Librarians are not usually associated with style, but Jen B is anything but bookish when it comes to the way she dresses. The Librarian/fashion blogger who’s based in Oregon used to work be librarian at Zayed University Library. Her blog on career and fashion, is a fresh medley that reflects the diverse influences of her life.
“I started my own style blog, ‘Librarian for Life + Style’, three years ago. I’m a “librarian for life,” and also I love style…and so the my blog name. When I moved back to the US from the UAE a few years ago, I discovered a couple of style blogs, and then I realized there is an entire style blog world out there. I really had no idea! The style blogs I preferred were the ones featuring real women in professional jobs. I found their personal stories intriguing, and their style choices inspiring and relatable. I then started putting daily outfit photos in a Facebook album, and that turned into starting my own style blog, which chronicles my personal style journey as a working woman on a budget.
“It still amazes me that my readership and followers have grown over the last three years, that I have regular readers (other than my husband and my mom!). It humbles me when other women share with me, via comments or through email, that they are inspired by my own style journey. The thoughtful, sweet, supportive comments from readers inspire me.
“Style-wise, there are two main stereotypes for librarians: the image of librarians who have no sense of style and wear ill-fitting clothes, and the contrasting “saucy librarian” image. Those are two extremes, so there is a ton of middle ground in real life. I am aware of this when I dress – I think I dress more professionally and put-together, in part to reflect well on my chosen field. Through my blog, I also hope to demonstrate that librarians can be stylish!
“I feel my own sense of style has grown the past three years. I am constantly inspired by things around me, paintings, pop culture, advertisements, other style blogs, etc, and I like to reflect that inspiration in what I wear.
“In the financial sense, I’ve – slowly – ventured into monetizing my blog. I signed up with an affiliate program this past year, which means I include links in my posts to exact or similar clothing items from outfits I wear. These are called affiliate links, so I get a few cents each time a reader clicks on a link. I don’t get that much money from this, basically, enough to cover the cost of running the blog. But I’ve heard positive feedback from readers who have been interested in some of the budget-friendly items I wear.
“For my future plans, as I have a full-time job as a librarian, my style blog has to be a side venture. Other bloggers I know have become full-time bloggers, but that wouldn’t be right for me. I am a ‘librarian for life’ after all! As for my librarian career, I am coming up soon for tenure at my institution, so that is exciting!”
Jen B’s blog: http://librarianforlifestyle.com/
By Vanessa Middleton
