This week’s thing is all about considering my route into librarianship in terms of the training and qualifications that I have undertaken over the years.
However after reconsidering this “Thing” in light of the points made by Sheila Webber in her recent
“CPD in Your Later Career” blogpost I find myself in a very strange position. I may be an “Older Thing” in terms of age, but as a recent graduate I very much consider myself a "New Thing" in terms of my professional development as a librarian.
2001- 2004
After working in IT as a Systems Analyst for twelve years, a job that I loved, I was faced with redundancy and no real idea of what I wanted to do next, except the certainty that I didn’t want to continue working in IT anymore.
An avid reader since childhood I’d always enjoyed my Saturday morning visits to the public library and harboured dreams of working in one someday. Now with the mortgage paid off by the redundancy money and realising that I had a range of transferable skills perhaps finally this dream could become a reality.
I applied for a job as a Library Assistant in one of the local public libraries and although unsuccessful on that occasion (due to my lack of library experience) the interviewer gave me some invaluable feedback. Which led me to undertake voluntary work in our local Scope charity shop and as a theatre steward in order to further develop my cash handling and customer service skills. Thereby resulting in success in my next Library Assistant job application.
At my first probationary review I was advised by my librarian that I would need to obtain professional qualifications if I wanted to progress in my library career. It was with her encouragement I undertook a two-year HNC, Library & Information Science course via distance learning with Edinburgh’s Telford College. Achieving this qualification helped me to get onto the next rung of the ladder as a Senior Library Assistant and also provided a gentle way back into formal learning after a twenty year gap!
2005 - 2011.
But my dream had always been to be a librarian and so I applied to Aberystwyth University to study their BSc Econ Library and Information Studies course as it was offered via distance learning (a format that I had found with the HNC course really worked for me).
It took six years to complete this course but I finally graduated in 2011 and during this time I had also realised my dream, having secured a job in 2008 as a subject librarian in an FE college library where I am still working today.
2012.
This year, as part of my continuing professional development, I have completed the new City and Guilds Level 3 Certificate in Learning Support course offered by my employers. I felt that this course was particularly relevant since my subject areas involve a higher-than-average level of learner support.
So what’s next?
Sadly Chartership is not really on the cards for me at the moment as it is not recognised by my current employers as relevant to my role. Therefore if I decode to go down this route at a later date it is likely to be without any workplace support.
However having said after I graduated last year that I would never study again, after doing the C&G course this year the study bug has bitten me again. But this time since having a Master’s is not a requirement of my job I have decided to undertake the course of study for myself and am currently in the process of investigating suitable MSc research courses that I can undertake via distance learning.
