Joel Kerry

New Horizons

2010-08-20T17:33:00.000+01:00

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!

Yorkshire and Humberside CILIP Member's Day Event

2010-07-24T16:59:00.000+01:00

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.

Moving on...

2010-07-08T13:45:00.001+01:00

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.

Events Planning.... wheels in motion

2010-07-01T12:21:00.001+01:00

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!!!

Swings and Roundabouts

2010-06-13T14:27:00.002+01:00

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.

Secondment Update

2010-05-17T18:10:00.000+01:00

So much for good intentions.... I can't belive two months have passed already since my last secondment update!!!

I've finally settled into life as a Branch Librarian and got used to the different ways things work and I'm really enjoying myself and feel like I'm learning and developing. Still not quite got my head round the travelling between the different branches though. As soon as opportunities come up for me to develop because I've not had a chance to be involved before I jump at them so it's definately being a worthwhile experience.

I've delivered my first ever children's activity and discovered that children aren't quite as scary as they appear. I've also learnt that you don't have to overthink conversations with these little people to engage them and that a good story-telling goes a long way. I even got to read a few stories, which is something else I'd not had a chance to do. I also have responsibility for a two book groups; an adult one and children one. Both are interesting in their own way and helping me to develop and do reader development work.

I'll try to be good and keep this up-to-date and more informative and reflective...

All moved...

2010-03-22T12:51:00.000Z

I promised myself that I'd keep a learning weblog of my activities, highs and lows (hopefully there won't be much of the latter) while I'm taking part in a 6 month secondment as a Branch Librarian, so here goes...

Well I've survived my first week on in the big world of Branch Libraries. I think for most of the week I've had a dazed appearance on my face as I've wandered around a huge area, where I'm thankfully only responsible for looking after two branches. Day 1, I learnt that I'm going to have to do some careful planning when agreeing to do things and creating my weekly timetable. I'm restricted to using public transport and taking two hours to commute between two branches as I did on my first day wasn't fun at all. Note to self: make good use of my time management skills and get to know the bus routes!

I've kinda come full circle and am actually based in the Library where I began my career 13 years ago as a Saturday Library Assistant and I really do feel that time really has past, with only one member of original staff who took me under their experienced wing and inducted me into the world of Libraries and Books. So there's been a lot of meeting and greeting new faces and the occasional old face and having that feeling you get when you have a family reunion and you see long lost Uncle Jim, who only visits on special occasions and the realisation almost a decade has past since I was here last!!! Note to self: the shock will pass!

I had a meeting with my line manager and the Library Manager, which was useful and helpful and had an appraisal to identify my training and development needs over the next six months. It's quite a long list and I realise I won't be able to achieve everything on the list, but I can make a good attempt and it's after all what I'm here to do. I think it's also important for me to think about what I'm bringing with me through my transferable skills and experience as it's far too easy to think what the hell am I doing in this job and what have I been doing for the next 13 years.... I know nothing! Note to self: don't be afraid or guilty to ask for help!

I brought myself up to speed with managing a Readers' Group and what my particular Reader's Group will be reading over the next few months and at the end of the month, if any of them have actually read the book and what they thought about it.

I designed some posters for a children's event I have at the beginning of next month. Slightly nervous as children and young people is definately one of the development needs and it's also a environmental event, which will involve plants (I'm well known for killing anything remotely green and living in soil).

I've done a bit of stock work, which helped me settle in and is something familiar so if' I'm feeling like it's all getting too much, this will be my coping mechanism for the next few months...

Thursday, I shadowed a colleague with a project being run by the library service called Studio 12 which gave me a chance to meet some young people and to realise I don't know the first thing about media technologies involving music or photography or graphics or about "spitting". So that was an eventful afternoon where I was clearly out of my depth and comfort zone.

Friday was the first day I properly saw my office desk and my new home. So I spent much of the day bringing myself up to speed with my emails and a new filing cabinet. Note to self: just because it says that's your base, doesn't mean you'll see your actual desk and office very often and try not to jangle too much with all those keys in your pocket and punch the wrong code into the keypad to turn the alarm off or withdraw money from the cash machine!

