Tome on My Hands
Monday 29 April 2013
New Job!
Hurrah! Have started the first of my two new public library jobs! I have mounted the library ladder at last!
Sunday 14 October 2012
Thing 23: One last Thing. PDP is planning permission required?
I feel really rather pleased with myself that I have made it
to the end of this course (hurrah for me)! There were genuinely times when I
felt I was so behind I wouldn’t make it through to the end, but I was
determined and here I am (the wealth of organisational tools that I’ve gained
has helped no end too…handy)!
I’ve been pondering the Personal Development Plan (PDP) and
contemplating next steps. I do like to have a structured plan, I find it very
helpful to compile lists of things that I feel I need to do or get done (which
invariably leads me to identify other things that I hadn’t initially thought
of), so I can work through them in a nice ordered and sensible way and then
have that pleasing feeling when it all gets accomplished. There are lots of things I would like to do
and being of the self-critical sort there are plenty of areas where I feel I
could make improvements or fill gaps. With my new found confidence that has
blossomed thanks to cpd23 though, I feel much more able and better equipped to
stride forward with positive steps and continue on in my personal developmental
journey. I’ve already started on my next phase in fact!
I’m now much more comfortable with various web tools but I
was aware that I lacked any real understanding of the ‘building blocks of
computing’ (so to speak) and so have
started an online course in computer programming , learning about HTML, CSS,
JavaScript and Python amongst other things. I’m hoping these skills could be
usefully deployed in future in things like creating and maintaining websites.
My library dreams involve working with special collections
and so I thought it might be good for both me and my C.V. (sorry inadvertent rhyme
there) if I made a concerted effort to try and learn to read (medieval) Latin.
It is something I have been meaning to do for a long time now so it has been
particularly satisfying to make a start on this. I’ve also been delving into
the world of palaeography (thought this might be particularly helpful for
deciphering marginalia, which I’m also very interested in)!
I’d like to press on and get some more cataloguing
experience too; I’ve had a taster but would like some more hands-on experience.
I intend to visit lots more libraries (not exactly a hardship!) and generally
interact with more librarians (be this in person or online) and learn from
their experiences and heed any advice that is kindly offered and get involved
with various events. I shall definitely be carrying on with my voluntary work.
I’m always learning something new from this and it is something I really do
love and enjoy. Perhaps now this course has come to an end I may start
utilising this blog to talk about the work I do here. I think I would find it
rather odd not blogging now.
My big next step though
will of course be securing a proper library job and I shall carry on doing as
much as I can to make this happen. cpd23 has already been a boon here. During
many an interview people’s ears always prick up when I mention this course and
it is looked on very favourably, so I owe a big debt of gratitude to the cpders
for helping me along with my job hunt and ultimately for giving me skills that
will make me a more productive, useful and valuable team member. Thank you so much!
And finally, a 6 word story….how about:
Cpd23- Continuous Praise Deserved, thank you!
or
23 things has helped me develop
or
New skills, new me, new opportunities!
Or
Not the end, only the beginning!
Oh I could carry on in this vein all day but I shall desist!
Sunday 7 October 2012
Thing 22: Volunteering Information.
I’ve been a volunteer in the library and archives
environment in one way or another for over a year now, in a bid to gain
experience. Have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a volunteer
and have been immeasurably lucky in the positions I have had, especially my
current one. I’ve have gained a plethora
of new skills and learned such a vast amount and am especially fortunate as my
mentor goes out of his way to give me tasks that he knows I will benefit from and I am eternally grateful for all the
opportunities I have been given. Indeed everyone I have encountered during my
spell as a volunteer has been generous with their time and words of wisdom. I
have been given such a variety of tasks from handling rare books, indexing a collection of journals and creating
finds lists to surveying some of the Town Library’s photographic collections,
whilst in the public library I have done all sorts including shelving and all
aspects of circulation and generally getting to meet and help members of the
public. I really have been given a true insight into how hard librarians work
and the multifaceted nature of the role. I have also had lots of opportunities
for networking and as a direct result of volunteering I have been given the
chance to meet and work with bookbinders and cataloguers, as well as generally
meeting the people who use and appreciate the resources that the library
provides.
