding interest in digital preservation, especially film and media preservation. When exploring changing careers, I decided upon digital librarianship as the perfect combination of librarianship (materials access, public service), archives (materials preservation and access), and technology (hardware, software, and computer programming).


What do you wish you had learned more about?

Doreva: I wish that I could have taken more Archives classes beyond Archives I and II, and I plan to go back and take more classes online as continuing professional education. I would have loved to have learned more about content representation, instructional design, teaching methodologies, and XML.

I have found that an important component of my work has been HTML, web design, and computer graphics. Knowledge of a scripting language like perl, python, php, cgi, or javascript is also highly useful.

I highly encourage any iSchool student to take the Introduction to Web Design class, or some type of web design class, if you do not have direct experience in creating and maintaining websites.  Before attending Drexel, I took some local classes in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, and this knowledge has proved to be directly relevant to my everyday work.

To supplement my knowledge of perl programming, I have been studying javascript programming free online as part of the CodeYear project sponsored by Codeacademy. For those in the Delaware Valley area, I also highly recommend the free classes in python scripting offered for women and their friends from Pystar Philly.

Any tips for current students?
Doreva: I highly recommend that current students try to find at least one internship or volunteer experience in the area of librarianship that interests you. It’s not always possible to obtain a paid internship, but even unpaid or volunteer experiences can be highly valuable for building skills. During my time at the iSchool, I was a part-time student by choice, so I was able to get a total of 4 internships (2 paid and 2 unpaid) over 3 years. In your internship, whenever possible, document a list of the skills that you acquire or the projects that you have worked on, and add that to your future portfolio.  If you internship is located at an academic or public library, take advantage of any opportunities for professional development that you can, which might include software training classes, lectures, and training webcasts.

One of the things I do that I recommend to any students is to identify job descriptions for positions that interest you, even if you are not qualified for them. Keep those descriptions in your own personal database (PDF, word, text files, whatever works for you). Use those descriptions to identify the experience, skills, and traits that are sought for that type of position and think about ways that you can get that experience and develop those skills and traits.

Consider joining either a student chapter or a local chapter of a professional library or information organization.  You never know what valuable information you might find in a speaker’s presentation or what connections you might make at a networking mixer. I enjoy hearing presentations on a variety of topics related to library science even if they are not related to my specialty, because I get to experience other aspects of librarianship that broaden my perspective of the profession.

Connect with Doreva at:

Twitter: @dorevabelfiore
Website: www.dorevabelfiore.com

Getting Involved with ALA

In this series, SASCO liaisons and leaders will share how they became involved with ALA and its Divisions. Each of us became involved in our own way and maintain individual levels of participation. We hope that by sharing our stories it will help you find your own place in the organization.

Part 1: Conferences and Committees

By: Lindsay Sarin, Academic Librarian, Committee Nerd
I started my involvement with ALA as an executive board member of the University of Maryland ALA Student Chapter. The experience helped me learn a little about the inner-workings of ALA, but it wasn’t until I attended an ALA Annual Meeting that I really got involved. Lots of people contribute without going to conference, but for me it was essential. Here's how I used Annual to jumpstart my ALA participation.

Preplanning/Trying to Find Your Niche

ALA is overwhelming at first, especially at Annual. There are so many groups, sessions, and meetings; it can be tough to find your way. I started planning my visit by spending a lot of time on the ALA website looking at divisions and groups (with ALA Connect this is now a little easier since all the documents are in one place). I picked out the groups I thought were interesting and planned to attend their sessions.

New Member Sessions

My very first session was ACRL 101 (I went to the ACRL session because I've always been into academic libraries but NMRT's is great too). ALA 101 sessions are invaluable because they are friendly spaces for new members, presenters help clarify the ALA structure, and usually there is an opportunity to mingle.

Go to Meetings and Not Just the One's on Your Schedule

During Annual I went to some of the committee meetings and presentations on my schedule, but I ended up going to more that I heard about from those at the 101 session and from socials. Most importantly, at the meetings/sessions, I participated. As a newbee it can be a little scary to speak-up, but people pay attention if you do. If you want to be involved either on a committee or in the discussion you have to be willing speak (Steven Bell thinks so too). Don’t be afraid to speak-up, shake someone’s hand, or ask about being involved.

