Thing 23, CPD23, a final note

The final note on the CPD23 course is to write a six word 'story' on my experience. So here goes:
Interesting, informative, steep learning curve.  I have found the whole experience enlightening and useful.Some of the tools are now part of my everyday working life, others I'm sure I'll get to in time. I do want to build on this knowledge as I'm a fiirm believer that you have to 'do' to learn, and if you don't use it you'll forget how. I've now booked myself onto Phil Bdradley's course on Web 3.0 and the future of libraries at Tower Hamlets in November. My employers are still undecided about using social networking from a departmental point of view but clearly use it far marketing purposes. Is this a bit of hypocracy, or am I wanting to run before I can walk?

I've put all of this into my Personal Development Plan which is a great idea. A wish list that you can aim for instead of drifting into things. I can see some gaps in my knowledge and they are in there too. The process of doing the plan is a bit like putting your CV together in reverse. Firstly, by identifying what you're good at and then what needs more work. I've tried not to be too ambitious because I know from past experience that plans rarely follow the route you want them to and have to be revised along the way. Time and money are significant issues, and opportunities tend to materialise where you least expect them.

In all the course has shown me that you're never to old to learn, and that you shouldn't be scared of technology and trying new things. After all the 'digital natoves' take all of this in their stride.

Thank you CPD23. Can we do this all again in a couple of years time when things will have moved on even more?

Thing 22 Volunteering

Yes Volunteering is a good thing if you can afford to do it. In my school library I couldn't do my job without volunteers. My employers haven't taken on enough staff to do the job properly, and so I'm having to use volunteers more and more. From my point of view, it's great to get an outsiders view. New eyes often hightlight issues that I may not have thought of. I train my volunteers to do the basics and they choose the hours that they can commit to. If they have particular skills such as artistic/creative abilities I use them to the full. Unfortunately, they do move on quite quickly, and the investment of time training is then lost and I have to start again. From the volunteers point of view, there are many hurdles still in place that have to be jumped over before they can work in our school. Not only do they have to the CRB check (as a given), the school insists on them filling out a FULL employment application form and then undergo an interview with senior management. I personally think it's a bit over the top and will put a lot of people off. Surely this red tape can be reduced for people who are doing us a huge favour?! But policy seems to be set in stone. As a means of gaining work experience I'm all for it. It shows intitiative, commitment to the profession and willingness to move forward. It bumps up the CV no end. So go for it!

Thing 21 CVs and interviews

I have updated my CV in the past 2 years due to the threat of redundancy. Everything noted on the CPD23 webpage is very apt. I firmly believe in keeping a running profolio, not just of good work and skills aquired, but a diary of whenever someone within the organisation actually says thank you, or well done! Sadly, these comments don't come often enough. Not because the work isn't up to scratch, but because people just don't seem to say thank you anymore. Instead, senior management rely on the old adage: 'You've all done very well' a phrase coined by Young Mr Grace in Are you Being Served! I believe a more personal approach has far more effect on anyone in the service industry let alone Libraraies. As far as job seeking is concerned, where are the jobs?! We can prepare as much as we like, but there are so many of us going for the few jobs that appear, that its going to be tough out there. I have been lucky enough to be shortlisted 4 times in the past year for professional posts in school libraries. I must be doing something right. Then it's down to the interview. Employers seem to be very cautious about what sort of person they are actually looking for. If your face doesn't fit, then no amount of preparation will help. Although employers are obliged to give you information about why you have been rejected, again it's couched in very general terms that aren't particularly helpful. I also think that employers are ageist still, even if they don't admit it. Younger people are cheaper and they are looking at the economics as much as the person. I think it's a bit like going on a blind date! So much of the interview/date is about chemistry that you can't take things too personally if it all goes wrong.

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 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 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. All this information is a reapeat of what appeared in Thing 10 and here is the link to the Library Routes project for all those needing it.  Library Routes Project  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.