Well here I am in week 2, let's see what happens this week....

Behind the Librarian...

2010-02-27T16:28:00.004Z

This post was inspired by a recent post by woodsiegirl and also after a very hectic week.

I've spent the majority of this week out and about in Branch Library world, shadowing and being inducted in preparation for Monday 15th March, when I'll move for 6 months from the Central Library, where I've been Librarian for the past 7 years. As part of the preparation for the move out to Branch Libraries I've begun sifting through my filing cabinet and finding all sorts of strange and wonderful things that I thought might be of information value at a later date, but as often happens sits in a folder for 'x' years, never to see the light of day again.

After working my way through several folders and reliving the past like a member of an archealogical dig from the TV series Time Team, I realised I'm really bad for hoarding and that my filing system is while methodical (alphabetical) is not really fit for purpose when it comes to retrieving documents and in fact my filing cabinet has served no other purpose than being a black hole for the past 7 years... the first thing I've learnt from my upcoming secondment is to devise and develop a better filing system and regularly review what's in my cabinet more often.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I recently read woodsiegirl's post about what a bookshelf says about their owner. I've been the proud owner of a bookshelf since I was old enough to hold a book. Over time its content has developed and been selectively organised. In fact, it's the first thing, besides my cat that most visitors come across when coming to see me. I've had various comments about my bookshelves; the majority of which are usually along the lines of they can tell I'm a Librarian with my shelves organised into fiction alphabetically by author and non-fiction by subject in almost Dewey sequence order!!!! I'm slightly embarrassed by my bookshelves around non-Library folk, but woodsiegirl's post and attached photos made me smile... looking at her bookshelves was almost scarily like looking at my own. Not only are her bookshelves organised in almost the same way as mine, but the majority of her fiction section is the same as mine dotted with the likes of Iain Banks and Terry Pratchett.

Not only does a Librarian's bookshelves and filing cabinet say something about their owner, but also what the Librarian reads... When I get a moment, I shall take some photos of my bookshelves so that comparisons can be made...

I'm Joel Kerry, and I'm a Librarian...

2010-02-06T11:04:00.001Z

The last week or so has been extremely hectic and eventful for me. Not helped by a holiday at the beginning of this week, which has meant that even today, I'm still playing catch-up on...

The holiday was beneficial. It allowed me to put everything that hit the fan at the end of last week to be put to the back of my mind, in the slightly optimistic view that most of it might be resolved by the time I returned this week. And to be fair, quite a few of the issues do seem to have been moved forward in my absence, which is a major relief.

Friday was the first day of my holiday and I woke up to find the latest edition of Update had dropped through my letter box and my cat was in the process of attempting to be helpful and open it. Usually, I lightly skim through the articles then read it in more depth from cover to cover usually a few days later on the train to work. However, the articles promoting and related to the various Postgraduate courses immediately caught my eye. Now I haven't written an email to the Update Editorial Team before, however after reading the various articles, I felt I should and at some point today will attempt to compose one. I felt that the articles laid too much emphasis on the Postgraduate study of Library and Information Studies. I studied a Undergraduate course in Information Management, part-time I might add, while working full-time over five years. I'm in a Librarian post and as of last year, gained Chartership. I do not feel in any way disadvantaged by the fact that I chose to pursue my qualification at an Undergraduate level. In fact, many other Information Professionals I work with or socialise with also followed this route and are all successful. However, what makes my blood boil is the presumption that the Postgraduate qualification is in some way superior to the Undergraduate qualification, more often than not in job advertisements, although I have heard a few flippant comments from other qualified Information Professionals, who look at you in surprise when you mention that you haven't in fact followed them along the Postgraduate route, but instead took the deviant Undergraduate route. The Update articles appear to support this presumption.

During my studies to gain my Undergraduate degree, I clearly remember that the Postgraduate students sat along side us in the lecture theatres, following the same course content and modules and I also clearly remember that not all the Undergraduate students in the same lecture theatre were not all freshly out of a FE or Sixth Form College, but were happily employed and experienced Informaton Professionals studying the course on either a full-time or part-time basis. To add more coal to the fire, CILIP accredits both Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses.