Socials/Networking

Socials are the bread and butter of conferences for a lot of reasons; one they're fun and casual ways to meet new people; two you never know who's going to be there; three they're good places to find out what's going on behind the scenes. They're also great opportunities to ask someone who's been there. During my very first session I struck up a conversation with an ACRL member who was willing sit down with me and quite literally outline the committee structures and suggested some groups to check out (I now co-lead one of them).

The Hard Part

If leaders in ALA don't know you want to be a part of the process, you'll never will be. You have to actually contact them. Send an email, post to a group on ALA Connect, find someone on Twitter, friend someone on Facebook. It doesn't take much. Just let the right person know that you're willing to contribute, and they'll probably take you up on it. For me it was just a matter of sending a few emails after the conference.

From ALA NMRT's SASCO Update #3. Check out the SASCO Update #4  and the SCALA blog later this month for Part 2.

Finding a summer internship

Doing an internship over the summer is theoretically a great way to gain experience in librarianship, but realistically can be difficult to obtain. Competition is fierce, and paid positions are often far and few between. As summer quickly approaches, here is a compilation of resources and tips on how to get a valuable  summer internship experience.

There are two different kinds of internships that you should explore: paid, and unpaid. If you are able to do an unpaid internship, then you have a great deal more flexibility. If you need to do a paid internship, there are a number of resources available for you to use.

Paid internships: One place that updates its internship list constantly is Drexel's iSchool Career website. While not all the positions listed on the page are paid, many of them are. Another benefit to this website is that some of these internships are open only to, or first to, Drexel students.

Hagerty Library's website also provides career resources for library science students. There are two different guides that are useful: the first one is the Library Science guide, which lists job search resources, blogs, and salary information (among other things). The websites included on this page are some of the major job resource websites in library science, and oftentimes the search function can be restricted to internship positions rather than professional positions. The other useful guide that Hagerty Library posts is the Internship and Co-op Search guide. This guide lists internship resource websites and print directories, along with some useful books. While these websites are internship-specific, the search results returned for library science are often non-traditional or seemingly irrelevant. However, if you are interested in exploring different areas of librarianship and information science, these websites are a great place to start your search.

Outside of Drexel's resources, there are a number of comprehensive library and information science job websites which update daily or weekly. These websites tend to list more progressional jobs than internships, but internships are often included when they are available (they also tend to be paid, when they are listed). Some of the major resources to check are: I Need a Library Job, ArchivesGig, and ALA JobList.

Unpaid internships: If you are looking for an unpaid internship, you have a little more breathing room. First, do some research and decide on a handful or organizations or institutions that you would like to work at. Then, start contacting people within the organizations that you think might be valuable resources; this could be someone whose job you could see yourself doing eventually or a hiring manager or director. One great way to get in to meet people is to call or email and ask to do an informational interview, where you go in and ask questions to learn more about the institution. Then, at the end (or afterwards, when you write your thank you note) ask if there are any volunteer opportunities available. That way, you have had some interaction with the people who work there, and they can put a face with your name.

Unpaid internships are a great way for MLIS students to explore areas of librarianship that you could see yourself working in one day, without having to fit into an existing program. It provides more flexibility for you to create your own program or project, which is more valuable in the long run. Also, having volunteer experience looks great on resumes and can help you land a competitive, paid internship later on.

Two related resources that can help you get an internship: 

Before applying to internships, take a look at these two blogs: Hiring Librarians and Open Cover Letters.

The first blog, Hiring Librarians, is a series of interviews with hiring managers or library directors and what they are looking for in job candidates. There is a lot of valuable advice, and a job search resource page was just posted a few days ago.

 The second blog, Open Cover Letters, is a compilation of cover letters written by people who got the job they applied for. The examples posted are a fantastic resource for when you are feeling stuck on wording or how to explain a relevant experience.

