Mid-Quarter Salutations!

Hello! SCALA would like to bid all of you iSchool students a merry mid-Quarter! We hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying school. As of tomorrow, we will only have a little over a month left of the Summer Quarter, which also means that the end of the 2011-2012 Academic Year is upon us. Some of you are preparing to graduate, while others are gearing up for another round of classes this fall. Whichever is the case for you, SCALA wants you to know that we’re rooting for you! Also, here are a few reminders for things to look forward to this week—

The second Archivists Being Awesome event at the Academy of Natural Science on Monday, July 30^th from 6:00-7:00 pm.

Our friends in DUSLA are hosting a Happy Hour event on Friday, August 3^rd at the City Tap House (3925 Walnut Street) at 5:30 pm. This will be a great chance to network with other iSchool students and information professionals. If you have come out to a DUSLA or SCALA event before, then why not bring someone new with you? 

All of this looks pretty great, right? So if you need a break from studying this week, try attending one of these events. 

Please check back soon to see what SCALA has planned for the rest of the summer!

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.

Excerpts from the NMRT SASCO Update 4

Welcome to the NMRT SASCO Update

The 2011-2012 NMRT Student and Student Chapter Outreach Committee will publish a newsletter once a month. We aim to please, so if there is an area we are not covering or information you’d like us to include, please don’t hesitate to contact your SASCO liaison. SASCO Speakers’ Pool Up & Running! Let us connect you! SASCO provides LIS students with the opportunity to have active NMRT and ALA members speak (virtually or in-person) about involvement in the Association and professional development topics. This is a wonderful opportunity for ALA's best and brightest to be ambassadors to the next generation of library leaders and to keep our professional organization viable. Any questions about the SASCO Speakers' Pool should be directed to the current chair (Erin Dorney). Visit http://www.ala.org/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm/libschoutr/sasco to view available speakers and sign up to be added to the pool!


News

New Members Round Table 2012/2013 committee volunteers are now being accepted NMRT Elections
The 2012 ALA Elections are rapidly approaching. The NMRT Nominating Committee would like to announce a live chat hosted in ALA Connect. The chat will be held on March 14 at 7pm EST. The chat will allow candidates to discuss their candidacy and answer questions while providing NMRT members an opportunity to hear directly about the issues that matter most to them. Learn what qualifications they bring to their position and their vision for NMRT and its future. Watch the candidates on the NMRT YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewMembersRT

Student AL Direct Issue 
 Did you know that ALA puts out an exclusive supplement for ALA Student Members in addition to ALA Direct? No? Then check it out!

Professional Development/Publication Opportunities

Joint Conference for Librarians of Color (JCLC) Kansas City, Mo.—“KCMO,” “the City of Fountains,” “the Paris of the Plains”—will soon be the host to the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC). Housing and registration for the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color, Sept. 19-23, 2012, will open on March 1. For complete details, visit Housing & Registration at www.jclc-conference.org 

Scholarships & Funding

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!

Open Jobs & Internships

Data Curation at the Library of Congress Residency 
Organizers plan to start taking applications this summer. Recently, the Library of Congress, Office of Strategic Initiatives, partnered with the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create a residency program focused on digital curation. Application for the six-month residency program will be open to postgraduate students later this year. For more information on this exciting collaboration, please follow click here.

Internship Programme at the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) of the United Nations 
Intern on Archives and Records Management in the United Nations.The JIU, the only independent external oversight body of the United Nations system mandated to conduct evaluations, inspections and investigations system-wide, is currently seeking an intern with a background in Archives and Records Management who can intern for a minimum of four months and a maximum of six months (preferable) starting in mid-October 2012.

 Job Hunting Resources

Hiring Librarians 
Organized by a job-hunting librarian, this blog surveys hiring librarians to learn what will really get you hired (or, dropped out of the running quickly).

Job Hunters’ Resource Round-Up 
Written by the Hiring Librarians blog (above), this is a great list of resources.

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.

 I Need a Library Job

ALA JobList