I feel the Update articles have misrepresented both the option of studying an Undergraduate course in Library and Information Studies and those who have worked and studied hard to gain a qualification following the route above and that they failed to portray the actual reality that the same career choices and opportunities are also available to this selection of Information Professionals and there is in fact little or no difference between the two route of study in the long-term.

*Climbs off soap box*

On Monday and Tuesday this week, I had the opportunity to visit London, rather cheaply I might add, to attend the Career Development Group's (CDG) National Council Meeting and attend the new Group's Presidential Reception.

The Presidential Reception was a really interesting experience and opportunity to network with a variety of Information Professionals, old and new, who are / or were involved in the Chartered Institute of the Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) and / or the Career Development Group. The venue at the British Library was excellent and the new CDG President's speech was inspiring.

It was my first ever visit to a National Council Meeting and it wasn't quite what I expected. I'd envisaged it to be quite like the informal Divisional Committee Meetings I'm used to attending. While being quite formal, the meeting at times did create some debate and discussion around key issues and everyone felt confident to contribute their ideas and points. The brainstorming sessions during the second day were an excellent opportunity to contribute and feel involved in the decision making processes of the group and also for individuals to bring their ideas and views forward based on their experience, skills and knowledge.

The Day After Tomorrow.... AKA 2010

2010-01-23T14:07:00.000Z

We're now almost a month into 2010 and for me it's been a very odd couple of weeks. Not helped by the snow and ice, which was rather pleasant for a week or so before Christmas, but soon lost its novelty when it came to travelling to work everyday and also travelling between places of work. Anyone would be forgiven for thinking that the 2004 science fiction film, The Day After Tomorrow had actually become a reality, with threats of severe flooding once the snow and ice mentioned above began to thaw...

Meetings have been delayed or cancelled... planned initiatives and events have been delayed or cancelled... trains have been delayed or cancelled... schools have been closed... grit has been depleted...

My working life so far this year seems to have crawled along, or just frozen over. There has been several good points so far though....a few shining moments peering out from behind the heavy white snow laden clouds

Yorkshire and Humberside Career Development Group ran a successful and well attended Preparing for Certification and Chartership at the University of Huddersfield. It doesn't feel very long ago that I was sat where the attendees were looking rather nervous and wondering what Chartership was and how to achieve it. The division also had another piece of good news; we're once again a full Committee. The new members are all really proactive and have some excellent ideas on how to promote our division and the work of CILIP. Am sure during the rest of the year, we'll continue to grow on this success and go from strength to strength.

On a personal note, but still work related I found out that my request to swap roles with a Branch Librarian was successful. As from March, I'll be moving out of the Central Library, where I've worked for the past seven years and be heading back to the very branch and are where I began my career thirteen years ago. I'm looking forward to the experience and am hopeful that I'll gain lots of good and valuable experience, skills and knowledge while I'm out there, which I can bring back once the secondment comes to an end.

I'm also in the process of organising several events over the coming year, including something around mentoring and coaching, something for our region's mentors, so that should keep me busy.

Happy New Year: Reflection on 2009

2010-01-07T14:15:00.000Z

Looking at my calendar and new 2010 diary, I just can't believe how fast 2009 came and went and the amount of work I've done during the last 12 months and indeed how much professional development I've gained from a variety of different sources and experiences.

The highlights of 2009 began with hosting the British Library's Sacred on Location Exhibition in March, which went really went and gave me valuable experience of hosting a nationally travelling exhibition and organising events. In preparation for receiving this exhibition I had the opportunity to visit London for only the third time ever in my life and to also visit the British Library for the first time, which is a fantastic building and well worth a visit should you find yourself in London. I also made an excellent friendship with the regional facilitator, whose support was invaluable and we're still very good friends now and regularly stay in touch with each other.