Internships of any kind of a grab way to build your resume with related library experience. If you have any other internship resources that you would like to share with us, please comment them below!

Get Involved during the Spring 2012 Quarter!

The Benefits of Joining a Student Organization     

SCALA would like to welcome new and returning iSchool students to participate in our organization during the 2012-2013 academic year. Whether you are new to the iSchool or have been enrolled for some time now, it is never too soon or too late to participate in a student organization. While your future professional success depends largely on how well you do in your courses, joining a student organization increases your chances of finding employment after graduation. An invaluable pre-professional opportunity, joining a student organization helps you establish connections with other library and information science students, learn more about how the information profession is developing, and share advice on how to best prepare for your future in the profession.

A Few Tips for Your First Term    

Participating in a student organization, of course, is just one of many pre-professional activities available to you. Although there is no guaranteed recipe for future success in the profession, there are several recommended pre-professional activities that all library and information science students should consider doing in addition to their coursework. For a brief overview, we recommend that you read the Hack Library School’s Library School Starter-Kit—The First Term. This step-by-step “How to” guide gives first-term library and information science students manageable goals to help establish themselves as future information professionals. We also recommend this guide to students who are further along in their library and information science education but who would like to become more involved in pre-professional activities.

Upcoming SCALA Activities    

SCALA officers will visit classes to introduce the organization and explain the benefits of joining during the first week of classes. If you are an online student taking INFO 515, 520, 521, and 522, you will see a post in from SCALA that presents the same information. We encourage participation from both on-campus and online students. Additionally, SCALA is hosting an online social event on Friday, April 13th from 7:00- 9:00 pm EST (4:00 - 6:00 PM PST). To join the meeting, visit http://bit.ly/SCALAevent. More events, both in-person and online, are in the works, so please keep visiting the SCALA blog for information.

How RSS feeds can help library students

What is an RSS feed?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS feeds provide a title and short summary of any new article on a website that you subscribe to- job websites, news websites, blogs, and a number of other types of websites. You can set up an RSS feed on your desktop, phone, or tablet to receive updates on multiple sites at once, without having to visit each site individually. RSS feeds are perfect time savers for busy students who want to stay current on job and LIS information.

How can it help you as a library science student?

RSS feeds can help library science students by creating a stream of new job postings from a variety of websites. For example, if you are interested in law libraries on the East Coast, you can customize your RSS feed to get updates from law library job posting websites as well as any local East Coast library job websites to get the largest amount of specific job postings as possible.

You can also use RSS feeds to stay up to date on library science news. This is particularly important for students who are job searching, becuase you want to be knowledgable about current professional news. There are many popular, interesting library science blogs by students and professionals which you can subscribe to in order to stay up to date.

How to set up your own RSS feed:

There are many different RSS feed providers. One of the most popular providers is Google Reader, which allows you to search for feeds, subscribe to them, and then create personal folders to sort your feeds. If you cannot find the website that you are thinking of in the search function, you can often find an RSS feed icon on individual websites, posted with other social media icons.

A few useful feeds:

RSS job websites:

ALA JobList: http://joblist.ala.org/index.cfm
LIBGig: http://publicboard.libgig.com/
Library Jobline: http://www.libraryjobline.org/
SLA Philadelphia Chapter: http://sla-phl.org/jobs/
NJSLA: http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/njslajobs/
Archives Gig: http://archivesgig.livejournal.com/

RSS library blogs

Hack Library School: http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/
I Need a Library Job: http://inalj.com/
Hiring Librarians: http://hiringlibrarians.com/
Open Cover Letter: http://opencoverletters.com/
Information Space: http://infospace.ischool.syr.edu/

Information Tyranosaur: http://andyburkhardt.com/

Please comment other favorite LIS job or blog feeds below!

More Professional & Job Search Resources

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

Mentorship Opportunity

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

Life in Library School—with a Baby!

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.

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

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.

Volunteering for the ipl2

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.

Summary - Job Search Information by Jenny Maurer

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.

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

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.

Surviving the Job Search, Part IV

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.

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

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.

Surviving the Job Search, Part III

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.

Surviving the Job Search, Part II

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.