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One of the elements that attracted me to doing a traineeship was the opportunities it provides to develop skills and experiences outside of the institution, as well as on the job internally. The RCS traineeship offers me the chance to meet with other library trainees as part of the University of London trainee scheme which I see as an invaluable opportunity to share experiences and ideas about current and future development, especially leading up to the process of library school applications and looking in to various courses. One thing that I didn't consider before starting my traineeship was the huge spectrum of difference between sectors, I have had discussions with librarians working in law backgrounds, and those working in the health or academic sectors and the systems they use to support them in their roles varies dramatically, sometimes do the skills they use on a daily basis. Therefore it is a great opportunity to engage with trainees following the same scheme in different types of library. My first opportunity to meet the other trainees will be for a welcome lunch at Senate House (part of the University of London) in a few weeks time. Following the welcome lunch, my managers have arranged for me to take part in a CPD 25 event on applying to library school in November, which I am really looking forward to, as it will be a good chance to get feedback and clarification on potential applications before the application deadlines approach.
I'm hoping to arrange a selection of visits to other libraries during the next 9 months to get a better overview of their operation and to provide me a clearer focus of the opportunities they may provide. Initially I entered the profession with a clear view to become an academic librarian, due to the nature of the sector being highly involved in liaison, education and training. Working in a medical/membership library has opened me up to experiencing other sectors and has provided me a growing interest in libraries in a wider context. I look forward to learning more about each sector and varying roles in the information profession during the next few years and welcome advice and ideas from established professionals from all backgrounds.
I think it’s very wise to have an open mind as to which direction your career might go in. Your first role is always likely to sway your opinion to a certain extent, but as you say the opportunity to experience and talk to people from a range of settings will be really valuable. Many LIS professionals I know have ‘sector-hopped’ at some point in their career – some earlier, some later. My first position was at the British Library of Political and Economic Science (LSE), which I loved and on paper sounds ideal for someone with a Politics degree. But from there I leapt into the uncharted waters of health at the Royal College of Nursing, and from there somewhere else health related – name escapes me… ;-) It’s great that you’ve made First Contact with law librarians; at some point we’ll try to get you along to Hogan Lovells, a big international law firm (who have a Graduate Trainee scheme), where a friend of mine works. (She’s another hopper, having worked both at the College and for NICE.)
ReplyDeleteWhich leads me to the reflective bit… ;-) I was having a conversation with a friend (in whose direction we can also try to send you!) who’s recently moved from the Wellcome Library to the Courtauld Institute of Art. We were talking about something that you might want to think about, both during your traineeship and your course (it’s a long-term thing!), and about which your thoughts and opinions may well change at different times and in different circumstances… How much value should we put on ‘subject knowledge’ when it comes to library/information positions? (There’s no right or wrong answer!)
Hi, I've just started an MA in library and information studies at UCL. My experience is in academic libraries, but like you I want to find out more about other sectors. I'm planning to arrange library visits with some classmates, perhaps you could join us. Sounds like you work somewhere interesting, maybe we could visit you?
ReplyDeleteLizzie
Absolutely Lizzie! That would be great. I will be applying to UCL over the coming months so the experience of visits with you and your classmates is hugely appealing, it would be good to discuss our different experiences and perhaps ask a few questions. We would be more than happy to have you guys visit the RCS Library, it's a very different kind of library with a lot of history, so it would be really good for you to get an insight. My email address is aholvey@rcseng.ac.uk, please feel free to contact me to arrange a visit and to discuss the potential library visits.
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