Also during 2009 I successfully gained Chartership after 18 months of hard work and dedication. There were times when I struggled and felt I couldn't reach the end of the tunnel, but with the support of my Mentor, colleagues and good friends I was successful first time round, which was a great confidence boost. Although Chartership has no immediate benefits to my career, it's much like having my Information Management Undergraduate degree; it's the achievement of gaining it and getting there. And I'm sure it'll be useful and have long-term benefits.

A personal highlight of 2009 was my cat, Bronte turning 1 year old. I've never had a cat before and wasn't sure whether I'd even like one in my life, but she's really grown on me and indeed grown! I really enjoy coming home after a long day at work to find her sat waiting by the door to greet me and she's also great company and great stress relief.

During 2009 I worked as Newsletter Editor for Yorkshire and Humberside Career Development Group, which was very rewarding and gave me valuable editing experience and skills. I also developed my ability to influence and communicate with others by coaxing people into writing articles for the newsletter. I also gave the newsletter a much needed revamp, which also received positive feedback. The Division Committee has also grown over the year and I really couldn't have achieved everything related to CDG without the support of everyone on the Committee over the past year. This gave me the confidence to remain on Committee at the 2009 and begin a new role as Events Co-Ordinator, which to date has gone very well. I've successfully organised several Library awareness visits and organised a regional training event on reflective writing. I was also instrumental in helping to build a better working relationship with Leeds Metropolitan University and helped to organise some events for the Information Professionals of tomorrow studying there in the form of career events, where different professionals from a variety of sectors give testimonies of how they got into the profession and what they enjoy about being a Librarian or Information Professional. During my time since being a member of the CDG Committee I've made a variety of excellent contacts (so many I've bought myself a work address book!) and I'm sure that this professional networking will be of massive benefit to my career.

I also helped to host and organise a programme of Polish cultural events in partnership with Museums, which went really well and sounded superb. I think musical events should be held in Libraries more often. The string quartet, violinist and Polish Folk band went down really well with the audience.

Finally to everyone reading this, I wish everyone a successful and Happy New Year!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-12-08T17:26:00.002Z

I've been very busy with Career Development Group events over the last month or so since I took over as Events Co-Ordinator.

At the end of November we ran a very successful event on reflective writing, which was well attended (21 professionals) and received some excellent and positive feedback from those attending. The event ran very smoothly, with special thanks to the Chair, Vice-Chair and Treasurer, who were all really supportive and encouraging and also to Margaret Chapman, who facilitated the event. Ensuring that those attending prior to the event also helped ensure that the expences were covered and didn't mean I had to chase up outstanding payments. Booking the venue and arranging refreshments was a lot more straightforward than I anticipated and I was pleased that everyone seemed to get a lot of the event and with the uptake of the course. It was really good to see that non CILIP members and Para-Professionals also came along.

The second event I've been involved in organising was our second ever New Professionals Career Event at Leeds Metropolitan University. The event involves speakers from different sectors coming along to give an insight into the profession to those studying a Librarianship Degree and to pass on advice and tips for future professionals. Once again the event was well attended and the Students seemed to gain a lot from the event. The event is also a good way of networking with the Universities across the county running Librarianship courses.

I'm currently involved in working with the CILIP Branch to run our next regional Member's Day and Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held in York in April, which promises to be a successful day and filling our Events Calendar for 2010 with visits, courses and workshops for Information Professionals across the county.

In a work context I've also been busy organising a programme of Polish Christmas events, which are being held across Leeds in both Museums and Libraries. The particular event I'm responsible for will be an evening event aimed at families with a series of performances throughout the evening by a Violinist, string quartet and Polish folk band accompanied by some school children, who perform some traditional Polish dancing. There will also be some traditional Polish food and refreshments and exhibition of Polish artefacts associated with Christmas. The programme of events aims to highlight the Polish culture and its traditions around the festive season and is a great opportunity to work with Museums.

