So what has been happening, well work has been busy, we've had events galore - the delights of working in a public library.
In one library we've had a history event, launching a DVD of the town. We used the event to also publicise our HertsMemories sites.
One of our local HertsMemories volunteers demonstrating the website
We also hired some oral history booths from our local university. We can set these up with specific questions and get members of the public to talk into them. We then put these videos onto our HertsMemories sites. Nifty bits of kit, huh??
The oral history booth
We've hosted an image roadshow for the local museum at another branch. They hired our Meetings Room and displayed photos from their collection along with our large collection of old photographs too. Then... we've also held a Family History Open Day. We have library subscriptions to Ancestry and FindMyPast, so we got a local family history group to come in and help as well. members of the public could come in for free and learn how to use the sites, amongst others such as FreeBMD, etc and our family history books.
We've also held a drawing event during the last week of October at another library. This was a combination of Family Learning Week and The Big Draw. Children were invited to draw what they thought their dream library would look like. I sat in the children's library with a lovely box of colouring pencils surrounded by children laying on the floor, sitting at the table, etc drawing pictures. It was good fun to do and gave me a chance to interact with them (believe it or not, the future of the country...)
We also had some contributions from big kids (staff to you and me...)
The posters are going to be displayed in our new library when it opens.
We're now in the process of organising the next set of events and displays. We've a new library opening in one town, so we're getting ready for that. The museum in another town has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to display a piece of furniture from the Victoria and Albert Museum, so we're tapping into events on the back of that. And that's just the start of it!
In the library world as a whole, I can't describe how brilliant the result is from the High Court ruling over Gloucestershire County Council. The full statement is on the Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries website. All I can say is well done Johanna, Demelza and all those involved in the campaign, you worked tirelessly for something you believed in to get a result. I am definitely in awe of you all. As much as I can support you from a distance, I know I could never have done so much as you all have. I feel proud to have worked with Johanna a couple of years ago and her enthusiasm is infectious!
The last thing I saw which interested me... The Times newspaper in the UK has been publishing a Graduate recruitment section on Tuesdays. On 8th November, they published an article about a graduate career in libraries and librarianship, entitled "Why life as a librarian can be an open book." The article basically described how to get into the profession through Graduate trainee schemes and studying for a Masters.
There is a description of the possible role we may take and the type of person we need to be. Annie Mauger quotes that we need to be "enthusiastic and proactive, asking 'what can we do for you'?" I do however disagree to some extent where she says "One of the big advantages of our profession is that you can move easily between sectors - public, private, education, commercial. It can be a very flexible career." From my experience this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. I have moved between sectors and have not found it easy. Certainly you can move but don't expect to remain at an equivalent level. You will most likely go down. I came to my current post from managing a small university Learning Centre, with staffing and budgetary responsibilities. I now work for a public library with very little, if any responsibilities which I can call my own, I'm constantly checking if I can do something, have no staffing or budgetary responsibilities. When I tried to apply for an equivalent level post, I was told I didn't have enough public library knowledge... I've also moved from FE to HE, depending on the university, beware, since there is a definite pecking order and FE (and possibly where you did your Masters) does not count for some universities in the UK. If you want to change sectors, make sure you do your homework thoroughly and don't be afraid of rejection.
So possibly on the back of that, it's time to get my own CV up to date and ready following on from what I learned in CPD23...
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