On Friday July 30th I bid farewell to my job, working as a Librarian for Leeds City Council. I've really enjoyed working for Leeds for the past 13 years and have worked with some excellent people. The skills and knowledge I've gained throughout my time with Leeds helped me gain my Chartership and should also be applicable in my new job.
On Monday 2nd August I began my new job as Local and Family History Librarian for City of York Council. Over the past three weeks, I'm been meeting new staff and getting used to working in a much smaller public library authority. My new role has some interesting challenges and some excellent opportunities for service development and is at an exciting turning point. I feel I've hit the ground running and been able to make a few operational changes to make things a bit easier. It also feels more like my new home now and I'm getting more familiar with the resources and stock as I move things around to make them easier to retrieve by staff for users. I'm also looking forward to actually getting to catalogue stock. While I'm not a born Cataloguer, it's a part of my Librarianship qualification I've not really had the opportunitiy to develop or use in my previous post.
I feel that I've made the correct decision with my career and I'm excited about the future and the opportunity to work with and get to know my new colleagues.
The only problem I've encountered with starting a new job with a new employer is the difficulty of finding a new home and ofcourse the period between wages. Although this in itself has been a learning curve requiring me to budget to ensure that I have enough money to keep me going.... watch this space!
Friday, 20 August 2010
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Yorkshire and Humberside CILIP Member's Day Event
After months of planning, emails, dedication, frustration, a rail strike and determination the Yorkshire and Humberside Member's Day finally arrived. The event and the actual planning were extremely helpful and useful for my professional development and were an excellent opportunity for CDG to work in partnership with Yorkshire and Humberside Branch.
The actual event went very well and was positively received by those attending. Biddy Fisher attended to give an excellent and inspring keynote address. I discovered the world of Twitter, which was awash in the room, with people busily tapping away on either their I-PAD, I-Phone or Blackberry. At first I was struck by how rude this form of social networking is, but during the day the idea of typing a short message about your perception or highlight of the day was something I thought I'd quite enjoy.
The sessions throughout the day were excellent and provided those attending with food for thought. The choice of sessions included a professional networking sessions, user consultation session, active learning techniques session and finally a session which created a debate around the echo-chamber effect. For those who don't know about this effect. It is the idea that all our marketing and promotion is done to those we've already converted to the wisdom that libraries change lives and are worthwhile institutions. The session looked at successful methods of reaching those outside the effect such as non-users and how we can perseptions.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day and it left me on a professional high as Events Co-Ordinator. Over the course of the next few months I shall be taking up a new role with Yorkshire and Humberside Career Development Group as Chair.
The actual event went very well and was positively received by those attending. Biddy Fisher attended to give an excellent and inspring keynote address. I discovered the world of Twitter, which was awash in the room, with people busily tapping away on either their I-PAD, I-Phone or Blackberry. At first I was struck by how rude this form of social networking is, but during the day the idea of typing a short message about your perception or highlight of the day was something I thought I'd quite enjoy.
The sessions throughout the day were excellent and provided those attending with food for thought. The choice of sessions included a professional networking sessions, user consultation session, active learning techniques session and finally a session which created a debate around the echo-chamber effect. For those who don't know about this effect. It is the idea that all our marketing and promotion is done to those we've already converted to the wisdom that libraries change lives and are worthwhile institutions. The session looked at successful methods of reaching those outside the effect such as non-users and how we can perseptions.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day and it left me on a professional high as Events Co-Ordinator. Over the course of the next few months I shall be taking up a new role with Yorkshire and Humberside Career Development Group as Chair.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Moving on...
After 13 years working for my current employer I'm about to move on to work for York Council as Local and Family History Librarian.
I'm excited and a new challenge and also working for a new employer. However, the logistics involved in finding a new place to live and the costs involved is mind-blowing. Another disadvantage is that this is the first time I've been faced with this dilemma, given that I've stayed with the same employer for so long.
I spent my day off viewing properties and also having a tour of my new workplace, which was very exciting and has only increased my enthusiasm for getting started... Unfortunately, it's still a few weeks before I start and am currently working my notice.
Unfortunately, the properties I viewed were not what I expected so it's back to the drawing board and another plan of action. Hopefully something will turn up that I'll like and is within my budget.
I'm excited and a new challenge and also working for a new employer. However, the logistics involved in finding a new place to live and the costs involved is mind-blowing. Another disadvantage is that this is the first time I've been faced with this dilemma, given that I've stayed with the same employer for so long.
I spent my day off viewing properties and also having a tour of my new workplace, which was very exciting and has only increased my enthusiasm for getting started... Unfortunately, it's still a few weeks before I start and am currently working my notice.
Unfortunately, the properties I viewed were not what I expected so it's back to the drawing board and another plan of action. Hopefully something will turn up that I'll like and is within my budget.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Events Planning.... wheels in motion
In my final task as Events Co-Ordinator for Yorkshire and Humberside Career Development Group, I'm on the organising panel for the Yorkshire and Humberside CILIP Member's Day.
We're currently in the process of hosting and organising the second incarnation of this event, after the first incarnation was cancelled due to the proposed rail workers industrial action. Still determined that it should go ahead after experiencing the event and getting a lot of it back in 2007, I'm pleased to say that the venue is now booked and the speakers have been confirmed.