Reflective Writing

2009-11-27T19:56:00.000Z

I had the opportunity to attend a Reflective Writing Workshop being run by Margaret Chapman for Yorkshire and Humberside Career Development Group. This was the second time I'd been able to participate in this workshop, which gave me a valuable opportunity to update my previously gained skills and knowledge. The content of the workshop proved invaluable in helping me to write my Chartership portfolio and to put the practice of reflective writing into practice on a day-to-day basis.

Before attending the workshop I wouldn't have called myself a natural reflector. I never seemed to give myself the time or opportunity to actually reflect on development opportunities or experiences and understand what I'd gained or not gained from them and how I was able to put what I'd picked up into practice. Both workshops have put me on the road to becoming a better reflector.

The workshop aimed to help those attending to appreciate the importance of reflection, to recognise the difference between descriptive writing and reflective writing (which is most important when building a Chartership portfolio), to explore the circumstances under which reflective writing might be necessary and useful (not just from a Framework of Qualifications aspect), to develop personal confidence in learning and developing through reflection and to develop a style of reflective writing.

Margaret's presentation and workshop exercises were informative and helpful in enabling me to apply and put into practice my own stlye of reflective writing, which ultimately enabled me to gain Chartership. I learnt that it's important to reflect on both positive and negative experiences and that it's valuable to conduct an initial reflective exercise and then to reflect again later to gain a full and overall appreciation of what you've taken away from a development opportunity or event in your life, which is helpful if you've made some mistakes in order to learn and develop from them.

CDG - The Next Steps...

2009-11-02T17:12:00.004Z

I joined the Yorkshire and Humberside Division of the Career Development Group in September 2008 after being approached by my friend who is its Chair. As Newsletter Editor, I was responsible for editing articles for the newsletter, which we publish four times a year.

Being involved in the role of Newsletter Editor and a Career Development Group Committee Member provided me with a valuable opportunity to be an active member of CILIP and also with a method of giving something back to the wider Information Profesional community. The newsletter enabled me to inspire, promote and support other Information Professionals and also promote continual professional development and where possible active participation by other CILIP members.

I've now moved roles within the Division's Committee to be Events Co-Ordinator. This role will enable me to gain valuable experience I can use in my current role as a Librarian. I'll be resposible for organising events across the Yorkshire region, working closely with other Information Professionals and ensure that events meet the needs of our members and those working towards CILIP's Framework of Qualifications. I'm looking forward to this new exciting challenge.

Tracks In Time: Leeds Tithe Map Digital Resource

2009-10-29T14:42:00.004Z

Maps come in all shapes and sizes and are used for a variety of purposes.

Tithe maps provide a list of all owners and occupiers of land within a parish or township, in order for a tithe (a payment of one tenth) to made payable. From my perspective working as a Librarian in a Local and Family History Library a tithe map can be a valuable resource and helps to indicate how much land was owned or occupied by an ancestor or the use of the land occupied by a present day house, etc.

The West Yorkshire Archives Service has developed Tracks In Time: Leeds Tithe Map project which creates online access to Leeds' 58 tithe maps. The tithe maps have been professionally restored and conserved, digitally scanned and then registered along side each map's schedule so that the maps can be searched by person, place or date. The online resource is easy to navigate and understand and is extremely accessible to researchers.

I found the training session informative and the resource will prove valuable when dealing with research enquiries and also on a personal level with my own family history research.

Yorkshire Library Mystery Visitor Initiative

2009-10-26T15:55:00.001Z

During my Chartership, I identified a training and development need on my PPDP, which involved me gaining a knowledge and understanding of other Library and Information Services. To help satisfy this need I took part in the Yorkshire Library Mystery Visitor Initiative.

The initiative is a partnership between Leeds Library Services, Kirklees Library Services, Bradford Library Services, Leeds University Libraries and Leeds Metropolitan University libraries. The aim of the initiative is to provide an opportunity to see the Library in operation and gain a real customer experience and snapshot of the facility, while identifying its strengths and any areas for improvement.

From the training I received I gained an understanding of how to conduct a visit as a mystery visitor. It's important to be observant, impartial, to have the ability to blend in and be organised. It's a very good opportunity to gain observations of another Library and also help build a good working partnership with other organisations; a partnership which will also benefit the organisation and hopefully its users as well.