My experiences have been nothing but positive (I
wholeheartedly wish this could be the same for everyone). Everything I have
done has been beneficial and a learning opportunity which I have always
endeavoured to make the most of. My C.V.
has been given a huge boost and I have gained in confidence and I am armed with
lots of useful skills which hopefully I will one day get the chance to carry
forward into a professional position. I
hope that overall there has been a reciprocal benefit- that not only have I
learnt but that I have in turn given something back and helped in some small
way. I don’t believe in any way that the work I do as a volunteer is a
substitute for professional librarianship, so I don’t feel that what I do
devalues the profession. In fact it is because I value it so highly that I am
here in the first place!
Saturday 6 October 2012
Thing 21: Promoting myself...the only way is up!
I’ve had a fair bit of
experience now with regards to job applications and interviews (she says
somewhat mournfully), so apologies if this post rambles on!
One of the very hardest
parts of job applications for me is indeed that very feeling of boasting. I
find it difficult to get my head around the sort of ‘I’m really good because…’
type aspect of this part of the process. I’m just not terribly good at giving
myself praise! The best piece of advice I was ever given for overcoming this
distasteful state was given to me by my marvellous sister and has really helped
me gain a different perspective. I shall now pass this pearl of wisdom on in
the hope of aiding others who feel as I do. Her sage advice goes as follows…
pretend you are writing about someone else! Works very well with me! I imagine
I am simply describing someone who has the experience and skills that I have
(spooky that)…I look from the outside in, as it were! It helps me to back-off
and evaluate things properly without the feeling of blowing my own trumpet.
Simple but effective!
I am nothing if not
meticulous with the whole job application/ interview process- I go through the
job description and person spec. with a fine toothed comb- I like to print this
out and scribble notes all over it, linking in my experiences and identifying
skills and strengths that I think I possess that will be of benefit and keying
it into the description. As for interviews I am the epitome of ‘always be
prepared’, I research the roles and institutions, think carefully about the job
and try to pre-empt likely questions.
I’ve been fortunate so far
to have been chosen to interview for a few positions, but alas despite my
preparedness I have not yet squared the circle and gained the all-important
(and much longed for) job. I always make a point of asking for feedback as to
why I was unsuccessful in that particular instance and then endeavour to work
on the issues raised (although they have only ever been minor points, which in
itself can be quite frustrating). I have to say though that the most difficult piece
of feedback I ever received was to be told that actually I was over qualified
for the traineeship. This was hard simply because I didn’t (and still don’t)
know exactly what to do with this ‘advice’. I feel that I would benefit hugely
from a trainee position; it would give me a chance to capitalise on all that I
have learned so far, extend my skills even further and give me invaluable
professional experience in readiness for my next step. So I have endeavoured to
get voluntary experience and qualifications which I thought would really
improve my chances of gaining such a role, but then to be told that in effect I
may have rather over egged the pudding was a bit of a kick in the teeth to say
the least! What am I to do? I find myself
in an uncomfortable catch-22 position. I can’t rescind my experience (I
wouldn’t want to) but I’m left in an awkward no man’s land- too ‘qualified’
(supposedly and certainly not in my view) for a traineeship but if I applied
for more professional roles I imagine I would
be told I lack enough experience. It’s a
bit of a pickle! I know what I want to do and how I think I can get there but
I’m afraid I won’t be given the chance and that, sadly, is really disheartening
especially when you are as passionate as I am. I have found ‘the love of my
working life’ (I want to be a librarian), but alas at the moment it is unrequited!
Changing tack a bit now, I
shall attempt to answer the questions posed at the beginning of the cpd23 post:
Q: What do you like to do?
A: Crafts (sorry not strictly
work related, but it did give me pause for thought thinking about the
transferable skills I can glean from this).
Q: Do you remember the last
time you felt that feeling of deep satisfaction after creating, building,
completing something? What was it about?
A: In ‘crafty’ terms, I’ve
just learned how to do pick-ups on my inkle loom (here’s a bit about inkle weaving if anyone is interested), which means I can create pretty designs in my
weaving and thereby extend my repertoire!
Q: What skills do you need
to do the things you like?
A:
- Attention to detail
- Ability to follow instructions
- Ability to learn from mistakes/problem solving
- Concentration
- Creativity
- Patience
- Enthusiasm
- Self-motivation/ perseverance (blimey crafts are really rather good for self-development!)
Q: What do you dislike?
A: Goat’s cheese, but that’s
beyond the point! Rudeness though is a big one…but I always try to counter this
with politeness!
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