#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Nov 26 2018 - 8:30pm ET - #GivingTuesday #GivingTuesday2018

via Penn State on Flickr

TOPIC

#GivingTuesday and Libraries & Literacy

We had such a good time with our Giving Tuesday (which is the day after the chat!) chat last year, that we decided to do it again this year!

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 What are you planning to do for #GivingTuesday? What have you done in the past?

Q2 What creative ideas do you have for #GivingTuesday? Please share!

Q3 What resources do you turn to when trying to locate a library related charity or non-profit to support?

Q4 What advice do you have for supporting charities/Non-Profits?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Nov 5 2018 - 8:30pm ET

via GotCredit on flickr

TOPIC

Financing grad school

We decided to continue what's turned out to be a very good series of chats on applying to grad school. We've covered CVs, references and statements of purpose, so this week we thought we'd move onto the next logical topic - how to finance your MLIS?

On getting references:
Loans for Library School
ALA Scholarship Program
A Contract You Have to Take: Debt, Sacrifice, and the Library Degree
Alternative Ways To Pay For Graduate School

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 What has been your experience funding grad school with student loans?

Q2 What has been your experience with searching for scholarships and grants for grad school?

Q3 What resources do you turn to for financing grad school?

Q4 What advice do you have for a grad school student who wants to go to grad school but money is tight?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Oct 29 2018 - 8:30pm ET

via mohamed_hassan at pixabay

TOPIC

Applying to grad school - writing your statement and asking for references

We had such a great conversation about CVs for grad school in the last chat and it was suggested that we should continue the topic by talking about application statements and finding references. I had been thinking about doing that before it was suggested, so that's what we're doing!

On getting references:
How Important are Letters of Recommendation for Graduate School Applications?
Dos and Don'ts for Requesting a Grad School Recommendation Letter
Graduate School - Letters of Recommendation
How do I get a reference letter?
Tips for seeking academic references

and for those of us who have long graduated before we apply:

How to Get a Letter of Recommendation After Graduation
NonTraditional Applicants to Grad School: 3 Tips for Getting Recommendations
How to convince your current boss to give you a letter of recommendation
How to Ask for Recommendations for Your Graduate School Applications (with tips on approaching a boss/mentor/supervisor)

On writing your statement:
How to Write a Statement of Purpose for Graduate School
11 Tips for Writing a Powerful Statement of Purpose 
Write a Graduate School Essay that Will Knock Their Socks Off
Writing the Statement of Purpose

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 When you apply/ied to grad, did you have all academic references or a mix of academic and professional? If professional, was it your current boss and how did you ask them? (Tell us if you applied straight out of undergrad or waited a few years before applying)

Q2 What kind of information do you think must ABSOLUTELY be included in a statement of purpose for a library school application?

Q3 Is it ever a good idea to cite the low cost of a given program as one of the extrinsic reasons that you're interested in a particular school? Why or why not.

Q4 What information do you think has absolutely NO place being in a statement of purpose for a library school application?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, OCTOBER 29 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Oct 15 2018 - 8:30pm ET

via mohamed_hassan on pixabay 

TOPIC

CVs : Grad school applications edition

It's the time of year where a lot of people are starting to think about applying for admission to MLIS programs for September 29th. So let's talk about something that a lot of MLIS program applications as for. A CV. Many MLIS applicants may never have written a CV before. So let's discuss how to go from resume to CV. Let's also talk about the difference between a masters application CV and a job hunting CV. Here are some resources:

Writing a CV from SJSU's School of Information
Resources and Sample CVs from SJSU's School of Information
5 steps for an awesome CV for your masters application from MastersPortal.com
How to prepare a resume for a masters program from the University of South Carolina
4 Successful Graduate School Resume and CV examples from PrepScholarGRE
Creating your academic CV from the University of Toronto

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 Did your program require a CV when you applied? Did you create it from scratch or did you convert your resume? If you converted, tell us how that went!

Q2 What resources and tips do you have for people looking to create their first CV?

Q3 What suggestions do you have for applicants who have been out working in the industry for a few years before applying to their masters program? Should they still highlight undergrad work? Should they try and do new research etc?

