Thing 11- mentoring

I’m running a little behind with these posts again-oops! However, I think I should be able to answer the next few things pretty quickly to catch up (famous last words!)

The only official mentor I’ve had was for my chartership when the Yorkshire and Humberside representative organised a meeting of prospective candidates and later sent us examples of other submissions. However, once I moved down to London I just continued under my own steam (admittedly a lot slower than if I’d had a set programme to follow!)

I’m very lucky because I’ve always had really supportive bosses. The main reason that I finished my chartership at all was because my boss in Wandsworth kept putting it as a target for my annual appraisal. She was also always enthusiastic and interested in my career. Also in Wandsworth, I was really lucky to work alongside Ferelith Horden who is a children’s librarian extraordinaire and a real inspiration (ignore the fact that I’m no longer a children’s librarian!)

Maybe it is because I have always worked alongside brilliant colleagues but I have never needed a formal mentoring programme. People work in different ways and I think it is good that there is this scheme out there if people need it. I just haven’t!

However, if anyone would like me to check over their chartership or any other library related materials, I’m more than happy to.

I suppose I should be getting excited about the Olympics now. I’m not really but let’s pretend while looking at a picture of Stratford Library!

Things 6 and 7 revisited: #RiLIES

On Tuesday morning I attended Research into Practice: LIS Research Resources Briefing. This was a free course held at CILIP HQ. I chose to attend this training to give me a broader understanding of issues facing nursing researchers while at the same time increasing my knowledge of research in the LIS field. It also gave me an opportunity to practice real life networking (thing 7) and I even tweeted to include online networking (thing 6.)

I thought the morning was a fascinating opportunity to discover more about the resources that are already out there for librarians as well as offering a tantalizing look at the opportunities for building an online community that can have a real impact on the profession (and other researchers.)

Here are some notes I made about the day..........

LIS RiLIES aims to facilitate a co-ordinated and strategic approach to LIS research across the UK by:

a)    Creating a network of LIS researchers

b)    1)  exploring the extent LIS research influences LIS practitioners

b)   2) creating outputs to support the use and execution of research.

Investment in research should deliver a socio-economic impact. Those applying for funding need to be able to provide an evidence base. The new system for assessing the quality of research will be the Research Excellence Framework (2014.) RiLIES have printed a handout with advice for writing applications for funding, including free examples of sentences that could be used. These sentences also cunningly commit the research into making an impact with their results!  One of LIS research’s web pages also lists possible places that researchers can apply for funding. 

Practitioners need to move from ‘heard of it’ to ‘tried it.’ Research should aim to lead to organisational change and progress.

Once you have completed the research you should disseminate it to all audiences- academic peer reviewed journals but also the literature read by practitioners. (If the people on the ground do not know what you have learned they will be unable to put it into practice.)

The best way of disseminating information is face to face because what you’re saying is tailored to your audience and you can explain further if there is confusion.

If publishing the information, this should be in an accessible language. Teaching and community support materials are the most effective [e.g. the RCN’s The Learning Zone]  Put a ‘creative commons’ mark on your materials to make it copyright free so others can also use the research in their work.

Social media is a key tool for informing people about the results of your research. People are also more likely to exploit research if they have been involved in its creation e.g The DREaM project has a large profile because people have attended its events and then blogged/ talked about them.

Prof. Hall said at this juncture that their research had shown that social media works best if people have already met in real life. However, I think that this is already starting to change and so tweeted....

 ‏@hipporebecca 10 Jul

Didn't voices4the library show that now lib profs don't have to meet before building social media networks. ‪#rilies ‪#changingtimes

Medical/ healthcare librarians are “ahead of the game” when it comes to successfully disseminating research information which is lovely information to learn when you work in a healthcare library!