I'm really pleased with the event's programme. This is the first time I'm organised an event on such a large scale and I feel that I'm learning a lot about myself and making a positive impact and giving something back to the profession. The event will be held other one day at Leeds Metropolitan University, centrally located in Leeds. The event itself is value for money, ranging from £30 for non-CILIP Members, to £25 for CILIP Members and a free place to student and those who are unwaged, who I feel need the most support and opportunities to professionally develop in the current economic climate...
The programme will include two keynote addresses to enthuse those attending, lunch and the opportunity to attend two out of four workshops on a variety of different themes.
It promises to be a good event and a excellent networking opportunity with a range of professionals from across our region.
I hope to see all of you there!!!
We're currently in the process of hosting and organising the second incarnation of this event, after the first incarnation was cancelled due to the proposed rail workers industrial action. Still determined that it should go ahead after experiencing the event and getting a lot of it back in 2007, I'm pleased to say that the venue is now booked and the speakers have been confirmed.
I'm really pleased with the event's programme. This is the first time I'm organised an event on such a large scale and I feel that I'm learning a lot about myself and making a positive impact and giving something back to the profession. The event will be held other one day at Leeds Metropolitan University, centrally located in Leeds. The event itself is value for money, ranging from £30 for non-CILIP Members, to £25 for CILIP Members and a free place to student and those who are unwaged, who I feel need the most support and opportunities to professionally develop in the current economic climate...
The programme will include two keynote addresses to enthuse those attending, lunch and the opportunity to attend two out of four workshops on a variety of different themes.
It promises to be a good event and a excellent networking opportunity with a range of professionals from across our region.
I hope to see all of you there!!!
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Swings and Roundabouts
Well with good intentions I've realised once again that a long time has passed since I last posted a blog about my secondment, so felt it was time to bring everything up to speed again.
The past few months have been very busy both with work commitments and the Career Development Group and the best way to describe things is in swings and roundabouts, with extended periods of enthusiasm, where everything seems to be going great and then other extended periods of the opposite, where it seems like staying in bed and hiding away is a much better idea.
Better not to dwell on the negatives and focus more on the positives, so here's an update on those....
I attended a CDG Activists Day in Nottingham, which was very exciting. I'd not been to Nottingham before, so got to see a bit of the city centre as I walked from the train station to the venue. The sessions were useful and informative and it was a good opportunity to meet other CDG activists and to swap ideas. The event itself is a great idea for bringing together new CDG Committee members to help inspire them and to show that it is possible to balance the day job and other commitments with the voluntary commitments of CDG.
The experience I'm gaining from my secondment is great. I've finally got used to commuting between almost 20 branch libraries stretched out across a huge geographical area and also seem to have got to grips with my email account and likewise, everyone seems to have got to grips with emailing me on this email, rather than my permanent email. I really feel like I'm involved in every area of my job description and learning. However, due to circumstances beyond my control my secondment may be shortly coming to an abrupt end. I'm quite frustrated by this, but understand that this was only a temporary swap and that my permanent job is still waiting for me. The frustration lies in the fact that I feel I have the opportunity to develop and put into practice my skills and knowledge out in branches than in the central library, where at times that work got very repetitive and there are less opportunities to practice and develop my skills and knowledge.
I've also taken a bold step over the past few months. The outcome of which I'll post in a later post as I'm still waiting to find out if it had any impact on my career or not.
This is a quick whistle stop tour of the past few months. I shall do a more reflective and detailed post later this week all being well.
The past few months have been very busy both with work commitments and the Career Development Group and the best way to describe things is in swings and roundabouts, with extended periods of enthusiasm, where everything seems to be going great and then other extended periods of the opposite, where it seems like staying in bed and hiding away is a much better idea.
Better not to dwell on the negatives and focus more on the positives, so here's an update on those....
I attended a CDG Activists Day in Nottingham, which was very exciting. I'd not been to Nottingham before, so got to see a bit of the city centre as I walked from the train station to the venue. The sessions were useful and informative and it was a good opportunity to meet other CDG activists and to swap ideas. The event itself is a great idea for bringing together new CDG Committee members to help inspire them and to show that it is possible to balance the day job and other commitments with the voluntary commitments of CDG.
The experience I'm gaining from my secondment is great. I've finally got used to commuting between almost 20 branch libraries stretched out across a huge geographical area and also seem to have got to grips with my email account and likewise, everyone seems to have got to grips with emailing me on this email, rather than my permanent email. I really feel like I'm involved in every area of my job description and learning. However, due to circumstances beyond my control my secondment may be shortly coming to an abrupt end. I'm quite frustrated by this, but understand that this was only a temporary swap and that my permanent job is still waiting for me. The frustration lies in the fact that I feel I have the opportunity to develop and put into practice my skills and knowledge out in branches than in the central library, where at times that work got very repetitive and there are less opportunities to practice and develop my skills and knowledge.
I've also taken a bold step over the past few months. The outcome of which I'll post in a later post as I'm still waiting to find out if it had any impact on my career or not.
This is a quick whistle stop tour of the past few months. I shall do a more reflective and detailed post later this week all being well.
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