Q4 What do you think are the most important aspects of a CV designed for applying to grad school? How does this type of CV differ from a job application CV?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, OCTOBER 15 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Sep 24 2018 - 8:30pm ET

via matamoros on Pixabay

TOPIC

The catch-22 of "experience required" for entry-level library jobs

We're taking it back to job advice again this week, figured since it's the start of another academic year now was a good time to discuss getting experience in libraries in order to get an entry-level library job. As the Annoyed Librarian once pointed out, most MLIS programs don't actually give their students any library experience, or at least they didn't in 2011. I have seen a few programs since then offering optional practicums for their students. Interestingly this is in contrast to Canadian Library Technician college programs which all have a mandatory 105 hours of library practicum placements as graduation requirements.

My inspiration for today's chat is the article "When an entry-level job requires experience" from TheMuse.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 Did your library program require you to do any work experience in a library in order to graduate? Was there an option? If not, did you make your own options by working or volunteering?

Q2 How did you find volunteer and employment opportunities as a library school student?

Q3 Did the experience you got during school help you get into your first post-grad library role?

Q4 What more do you think library schools can do to support their students in getting library experience to improve their eligibility in hiring once they're post-grad?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Sep 17 2018 - 8:30pm ET #bannedbooksweek

via tracey r on Flikr

TOPIC

#BannedBooksWeek, Intellectual Freedom, and Libraries

It's banned books week from September 23-29 so let's have a chat about that and help each other brainstorm ideas!

Resources
ALA's Intellectual Freedom: Issues and Resources page
ALA's Banned & Challenged Books page
Celebrate Banned Books Year Round! from INALJ
Banned Books Week – our top 5 From INALJ
My Right to Read – Banned Books Week From INALJ

From Book Riot's Archive:

Quiz: Which Banned Book Should You Read Next

ALA Announces 2017's Top 10 Most-Challenged Books

In Support of Banned Books Week : Quotes on Censorship

Talking About Censorship : A Primer

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 What is your favorite banned or challenged book and why?

Q2 Have you done a program at your library for banned books? What was the program? If not, what would you do for a program?

Q3 What are your thoughts on how libraries should be handling censorship? What are some good resources regarding censorship?

Q4 How can we as librarians advocate for intellectual freedom at our library or in our community? What resources can we turn to make this happen?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG. 

#LISprochat lead-in - topic & questions for Mon Aug 27 2018 - 8:30pm ET

Digital Public Library of America planning meeting via wikicommons

TOPIC

Advocating for yourself: Tips for getting your voice and ideas heard at work and on committees

Continuing our discussions about communications in and about libraries. Let's discuss how to advocate for ourselves within our libraries. Let's share tips and strategies for getting ourselves seen and heard in our workplaces, the organizations we volunteer for and on the committees, we serve on. Here are some articles to get you thinking:

10 ways to get your boss to support your ideas
How Can I Get My Boss to Listen to My Ideas?
Four Times Your Boss Doesn’t Want Your Input (And How To Get Heard Anyway)
How to Get Your Ideas Heard at Work
6 Ways to Make Yourself Heard with Your Boss
How to Get Your Voice Heard in Meetings
How to Make Yourself Heard — in Meetings and in Life
9 Ways Introverts Can Get Heard in Meetings
How to Be Heard When You Aren’t the Loudest Voice in the Room
10 Ways To Make Sure You're Heard In Meetings

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME TO 8:30PM ET!

QUESTIONS

We post the questions here in advance of the chat so you can decide whether or not this topic is of interest to you and/or prepare your answers in advance.

Q1 How do you build your confidence when you're thinking about presenting an idea to your boss/your committee?

Q2 What tips do you have for getting more active in committee work and making impactful contributions on your committees?

Q3 How do you get your voice and ideas heard by those above you in your workplace and committee hierarchies?

Q4 What are your strategies for making sure your ideas are ready to be presented?

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING IN ON TWITTER AT 8:30 PM ET NEXT MONDAY, AUGUST 27 USING THE #LISPROCHAT HASHTAG.