I wrote a short article for The Marginal, McGill’s SIS journal, and it’s now online in the Fall 2008 issue. It’s called Why You Should Blog – here’s reason #1 of 3 that library school students should become bloggers:

1. Self-promotion.
Let’s face it: when you apply for your first full-time gig after graduation, your potential employer will be going through a stack of CVs from people just like you, and every single candidate will have an MLIS, and the vast majority of them will have some experience working in the field. If you don’t make your CV stand out, it will never make it to the top of the pile, so you need something to show how special you are. Blogging shows that you’re interested in the field and have ideas to contribute, so when you include your blog’s URL on your CV, employers will take notice. They’ll also have the opportunity to take a look at a sample of your writing and ideas. Even if your interviewer doesn’t take the time to follow the link to your blog, they may google you; it is becoming more and more common to google a candidate’s name before making a hiring decision, and having a blog shows that you have a constructive online presence (wouldn’t you rather they find your blog than those photos of you partying at Thomson House?). A blog is also a good thing to list on your business cards.