The joys of job hunting
My journey to a library technician position began five months before graduation. Starting so early helped me relax gave me the time to do the necessary research, refine and alter my approach, and face rejections.
Starting a library job: Do you have the right hairdo?
The characters from the 1968 musical Hair send us a clear political message: My hair, your hair, our hair belongs to us alone. And yet in public spaces such as the workplace, our hair seems to belong to others. In this article, Rhea talks about the unique challenges she has as a woman of African descent, regarding how she wears her hair at work.
Food for thought and hope for new librarians in a precarious job market
People often think of librarianship as a financially lucrative career, but with many libraries now offering only part-time hours and irregular shifts, it is very possible to become a working-poor librarian.
Where do you find community? Communities of practice and library professionals: OCULA president’s message
By Melanie Parlette-Stewart This fall I’ve been reflecting on how change challenges us to find new ways of doing and learning. What I’ve come…
Finding Your Path and Your People: OCULA President’s Message
By Melanie Parlette-Stewart Here are some thoughts I’ve had as a librarian: “My boss is going to realize hiring me was a mistake.” “They’re…
OCULA Information Briefs: A Great Way to Get Started!
By Jack Young As academic librarians, we are naturally interested in learning new things and exploring new topics. But sometimes it’s hard to get…
Calling all Mentors and Mentees: OLA Mentor Match
The OLA Mentoring Committee is dedicated to developing and implementing sustainable mentoring-related activities and services for OLA members and for library education programs in…
Getting Your First Break as a Librarian: OCULA President’s Message
I got my first break as an academic librarian at the Steacie Science and Engineering Library at York University. York took a chance on…
InsideOCULA Newsletter: December 2016
Well, you know what they say—winter is coming. If recent weather hasn’t consistently shown it, as final assignments are turned in and the exam…
New Librarian Residency Award: OCULA president’s message
Last month Open Shelf published a special issue on the New Librarians’ Symposium at Ryerson University last June. In July, InsideOCULA published an issue focused…
New Librarians Symposium: Special Issue
The New Librarians Symposium (NLS) happened on Friday, June 24th at Ryerson University. In this special issue of Open Shelf, we (the event’s co-organizers)…
Notes from the Field: Examining Issues in the Profession
As part of NLS’s registration process we invited attendees to choose a few topics that they would be interested in discussing during the Birds…
What’s the Deal With NLS Anyway?
The genesis of the New Librarians Symposium happened—as all decisions to hold a brand new, medium-size event do—after a conversation. The two of us—a…