There are a number of different platforms that can be used for sharing information. It should always be remembered that, if the platform belongs to another organisation, the company could make changes in the future e.g. start charging.  The platforms include:

·         wikis

·         RSS tagging e.g. Delicious, DeGo

·         Google Drive (formerly Google Docs)

·         ALISS (it looks like this platform for Scottish people with long term conditions will also be effectively used by RiLIES)

Information is often needed in two ways: Facts – need quality assurance

                                                                       Support- information is that is personal/ local

The most appreciated resources for LIS professionals are:

·         JISC mailing lists

·         LIRG

·         Evidence Based Library and Information Journal

·         Blogs (Jo Alcock’s list of UK library blogs and bloggers)  and twitter

·         DReAM resources.

There are other online resources that are available but people don’t know about  them(e.g. Knowledge Hub for the UK public sector.) These are all listed at www.lisresearch.org/links/

For no linked reason- today’s sad librarian photo was taken on the island of Aegina, Greece.

Thing 10- qualifications

(a bit of an epic post- recommended for anyone who ever chooses “Rebecca Jones” for their Mastermind specialist round but probably no-one else!)

When I was growing up I always wanted to be a historical researcher (for some reason nurse/ firefighter/ astronaut/ pop singer never appealed to me.) I did my first degree in politics and history with the aim of then doing a Historical Research MA. Towards the end of our third year, all students had to go and see a careers advisor. Mine pointed out that it would be better to do a more vocational Masters in librarianship and that this would still give me skills needed to do research afterwards. This seemed a very sensible idea to me and so I changed my lifelong plans instantly (I’m very good at making snap decisions!) and started on a life of librarianship.

It should be mentioned at this point that I later discovered that this careers advisor had said the same thing to everyone who had studied history!

Despite a lifelong love of books, I had very little experience of libraries growing up. My parents were always scared of library fines and so never took us to them (with the result that I was reading their highly inappropriate books from an early age!) They did remind me the other day how I took it upon myself to rearrange the books in my junior classroom into genre so obviously librarianship was in my blood!

I applied for a number of SCONUL trainee posts but also applied to the three universities who were offering the MA without the need for experience. I was accepted on all the courses but didn’t hear back from any of the placements (universities were obviously starting to feel the pinch even then!)

I hated most of my MA (which is why I’m not repeating where it was!) because most of the training was far too simplistic. One lecture included a twenty minute explanation about the differences between written and oral communication (the answer is that one form is written down and the other is spoken!) On another occasion we were reminded to put full stops at the end of sentences. [It should be mentioned here that I have heard similar stories from most of the UK’s library schools!]

It is therefore difficult to advise people when they ask about doing a librarianship MA/MSc. It is usually needed in order to get to a management position (there are people who have worked their way up the payscale but I don’t think many staff will be staying with one organisation their whole work life in the future.)  It is also the only place that I was able to gain experience of AACR2 cataloguing (I volunteered to catalogue some of Wandsworth’s early children’s books in order to get some more MARC experience.) My course did give me some extra skills such as using Dreamweaver as well as (finally!) some library experience when I did my fortnight’s placement.

Ned Potter describes a postgraduate qualification as a ‘qualification of convenience’ (thanks to Siobhan B for the reference.) At the moment I would probably say that that is the case. Library managers are (by their nature?) traditional and continue to ask for the qualification in their job postings. However, I think even they are going to have to change as the older librarians retire* and the ‘new breed’ of excellent information professionals haven’t been able to afford tuition fees and/ or have approached the career in a different way.

* this survey from 2005 talks about the problems of 36% public library staff retiring in the next ten years. At the time I thought this meant that I would have a better chance of a steep career climb, I didn’t think that ‘they’ would just close the libraries!

The flipside to this of course is the increasing ‘threat’ of volunteers in libraries. Not the concept of having volunteers of course (having volunteered at the Women’s Library for over a year I could never say that!) but the idea that volunteers can replace trained professionals. Having letters after my name is a valuable defence against people who think all I do is stamp books every day. The fact that the postgraduate degrees can date quickly is a tribute to the progressive nature of the profession. CILIP’s Chartership and Certification routes show that career development is a vital part of librarianship.

I would say at this point that I think that potential librarians should do a postgraduate qualification rather than initial degree in the topic. I have heard that employers prefer candidates with a different degree subject. Also, my friend who is chartered but with a BA in librarianship, has found that her qualification is not recognised in Canada (or the United States) where she is emigrating to.