Lifeline Exercise

2009-10-15T12:36:00.001+01:00

A lifeline exercise is a reflective self assessment tool which helps you to continually reflect and develop from both positive and negative experiences to develop a rounded and balanced view of your career and professional development. It also aims to identify directions for future professional development opportunities.

Examples of postive experiences or 'highs' include achieving a promotion, working on a successful project or receiving positive feedback from a partner organisation, colleague or user. It's important when looking at these experiences to reflect on what made it successful, what qualities in yourself were developed and highlight success factors which could be used elsewhere in your job or with negative experiences to improve them.

Examples of negative experiences or 'lows' include a meeting which went badly, an unsuccessful job application or funding bid or conflicts with colleagues, partner organisations or users. It's important when looking at these experiences to reflect on why they're negative experiences to identify what's not working right, to identify what has led to the situation and identify any ways things could be improved or resolved in order to move on or do things differently in the future.

Library Routes Project

2009-10-04T16:14:00.002+01:00

After readng about the Library Routes Project, which was begun by Ned Potter, I felt motivated to contribute to the wiki he has set up which documents how Information Professionals got into the profession in the first place and what motivated them to follow their chosen career path for future Information Professionals.

My Library Route began when I went on my first visit with the rest of my Primary School class to our local Public Library. I discovered reading and its enjoyment through the 'turn the page' adventure stories, where you made decisions and turned to the relevant page to continue the story. I also enjoyed Roald Dahl novels and the Tin Tin and Asterix graphic novels. I then moved on from visiting the Library with my school class to a fully fledged Library member happily borrowing my 6 books every 3 weeks.

Just before finishing High School, I along with the rest of my class had the opportunity to do a work experience placement. I requested a placement at another local Public Library and they accepted me. I shadowed the Library Assistants and learnt the basics, including shelving, dealing with reserves, using the Browne Issue trays, etc. I really enjoyed my 4 weeks. Just before I finished High School I discovered that there was a vacancy for a Saturday Library Assistant and decided that it was worth a try and would fit nicely around my A Level studies.

Unfortunately, I didn't do as well I'd hoped with my A Levels, however I was still keen to move forward as an Information Professional. Luckily Manchester Metropolitan University had offered me an Unconditional Place on their BSc (Hons) Information Management degree so although I'd suffered a slight setback, it wasn't detrimental to my future career. After completing the first year of my degree another vacancy arose which enabled me to increase my hours as a Library Assistant. I spoke with my Tutor and decided that I'd transfer to being a part-time student in order to gain more experience in the workplace. In 2003 another opportunity arose for the full-time Librarian post at the Central Library, which is the post I was successful in gaining. I throughly enjoy working in Public Libraries. My job allows to work with a wide variety of different users from a variety of different backgrounds and communities. The opportunity to work across several different service areas means that each day is different to one before.

I was motivated to enter this profession through the positive impact I can make to people's lives, be it helping an individual to gain IT skills for the first time, or working with a Skills for Life Group, who may have never set foot in a Library before.

My Chartership Journey - Part 4

2009-09-29T18:51:00.000+01:00

Once I'd collected the relevant evidence to demonstrate I'd successfully fulfilled my PPDP training and development needs I then moved on to collecting evidence from my career which demonstrated the other Chartership Assessment Criteria; demonstrate reflection of Personal Development, demonstrate evaluation of Service Performance, demonstrate active commitment to continuing Professional Development and demonstrate a breadth of Professional Knowledge and the wider profession. The evidence included courses I'd attended which had a huge effect on my professional development in both a positive or negative way, workplace projects I'd been involved in and initiatives I'd developed.

The final task was to write my Evaluative Statement, which brought everything together and would give the Chartership Assessment Panel an overall picture of who I was, how I'd developed through the Chartership journey and where I wanted to continue onto. Fitting all this into 1,000 words or less took quite a few attempts and a lot of support from my Mentor and work colleagues. Once I was happy with this, I was left with deciding the contents order of my portfolio and getting it bound and posted to CILIP HQ,

From start to finish my journey took me a little over 18 months to complete...

