Spotlight

• Integrate Social Media into Your Federal Library Job Search

  By Tiffany Jane Brand 

  Social media tools such as Twitter can enhance your job search in several different ways: they allow you to research specific federal departments, keep abreast of trends in government jobs, allow you to market your resume and participate virtually in conferences as part of your professional development. This article covers how to search for jobs on Twitter, integrate twitter with your other social media accounts, market yourself to prospective employers and manage your online identity.

  Before … Read the rest

ALA-APA News

• Library whistleblower’s settlement came to $343,000

  Sacto 9-1-1, The Sacramento Bee: April 30, 2012

   

  The Sacramento Public Library Authority will pay whistleblower Diane Boerman $343,000 to settle Boerman’s lawsuit against the agency. Boerman, a Senior Accounts Clerk, exposed a kickback scheme that cost the library over $800,000. In her retaliation suit, Boerman argued that the library denied her pay raises and promotions because of her role as whistleblower.

   

  … Read the rest

Certification

• A New Round of Library Support Staff Certification Registration Assistance Awards Offered by LSSIRT and Eleven States

  The Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program is proud to announce that the Library Support Staff Interests Round Table (LSSIRT) as well as eleven state library agencies will offer another round of financial assistance to library support staff applying for certification in the LSSC Program. The LSSC Program offers library support staff the opportunity to achieve recognition for their existing skills and knowledge, to gain new skills and knowledge and to enhance their library’s service to the public.

  The eleven … Read the rest

HR Practice

• On Retention Packages and Pickups

  Is offering a retention package to an unsatisfied employee in the best interest of that employee? Of your institution? In her blog post “Would You Trade Your Career for a Pickup Truck?” Allison M. Vaillancourt uses an unexpected analogy to explore the pros and cons of the sweetened deal. Read the post at The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s blog “On Hiring.”… Read the rest

Recruitment

• Workforce Recruitment Program ‘Talent has No Boundaries’ Webinar for Employers Available Online

  The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) webinar ‘Talent has No Boundaries’ is a guide to using the WRP and recruiting and retaining individuals with disabilities. View the archived webinar, and view and download the program materials.

  The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or … Read the rest

Statistics

• Solis: April 2012 Sees 130,000 New Jobs, and Unemployment Falls to 8.1 Percent

  According to a statement by Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis, our nation’s labor market added 130,000 private sector jobs in the month of April, while the unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, its lowest level in three years. Over the last four months, we’ve added an average of 207,000 private sector jobs.… Read the rest

Work/Life

• Surviving a Master’s Degree: Mastering the School/Life/Work Balance

  By Deborah Tritt, M.L.I.S., M.S.I.T.

  The decision to pursue a master’s degree can be a difficult one. Whether it is your first master’s degree in library science or your second master’s degree, there are inherent challenges in balancing all of life’s priorities. A master’s degree can provide an opportunity to achieve professional advancement, personal achievement and even the realization of a life-long passion. Though beneficial, obtaining a master’s degree while working as a library professional further complicates our efforts for … Read the rest

• Wellness Through Reflection: Recalling the Past and Envisioning the Future

  By Loriene Roy

  Humans react to growth in many ways. Some welcome change and uncertainty. Others feel overwhelmed, isolated, and passed-by. Yet change often promotes growth. We library and information specialists can use the many changes before us to grow professionally and personally. One of the most intimate and rewarding paths to inner development is life term review, a process that begins with personal reflection that can be extended to a communal search for meaning in our careers. As such, … Read the rest

HR Law

• Killer Question on Job Application: Who’s to Blame?

  By Mindy Chapman, Esq.

  Hopefully, you know to avoid questions on your job applications about applicants’ “disabilities” or “medical procedures.” And as this case shows, you won’t be able to avoid liability by using an outside recruiting firm to hand out the application. There’s only one standard when it comes to medical inquiries … the legal one.

  Case in Point: Barbara Katz applied at a New York City investment firm for executive assistant positions. Katz received a paper job application … Read the rest

• Intermittent FMLA Leave Is a Right, Not A Privilege

  Do you have an employee out on intermittant Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave? Intermittent leave creates great challenges for managers: the employee can have difficulty predicting when a chronic health condition will flare up, and managers must cover assignments and schedules with little to no notice. But HR Specialist cautions that intermittent FMLA leave is a right, not a privilege, and an employer who interferes with FMLA leave, or punishes an employee for taking that leave, is open … Read the rest

• NLRB representation case amendments take effect

  New National Labor Relations Board rules that will dramatically shorten the union election process in U.S. workplaces went into effect on April 30. Simultaneously, the NLRB issued a memo detailing how its regional offices will referee disputed union elections under the new rules. The election rules shorten the time between the filing of an election petition and actual voting, making it easier for unions to win elections and more difficult for employers to communicate with employees before the vote. If you have a union workplace, this is required reading.… Read the rest

LW Tip

• Concerns About Benefits? EBSA Can Help

  Do you have questions about getting the most out of your health care plan? Do you fear that an employer or advisor is mismanaging your retirement fund? The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) can help. Visit the EBSA website, or read more at (Work in Progress), the official blog of Department of Labor.… Read the rest