What do you think of INALJ.com?

[Admina]

INALJ.com

Reddit's /r/Libraries has some pretty interesting discussion going on the past few months about activities at INALJ, its social media platforms (like Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn), and its founder Naomi House. 

"INALJ is the worst"

and more recently

"INALJ leaving social media?"

Do any of you have experiences with INALJ or its founder to share?  What do you think about its service(s)?  Does the overlap between the founder's personal life and the site's functionality via social media iterations, detract or contribute to its value?

[jill_hw]

Naomi volunteers her time to help librarians locate positions. She volunteers and relies on others to volunteer to help.  There are many people - many newly minted MLIS graduates - who are interested in positions, so if someone would like to start up a different site, go ahead.  I know doing this work is not easy, and so I'm pleased when anyone takes it on.

[bajeckabean]

I think INALJ started as a hobby/pet project and became a great additional resource for many library job seekers and libraries looking for more places to promote their openings. I think it was always intermingled with the rest of her life (as someone who knows her professionally from way back), so I don't see how it's fair to criticize what and how she contributes her time for the benefit of others (or if she chooses NOT to volunteer her time to it at all).

It's not like it's a registered nonprofit organization with tax write-offs, gobs of donors, and a mountain of staff people. It's a volunteer managing a bunch of other volunteers with some success in helping people find library jobs. If people think "it's the worst" then they shouldn't bother using it.

If I were volunteering my time on a solo project and kept having random people second-guessing me, I'd be likely to fold up shop and focus my energies elsewhere. I don't get why it's worthy of criticism or even whey the OP thinks this is discussion-worthy.

I do know Naomi, though not all that well. But I know she's dedicated like 8+ years (not sure of the timeline there) of her personal, unpaid time to creating this thing that a lot of folks benefit from across the sector. I'm sure there may be some helpful ways of improving how that work supports job-posters and job-seekers, but this post is not one of them.

[Admina]

I do know Naomi, though not all that well. But I know she's dedicated like 8+ years (not sure of the timeline there) of her personal, unpaid time to creating this thing that a lot of folks benefit from across the sector. I'm sure there may be some helpful ways of improving how that work supports job-posters and job-seekers, but this post is not one of them.

Thank you for joining LIScomm, participating in discussion, and sharing your opinion.  I have not participated (beyond initiation) in any discussions thus far, so as not to interfere with the community's natural evolution, but given our newness, low membership, and lack of forum participation, I will join in.  This is also an opportunity to direct participating members to my Mission Statement and Supporting Guidelines.

As it happens, I agree with you that there may be some ways of improving her site's work.  There are undoubtedly many ways of improving my own site and work, which is also an unpaid labor of love.  I see from online discussion that we are not alone in our shared opinion, however our conclusions diverge.  IMO, defending the interests of any entity by providing counter-points and experiences may prove successful, but inserting one's self into discussions that merely carry the potential for criticism in order to discourage them, does not serve those interests or anyone else's.

Personally, I welcome diverse opinions and perspectives because I believe they will (usually) make things better, which is why I deliberately seek them out and provide open channels for them.  This stems from a few certainties... 1) I don't know everything, 2) everyone knows something (and maybe usually, more than me), 3) diverse feedback is the surest strategy for success, and 4) if you want to serve a community, you must be responsive to its needs.

I want to point out that the purpose of this discussion topic, and the mission of this forum, is not to support INALJ or any other entity: it is to encourage discussion relevant to those in the LIS field.  You are free to disagree with anything and everything I've written, including the mission of this site, but I hope you will recognize its value and contribute to its success.

And to both of you, please consider expanding your participation beyond this thread.  It can be a lot of fun to help a forum get on its feet as an early contributor.  I speak from experience.  Thanks for reading and good luck!

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