My Chartership Journey - Part 3

2009-09-24T20:30:00.004+01:00

The fourth training and development need was what I felt was my weakest area. During my entire career I've worked in Public Libraries, first as a Library Assistant and then eventually a Librarian. During my studies I'd used the University Library, but other than that I'd had little opportunity to visit or understand the wider Library and Information community.

My first hurdle was to work out how to make contact and arrange the opportunities to explore and learn about the wider community and therefore develop my professional knowledge. I subsequently joined the Chartership online mailing list LIS-CILIP-REG@jiscmail.ac.uk, specifically for Information Professionals working towards gaining Chartership. This proved invaluable. I posted a message asking for potential Libraries to visit and received quite a few responses. In the end I opted for a Medical / University Library, Law Library and Private Subscription Library.

Each visit provided me with a unique insight not only into the different roles of the staff that worked there, but also about the role the Library played. A good example is from my visit to St James University Hospital Library. The Library and its services play an important role in ensuring the well-being and welfare of the patients. The visit of Leeds Private Subscription Library enabled me to see how technologies were being used to modernise the Library and its services, including the transition from a Card Catalogue to electronic Library Management System and online catalogue, which would work in conjunction with a website for the Library. These would ultimately improve the profile of the Library and its unique collections. My visit to Hammonds Law Library enabled me to understand how modern technology including a Sharepoint system could be used to share information between Library sites located across England. The success of the Library to deal with enquiries from users was paramount to the survival of the Library and enabled it to quantify its existence and ensure funding.

The fifth and final development and training need was a personal choice. I'd been a member of CILIP for a number of years, but considered myself a passive member. I didn't play an active role in either my Branch or the Special Interest Groups I'd enrolled in, I rarely read the publications I received through the post and didn't really attend any training or conferences due to most not being within the local region and too costly. However, during my Chartership journey I was transformed from a passive member to an active advocate for CILIP and its members. The motivation came from attending a Yorkshire and Humberside Members Day. This event offered attendees a variety of workshops to participate in. I opted for a Career Development Workshop and Reflective Writing Workshop. Both were extremely worthwile and valuable to my professional development. During the event there was a keynote address by the CILIP President at the time, Ian Snowley. His speech inspired me to become more active in CILIP as part of my continuing professional development and the opportunity soon presented itself through a friend, who was Chair of the Yorkshire and Humberside division of the Career Development Group. Their Committee had a vacancy for a Newsletter Editor. I attended their next Committee Meeting and was accepted. Being Newsletter Editor gives me a valuable opportunity to promote Career Development and professional development across the Yorkshire and Humberside region, promote and inspire other Information Professionals and give something back to the profession. I really enjoy being a member of the Committee. It's an extremely rewarding experience.

My Chartership Journey - Part 2

2009-09-22T16:29:00.002+01:00

After identifying my training and development needs in my PPDP and posting the initial PPDP to CILIP, I turned my attention to my CV, which is a required element of a Chartership candidate's portolio.

This was my first ever attempt at writing a CV; I've been with the same employer and only had two jobs since I began my career so I was initially quite nervous about what I could include in my CV and how it should look. I read Margaret Watson's "Building your portfolio: the CILIP guide", which includes a chapter on CVs and usefully also includes an example from another Information Professional, who like me had only had one employer. In the end I produced a skills orientated CV which included a personal profile, details of my professional activities, my short career history and information on my education and training.

Once I was satisfied with my CV, I then set about satisfying my PPDP training and development needs. After careful consideration I identified 5 needs; knowledge and understanding of the Chartership process, knowledge and understanding of the strategic role of my employer, raising my confidence and experience of service development, widening my professional knowledge and taking a more active role in CILIP and the wider profession.

To satisfy the first training need was quite straightforward; I attended the prerequisite Career Development Group Chartership event and registered with a Mentor.

