Thing 12 - Social Media

I have definitely started to use social media more due to my participation in CPD23; gaining more knowledge of this area is one reason why I decided to join in with the programme in the first place. Over the last few months I have engaged with Twitter to a greater extent. I’m now following more people and organisations, including library related people/organisations and CILIP. In this sense, I’ve found Twitter to be a great way of staying informed of current activities and news in my areas of interest, and also the local area in which I live. However, I still feel like I’m not actively engaging with Twitter as I don’t tend to join in with conversations.  Maybe now I’m following more people/organisations, there’ll be more scope to join in – I’ll certainly be trying to this over the next few months, and may well report back at a later time.
 

I think social media does help in building up networks. Social media is a good way to get to know people, particularly when it may otherwise be difficult due to geographical distances. I’ve found Facebook, for example, to be a good way of keeping in touch with the lovely people I met when undertaking the MA. I also think social media helps to connect staff working in smaller and/or specialist libraries, or those working alone/in small teams, with others in similar situations. From what I’ve seen so far, groups and networks created through social media provide a supportive environment within which library staff are able to interact.

I feel social media can help in terms of career development. Again, social media facilitates current awareness and enables the sharing of skills/knowledge. Moreover, social media, enables people to find out about job vacancies and events such as conferences, connects library workers with others at the same stage in their career, or enables them to learn from those who are more experienced and so on. I think increasing my knowledge of social media via this CPD 23 programme will be of value to my career in the long term, from knowing more and being able to pass this knowledge on to library users, to my own professional development. I have definitely been encouraged to explore social media as a result of CPD 23, and this is something I will continue with once I have (eventually!) completed the Things.

Thing 11 - Mentoring

I haven’t got a mentor in a formal sense, but I do feel that I have several informal mentors. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have worked as a library assistant for more than four years. More recently, I have undertaken the role of volunteer librarian at the same library. Over the years, my colleagues have been brilliant. I have learnt a lot from members of staff who have much more experience. Moreover, they have been supportive, encouraging, and have provided help and advice.  I’ve also volunteered/visited other local libraries since completing the MA course. Again, members of staff have been willing to give up their time to help me develop my knowledge/skills, and have provided advice and encouragement.

 As I’ve mentioned previously, I hope to begin Chartership one day, and at that point I will need to find a formal mentor as well. Beyond that, I would like to become a mentor myself, as I know how much I have gained from working with those who are willing and able to share the benefit of their experience.

I’d just like to finish this post by saying thank you to those who have supported/encouraged/helped me in any way, it is much appreciated!

Thing 10 - My route so far...

I first worked in a library when undertaking work experience, whilst at secondary school. I applied to work in a library because I liked reading (English was my favourite subject), and the local branch library was a convenient ten minute walk from home. Whilst I didn’t get the opportunity to work in the branch library, I was offered a placement at the Central Library instead. I can’t remember specific details (the placement was almost 12 years ago), but I do remember that I moved around different areas within the library, including lending, reference, archives/local studies, and the children’s library. The three week placement was enjoyable, but the thought of pursuing a career as a librarian did not cross my mind at all.

After completing my English Language and Literature degree at Sheffield University, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. I considered various careers, including teaching. As a student I had worked in retail and admin, and voluntary work focused on teaching/education. My first paid job after graduating was a temporary job in a bookshop. My next job was as a Relief Museum and Gallery Attendant within the local council. I really enjoyed the job, especially working with members of the public and customer service. When I saw that the council was advertising the position of part-time library assistant, I applied for the job, got an interview and was successful! I feel extremely lucky to have got this job, not just because I found a career, but also because I’ve had the opportunity to work with some lovely people over the years.

I settled into my role of library assistant, and began to love everything about my job. I learnt a lot, and wanted to learn more. Further study was always a possibility, and as my role was part-time (I was also continuing my work in the museum at this point), I started to look at how I could progress and develop a career within libraries. I remembered attending a careers fair at university, where someone handed me some information about careers in librarianship and the MA Librarianship course at Sheffield University. I eventually applied and was offered a place on this course. My main reason for choosing the MA at Sheffield was because the commuting distance was reasonable – as I self-funded the course I wanted to limit the amount I spent on living costs. I’m glad I chose this particular course, however, as I definitely learnt a lot during the year. As well equipping me with the skills I needed, the course encouraged me to pay attention to the wider profession and current awareness, and I began to develop a range of professional interests.