I chartered in 2008. After paying £3000 for my MA I wanted to ensure that I was as qualified as I could be. I had first enrolled while working at Leeds and had written half of my work but didn’t touch it for a year when I moved down to London. As a result. I had to completely rewrite everything and was one of the last people to qualify under the old regulations.

Everything is changing at a very fast pace (crikey, I am getting old!) When I first started I was told that I should stay in each job for at least two years so that I could prove that I was a loyal employee. Nowadays it is looked at in a negative way that I have only had three jobs in ten years as a librarian as I have not worked in enough different library environments. It is for this reason that I took a step downwards and sideways last year to work in a position where the highest qualification required is A Levels. Most of the people here in a similar role are also qualified librarians, and the job description ensures I am cultivating new library skills, but it is difficult not to be a little disappointed each month as some of my wages go towards paying off my tuition fees!

The photo for today’s posting was taken in Meknes, Morocco.

Thing Nine: Evernote

Evernote is another website that is banned by work as I am unable to access sites that store personal files on Internet servers for backup or exchange.

I have been reading lots of cpd23 blogs extolling the virtues of Evernote but it didn’t really appeal to me. Librarians seem to find out interesting information and email it to themselves. I had decided that I would have to file this trait away in the brain under ‘things that mean that I’m not a true librarian’ (along with not liking cats and being incapable of knitting.) However, then I read about ‘I Done This’ in ‘So Many Books, So Little Time.’

That’s a really useful idea I thought to myself. But how will I remember it?

Oh.......!

On the theme of not really understanding things, here is a photograph of me outside a library in Budapest. Who would have been able to guess that könyvtár is library in Hungarian?!

Thing Eight: Google Calendar

I’m unsure what to make of using Google calendar for cpd23. Every organisation I’ve ever worked in has used Microsoft Outlook and its calendar function. This is useful when trying to figure out where colleagues are and when to book meetings for as well as reminding me when I’m supposed to be on a desk. Last week a friend in another organisation was able to invite me to Museums Showoff through Outlook, which has widened the possibilities of its use.

I’m not sure how Google Calendar could help me more. I would be able to add it to my smartphone but try not to add too much information to that as I’m paranoid about it being stolen. I am yet to lead the hardcore, pressurised job that needs me to be aware of deadlines (says the person doing writing this blog three weeks late!) and so don’t think I would need to be aware of appointments 24 hours a day. I’m also slightly wary of having everything with one company. However, I do like the weather function with Google and found it easy to use, so if I was moved to a company without Outlook, I would probably start using this in its place.

On the (sort of) theme of flapping about- here is a picture of me outside Tooting Library.( I was involved with the teenage participation project which ensured it gained National Lottery Funding y’know…….)

In my first blog post, I mentioned that I used to volunteer with The Women’s Library who are currently under threat after the London Metropolitan University said that they would withdraw funding at the end of the year. If you are reading this and live in/ near London, there is a meeting to discuss ideas for saving this library this Friday (6^th July from 7pm) at The Rocket on Holloway Road (N7 8DB.)  Of course, if you attend this you can talk about it for your Thing Seven….! And no matter where you live, you can all sign this petition or follow their twitter account to appreciate online networks (Thing Six!) Find out more about the campaign here……

Thing 7: Real Life Networking.

As previously stated, I recently moved out of public libraries to experience more avenues of the profession.  Throwing myself into real life networking will be one of the ways that I will build up my awareness of what other people (with similar job titles) are doing.

 Ironically, you really need to be good at virtual networking in order to discover many of the opportunities available for real life networking. In a few weeks I’m going to be going to CILIP HQ for a free session run by LIRG about Research Into Practice. I found out about this after it was advertised on LIS-LINK JISC email. Since registering with this email list I have been able to see a number of interesting opportunities and ideas. I was also able to ask (and receive) advice from other libraries about member privileges and communication for the RCN’s upcoming refurbishment.

I have joined LIKE through LinkedIn. Although I’m unable to attend either of their upcoming events, they both look promisingly interesting.