Satisfying the second training need was less straightforward. Although I'd worked for the same employer for 12 years, it was difficult to fully understand the strategic context of the Library service. To gain a better perspective I had many lengthy conversations with my Mentor, read relevant Council policies and plans and shadowed colleagues.

My third training need involved me looking at what I was doing already within my role as Librarian towards service development and reflecting on what both I and the Library service were gaining. I was surprised to realise how many different initiatives and ideas I was involved with. I also identified areas where I'd been less comfortable getting involved with and decided that I should think and work outside my comfort zone and in order to develop myself professionally. I used as portfolio evidence examples of my work with Basic Skills for Life Groups, in particular a successful partnership developed with local Adult Education Providers; the IT Learning Sessions I'd designed, developed and facilitated; activities which supported colleague's professional development to develop services and the customer experience and also included evidence on the British Library's Sacred on Location Exhibition had a huge impact on my professional development.

My Chartership Journey - Part 1

2009-09-21T15:37:00.003+01:00

My journey began in 2007 when I sat down with my Line Manager for my annual appraisal and identified my training and development needs. It felt like the right time to include Chartership as a proposal in my workplace Professional Development Plan.

Although Chartership isn't required as part of my current role, I felt the process would be beneficial to my career, colleagues and my employer.

My first task was to approach a Mentor. In the end I opted for a colleague because I felt that she would provide valuable insight into our organisation, would help to motivate and inspire me and could be easily contacted should I experience any difficulties or found I was struggling with motivation.

The next challenge was to produce a Personal Professional Development Plan (PPDP) to take stock of my skills and knowledge gaps and to show Assessment Panel the various methods of training and development activities I would undertake to provide evidence of my professional development and personal achievements. In consultation with my Mentor I quickly identified that my PPDP should not just include attendence to formal training courses, but should also include informal development opportunities, for example, shadowing a colleague. I also felt it was important to think outside my usual comfort zone with regard to putting myself forward for development opportunities.

A useful activity was to record the key points of each meeting I had with my Mentor, which provided evidence of participation in CILIP's Mentoring Scheme, which is a required element of a Chartership candidate's portfolio. These key messages also helped me to agree deadlines with my Mentor and ensured my submission was kept on track.

At times Chartership can feel quite daunting and you can feel like you're not really making headway with collecting evidence or writing your portfolio. As a result I found it really useful and motivating to not only stay in regular contact with my Mentor, but also with colleagues working towards Chartership. By also subscribing to the Jiscmail list for Chartership you can also find support, guidance and opportunities to network with other candidates and professionals.

About Me

2009-09-20T12:15:00.001+01:00

I've worked in Public Libraries for the past 12 years, beginning my career as a Saturday Library Assistant and gradually increasing my hours to fit around my studies as a full-time Library Assistant. I studied a BSc (Hons) Information Management degree at Manchester Metropolitan University, initially as a full-time student, but later decided to study part-time while working full-time and finally graduated in 2005.

In 2003 I became a Librarian, working at Leeds Central Library, working in the Local and Family History and Central Lending departments. I also work with the Mobile Library and At Home Library Services. The variety of working across these 4 service areas ensures I gain a wide variety of experience and develop my skills and knowledge as an Information Professional. My day-to-day responsibilities include dealing with Local and Family History enquiries, stock management of the Central Library's World Languages Collection, stock management for the Mobile Library and At Home Library Services, delivering and developing IT Learning Sessions, project work and developing Library services and partnerships within community organisations.

I ensure I take an active role in CILIP and am currently serving as Newsletter Editor for the Yorkshire and Humberside Division of the Career Development Group. As part of my role I edit and produce the Division's newsletter 4 times a year and support the Committee in delivering training and events across the region as required. I also became a Chartered Member of CILIP in July 2009.

My work related interests include Knowledge Management, Career Development, Local and Family History, working with Basic Skills groups, Reader Development, Stock and Information Resources Management and exploring and developing ways IT can be used to develop Library User IT Literacy.

My personal hobbies include reading, socialising with friends, enjoying weekends away, eating out, going to the cinema and theatre and researching my family history.