I finished the MA in September 2010. Since then I have applied for many jobs, in different sectors. I have had quite a few interviews, and though I generally get positive feedback, I often find that is my lack of professional experience that prevents me from actually getting the job. I think a graduate traineeship would have been a good way to gain experience at a higher level; in hindsight I wish I had gone down this route. As it is, I can’t get the post-qualification/ professional experience that employers want until I get a professional job, but I am unable to get a professional job due the lack of said experience. In the meantime, I continue to work as a part-time library assistant in the public library I’ve worked in since 2007, and I also continue with the temporary part-time admin job I started last year. In October, I started working as a volunteer librarian in the library where I already work. Whilst I do not agree with volunteer run libraries or replacing paid staff with volunteers (I won’t go into detail here, as this could be another post in itself), I was struggling to see how I could progress - volunteering was an opportunity when all other avenues seemed to be blocked. I feel like I am finally starting to gain relevant experience, and hopefully this will improve my job prospects.

For the time being, I will continue to look for the elusive full-time permanent professional library/information job. Sometimes I feel that I will never be successful in this aim. I often wonder if I’ll eventually have to admit defeat, and try to develop a career in another area. For now though, I’ll continue to search for/apply for jobs, gaining experience where I can. Looking even further into the future, I do hope to begin the Chartership process at some point, I just need to sort out my job situation first!

Thing 9

Just a short note on Evernote...

I had never used Evernote before, so I visited the website to learn more. I then created an account, and had a go at creating notes, and spent some time getting to know the other features. I can see the usefulness of Evernote. I do wish I had got to know Evernote before planning a recent trip to Dublin, as it would have been a good place to store travel information, and the sightseeing related research I had done beforehand. With this in mind, holiday planning is definitely one thing I would use Evernote for in the future. However, within the immediate future, I’m not sure how often I’ll use Evernote. I'm planning to get a new (more advanced) mobile soon, and I would be able to make more use of Evernote then, as I'll be able use it when I'm out and about.

Thing 9, like many ‘Things’ before it, has introduced me to a new tool. Whilst I’m not using Evernote to its full potential at the moment, at least I am now aware of what it has to offer. I can definitely see myself using Evernote more in the future, and I may well write ‘Thing 9: part 2’ at some point...

Thing 8

Continuing with the catch up, here are my thoughts on Thing 8, or Google Calendar...

I have never utilised Google Calendar before, so Thing 8 provided me with another opportunity to try something new. Setting up the calendar was straight forward, though I think I’ll need more time to explore and make use of further features etc. I created a Google Calendar for personal use; I don’t have a reason to create a calendar for shared use at the moment. For my own personal use, I still think I would find it easier/quicker to look at the actual calendar pinned on my wall when at home, or in my diary when out and about. Having said this, when I have a full-time job and have more things to manage/plan, I can see that it would be useful to be able to access the same calendar, at different locations. I can also see that a shared Google Calendar would be useful for staff members, and/or to highlight library events, opening times etc. So, although I may not use Google Calendar too much to start with, I can see the potential of this particular tool. I am glad that I now know how to use Google Calendar, as I can see myself coming back to it in the future.

Thing 7

Face-to-face networks and professional organisations

The only professional organisation that I am currently a member of is CILIP; I joined a few months after starting the MA. I joined as I could see that it would be useful for professional development, and also to keep up to date with relevant news and information. I started off as a member of two special interest groups, then increased this to four – there were so many potentially interesting groups to choose from! However, I think I’ll eventually reduce this to two again, as they vary in terms of value for money and what they offer/provide.

I have to admit that my actual involvement in CILIP matters/activities and so on, has been limited. I planned to get more involved after the MA, when I would have no essay/dissertation deadlines, and I was settled in a job. I keep putting off further involvement, mainly because I’m currently looking for a job, and as such I don’t know where I’ll be living/working. Once I’m more settled, I hope to have the opportunity to join a group/branch/committee.  I feel that this would enable me to connect to the wider profession, and also develop my skills. Many of the CILIP training courses/conferences have appealed to me in the past, but I’m a little wary of the cost.  I did, however, attend the (CILIP) Career Development Group’s 2010 New Professionals Conference, and I’m really glad that I did. The event was held at Sheffield University – where I was studying at the time – and I was lucky enough to gain a funded place. I helped out during the day, directing delegates, assisting with registration and a workshop etc. I also had the opportunity to attend some of the presentations. The day was inspiring, informative, and it also provided a good opportunity to network. After this experience, I do hope to attend more conferences and events in the future.

