Friday 21 September 2012

Thing 19 Catch Up & Thing 20 Library Routes

A short autobiography of my life in Libraries. Where to begin. At my advanced age, my career in Libraries has been varied. At 16 my school was reoorganised into a tertiary college, where for the first time the library was a big deal. I was drawn to the space and the staff and had my first incling that this would be a good place to work. The summer before I went to Universtiy to study History, I worked as a summer relief person in Richmond County libraries, so had a taste of the Public library sector. I loved the variety of work and community spirit of the branch libraries, but hated the regimentaiton of the large County Library (this was in the 1980s!). All through University I had no idea what to do once I qualified. Careers information wasn't that great. Many of my contemporaries went into teaching or accountancy, neither of which I thought was for me at the time. So I signed up for a Postgraduate course at North London Polytechnic as it was then known. Computers had only just been intorduced, so this was an interesting time. I had my pre-course placement at University of London, Senate house library and during the course went to a Special Library in a computer services firm, where my first computer was a PC with 10mb hard drive! After qualifiying, I finally got a job with the same computing firm in London. I'd obviously made an impression! It was here I really started to learn my trade, dealing with enquiries, learning about online searching, new technology and moving an entire library from London to Milton Keynes, involving re-designing the space. During this time I became a Chartered Librarian with the then Library Association. Then came children and it was hard to find work which fitted kids hours, so I ran my own peripatetic music teaching business, whilst volunteering at my kids primary school as librarian and parent 'listener' helping youngsters to read. Finally, I landed a job in a local secondary school, which was a huge learning curve getting up to date with all the changes that had happened in libraries during my absence. The CILIP library was really helpful in lending items on new and current trends. Again, the library was transformed during a re-building programme. After a few years I moved from the State sector to the Independent sector, where I am now. I'm undergoing a big development project at my current school over the next few months with a few to transforming not only the Library space but the services that are offered to make our department worthy of a 21st century facility and to support our community in the way that they want to work.

As to advice to those joining the profession, don't go into it for the money! I think we'd all agree that it's poorly paid and doesn't receive the recognition and status that it should. In these days of information, you'd think that the Information Professional would be heralded, but no. Unless you can prove a direct link to profit outcomes, it's not. It is however, a satisfying and fulfilling career that can overtake your entire life if you let it. In my experience the fault is with management who do not take the trouble to find out exactly what we do.. They just expect it to be done. Often we are so complying and people pleasers that it is hard to avoid being taken advantage of. Our multi-level and lateral range of skills are rarely acknowledged. On the other hand it only takes one successful conversation pointing a user in the right direction to make a huge difference to that person on many levels. It's those small things that make it all worth while. I had a member of teaching staff actually say thank you last week, and I was emotionally overwhelmed because it was such a rare occurrance. It's a professional I take pride and joy in doing, but others need to go in with their eyes open.

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