Musings of an Academic Librarian

Some of the jobs I have applied for: Liaison librarian/subject librarian, assistant librarian (law library), junior research specialist (special library), media librarian, customer services librarian, library assistant (law firm), law librarian, library training specialist, research publications officer, subscriptions librarian, information services librarian, assistant librarian (learning support services), librarian (sole charge), resources and access assistant, librarian (public library) Jobs I've thought about applying for: Team leader (campus library), resources librarian, secondary school librarian The job I got most excited about was subject librarian for Classics at the University of Auckland.  I have a BA in Classics and I have always had an interest in the subject.  It was a one year secondment and I even knew the guy who had the job from my TELSIG group.  I wrote a very good, passionate cover letter but I did not get an interview.  Why the hell n...

A job interview I had a few months ago that went terribly badly was for a very junior internal position that I really only applied for because some of my colleagues had encouraged me to go for it.  It got off to a bad start with the first question: why do you think you're the best person for this role?  That threw me - how could I honestly say I was the best person?  What I wanted to be asked was: why are you interested in this role?   Then I was asked to describe when I had used a technology at work.  This threw me as well - it was such a basic question.  Where would I even begin?  Here I am writing about technology in a blog!  Further very simple questions followed which I stumbled over as I was not expecting them.  I had expected a more relaxed, conversational style interview about the job and why I wanted it.  But it became clear that the interviewers were pretending that they did not know me, that I had not worked in the libr...

I've been really enjoying using my Kindle, especially when I go on holiday since it's a lot more convenient than taking a bundle of paperbacks with me.  I think its best feature is its built in LED's to illuminate the screen (it is not backlit).  Here is an explanation of how it works.  The illumination is adjustable and it is handy for reading in low light.  Also the battery life is very good and it is easier to hold than a book.  All in all the reading experience is excellent. Will I buy any more print books?  Yes I will, but I buy mostly kindle books these days.  Do I feel a little guilty about this - supporting a corporate giant like amazon rather than local bookshops?  Yes but the technology is so good now and it's so convenient to purchase books with the WiFi.  Also amazon has such a huge range of titles and they are cheaper than buying print.

Two librarians who have been inspiring me lately are Justin Hoenke and Ned Potter .  I have been reading their blogs and watching their keynotes at LIANZA's Shout 15.  What impresses me about them is how free they are.  They know who they are and what they want.  They aren't afraid to express themselves and they believe they have something to offer the world.  And they are both confident public speakers - something I would like to become.  It all makes me feel like I have some catching up to do, being a few years older than them but a long way behind with my personal and professional development.

Since I finished my last liaison librarian secondment in September 2013 I have been looking for jobs.  I have applied for nearly 40 jobs and had 14 job interviews.  I have applied for many subject librarian roles and also for jobs in corporate and specialist libraries.  There have been many other jobs that I could have applied for too.  It has been a nerve wracking, time consuming, frustrating and disappointing process.  I am still not there, but I am getting there (thanks to the help and support of colleagues, friends and a professional).  I am now clearer about what I want.  Here is what I want: I want to be challenged I want to work with people I want to do different things I want to develop lots of skills, e.g. people skills, collection management, IT, public speaking, teaching I want to do presentations I want to try managing people I want to find out what my values are I want to earn more money In short, I want a career.  I want ...

At the moment I'm getting used to Sierra, and it's a far superior system to Voyager in lots of different ways.  For example I like how you have to close a patron's record after issuing something before you can print the slip - this ensures their record isn't left open.  One thing I am missing however is the library catalogue.  I know it's now quite obsolete but it was handy when you wanted to look up a specific book title.  With Encore, our new discovery layer, you have to do an advanced search which is not nearly as precise as the old catalogue search.  Take for example a title search for "Ethics: the heart of healthcare."  The first result is "Ethics priorities..." which is a journal article and the item in question is further down the results page.  Why is it not bringing back only the title searched for I wonder?  Another example is searching for a journal - with the catalogue you could do a journal search.  With Encore you have to do a t...