As Solos know, the world of libraries is wide and diverse – and not just in Sololand. In the first of what will hopefully be many guest blogger posts that highlight innovative and interesting corners of the profession, we would like to introduce Naomi House, founder of INALJ (I Need a Library Job). Naomi says…
INALJ (I Need a Library Job) is a blog, webzine, jobs resource and community begun October 16, 2010. I
had found a job on a listserv and thought that there must be a better way to share jobs. What started
as a daily email has blossomed to include a LinkedIn Group, Facebook page, Twitter feed and website
that hosts the 150+ pages of jobs posted daily. Through grassroots marketing, word of mouth and a
real focus on exploring unconventional resources for job leads INALJ grew from a subscription base of
20 friends to over 3,600 librarians and information professionals. I believe that well-sourced quantity is
quality in this narrow job market and INALJ reflects this with over 150 pages of jobs in related fields that
are published daily. If one person had found a job, I would have been thrilled. As of the end of 2012
728 fans have found jobs!!!
Online I insist on constructive criticism and no wallowing. We all know job hunting can be emotionally
taxing and physically exhausting. Even the heartiest among us can easily slip into despair. It is
important to have a safe, positive space online that celebrates job hunters who have been successful,
shares job opportunities and sticks to what individuals can do to succeed versus focusing on how you
would like HR departments (and others) to change. Big changes are coming in 2013 and I am adding
more editors to the states pages. I am hoping to make this resource, which is completely volunteer
based, more robust. Here is to health, happiness and great job opportunities in 2013!
Naomi House, MLIS is the founder and publisher of the popular webzine and jobs list INALJ.com (I Need
a Library Job). She has written for the 2011 and 2012 LexisNexis Government Info Pro and is Reference
and Acquisitions Librarian for a contractor at a federal library outside Washington, DC. She runs her
husband’s moving labor website, KhanMoving.com, fixes, sells old houses, and assists her husband
cooking delicious Pakistani food as well. She has heard of spare time but has not encountered it lately.
She pronounces INALJ as eye-na-elle-jay. You can sign up for alerts at INALJ.com.