I’m not sure if being a member of CILIP has affected my career to any great extent. I think it is too early to tell as, aside from having completed the MA, I’ve not really started my ‘professional’ career. However, I am keen to embark on the CILIP Chartership process once I have gained some experience in a professional role. Obviously when I get to this stage, being a member of CILIP will be of great value. With this in mind, I will continue to be a member of CILIP for the foreseeable future.

I did join the more informal LISNPN (LIS New Professionals Network). I do find the forums/resources etc very interesting/informative, but I've yet to attend a face-to-face event. I suppose one reason for my reluctance to attend events, CILIP or otherwise, is due to living in a (northern) town, and I always have to travel to or via another city, which takes longer and is more expensive. Having said this, I know I should probably make more of an effort to attend face-to-face events, and I'll start to pay more attention to what is going on. I may also join some of the other, more sector specific organisations, as my career progresses.

Thing 6

Continuing with the catch up, here are my thoughts relating to Thing 6: Online networks...

I had knowledge and/or experience of using some of the sites mentioned within the cpd23 blog, and I explored some of those I didn't have much knowledge of, before writing this post. So here are a few of my thoughts...

I first came across LinkedIn when studying Librarianship. At the time, I could see it was a popular network, and I realised it would be worth signing up. I planned to do this when I had more time (I was busy with essays, the dissertation and so on) and/or when I had a post-qualification job. I do have more time now, in that I don't have to spend evenings and weekends studying (although job applications take up a lot of this time instead), but I don't yet have a library/information job. I do work as library assistant, but only part-time after reducing my hours to do the MA. For the majority of the time, I do a non-library related admin job. With this in mind, I'm not really sure how useful LinkedIn would be for me at this time. That is not to say that don't appreciate how useful it may be in the future. I explored the site via the profiles highlighted on the cpd23 blog. This was the first time I had actually explored LinkedIn, and I do like the look of it. When I start to do more work in the library/information sectors, and I (hopefully) start to progress in my career, I'm sure I will actively engage with this online network.

Facebook is one of the online networks that I have used before. I only joined Facebook when I started the MA course. Students on the course used Facebook to communicate, and so I thought it would be useful for me too. I have continued to use Facebook in a mainly 'professional' capacity. For example, other people include relevant and useful library-related information and links to information, and this adds to my current awareness. On another note, Facebook enables me to stay up to date with other things. I mentioned in my last post that I am now following a local museum project on Twitter - I also read the latest news and progress on their Facebook page. Also, it is a convenient way to keep in touch with the lovely people I met whilsy studying Librarianship, many of whom are now working as librarians. Reading back over this paragraph, I realise that I mainly use Facebook to stay up to date with news and information, as opposed to networking. Being more aware of this now, I will look at how I can extend my use of Facebook to networking in the future.

I remember becoming aware of LISNPN when helping out at the (CILIP) Career Development Group's New Professionals Conference in 2010. I have visited the site frequently since then. I read anything that attracts my interest within the forums (though I've not posted myself), and it is useful to see what events will be taking place. The network does provide the opportunity to engage with other new professionals wherever they may be based. The network seems to me to be a place to share information, offer and seek advice, and share experiences and perspectives. Though I'm not studying to be or working as a new professional at the moment, I think the site will be of value to me over the coming years.

I had not heard of the Librarians as Teachers Network before beginning Thing 6. As I don't have a job that involves teaching, it is not useful to me at this time. As time is short at the moment, I've not had chance to look at this network, so I can't say anything about it really. However, now that I do know about it, I will keep it in mind for the future.

I am a member of CILIP, and I do visit and read blogs via the CILIP blogs landscape section of the site. However, I don't know too much about the CILIP Communities beyond the blogs. I find it is of great value to read the blogs; through doing so, I am able to learn more and engage with the wider profession. I will make the effort to sign up to CILIP Communities, and explore this online network further.

So overall, I can see that online networks, including the ones mentioned above, have the potential to be very useful ('useful' being a word I seem to have repeated through this post!). Thing 6 has alerted me to networks I had little or no knowledge of previously, and has encouraged me to actively engage more with networks I am familiar with. I think I will explore online networks - particularly LinkedIn - again in the future, so another post on the topic may well appear at some point.