In real life I am now also the RCN representative for the CHILL (for independent health libraries in London) CPD group. At the moment I’ve only been to one meeting and their upcoming planned training has been postponed, but the potential is there!  

August is traditionally a quiet time for the RCN Library, Archives and Information Services. Nurses are either on placement, finishing their course or looking after their children (or just on tenterhooks waiting for the sunshine!) As a result, I’m going to be allowed to go on a number of library visits around London during this month. The main focus will obviously be healthcare and medical libraries but does anyone have any others they would recommend?

In honour of the tennis (not that I’m a fan but it’s always good to have a reason behind each photo!) Here I am outside Wimbledon Library (just the public one not the tennis library talked about here in the cpd blogpost by the Wandering Librarian. )

Thing 6: Virtual Networking

Linked In.

I joined LinkedIn a few years ago but have never been very good at using it professionally. Most of my connections are friends and even former colleagues insisted on referring to themselves as friends (despite my best attempts at being nasty to them all the time to stop this happening!) However, thanks to my time recently spent playing around with the website I have discovered that these relationships can be re-edited to make my profile more professional.  I have now also edited the URL to my name and changed my headline so it is no longer just a repeat of my current job title.

I have always been unsure about how LinkedIn could help my career. I have yet to hear of a librarian being headhunted or any examples of high level nepotism (please let me know if you’ve heard differently!)  However, as librarians have to justify themselves more and more to an economically minded world, you never know when our industry will be become as cut throat as businesses in the City. It is not thinking optimistically, but in such a climate I can see LinkedIn being a positive statement about my career.  I therefore asked a former colleague for a recommendation in order to make my profile stand out and show some of my personality. She wrote lovely words so even if her recommendation is never needed professionally; it has been a great confidence boost!

LISPN

Sadly, in September it will be ten years since I became a librarian so the description of ‘new professional’ would have to be extremely loose to be applied to me!  I was interested in going undercover and looking at the downloadable resources on offer. However LISPN had obviously sussed me out as, despite two attempts, the confirmation code was miraculously never emailed to me!

LibrariansAsTeachers Network

My work in public libraries included a lot of teaching (from computer skills to pensioners to local history to children. I always felt that it would be really useful to have somewhere to share ‘best practice’ information and methods so that fifty librarians around the country weren’t all trying to come up with an idea to link Easter to the Dewey Decimal Code (for example!) At the moment there isn’t much in the ‘resources’ section of this site but hopefully promoting this network through schemes such as cpd23 will encourage more librarians to share their worksheets, lesson plans and crazy ideas with others. Sadly all my resources stayed with Wandsworth when I left.

CILIP communities.

I actually left CILIP a couple of years ago in frustration with their lack of action about the library closures. While I am still slightly wary of the vagueness of some of their recent activities (such as the ongoing debate about volunteers in libraries ) it is clear that librarians do need a formal organisation to maintain their profession. Plus, it made me feel clever when they posted me materials because they used all my academic qualifications on my address label!  I am, therefore, thinking of rejoining.

While browsing through the CILIP communities website, it seemed as though their forums are not overly popular (three posts so far for June.) Their member’s blogs landscapes is a useful, focussed version of Google Reader gathering together…erm…..the blogs of their members?! I’m not sure how often I would check back here once I am a member but it is good to see the potential of this area.

As someone who is attempting to complete a career development course online, I can obviously see the positive effects of virtual working.  For me the power of online networking became clear a couple of years ago as Councils started announcing huge swathes of public library cuts. CILIP seemed mired in bureaucracy and (to me) it seemed that without disparate people joining forces as ‘Voices for the Library’  the campaign would not have been given the organised push needed to save some branches.

There is huge potential within these resources (not including LinkedIn) to really help those in the profession to spread ‘best practice’ but in order to achieve this more interaction in these networks is needed.

In honour of the ‘virtual’ theme of this week’s thing, today’s photo was taken outside Hiroshima Library- somewhere that had to be completely rebuilt and reorganised from scratch and where technology is incredibly advanced.