Why I became a librarian - Thing 2

Growing up I did not want to be a librarian. No way, not on your life, despite being a particularly fast reader and a great borrower from the local public library.  I wanted to be a teacher - in particular a biology teacher. Surprising considering I wasn't overly good at sciences, but I dutifully took the A-level in Biology along with Spanish and Geography for good measure. So not even interested in English or History which seem to be popular choices among Library and Information Science graduates. However after taking my A-levels, I decided that not only did I not want to go away to university (I wanted to stay in Northern Ireland), I didn't want to do Biology. A wise decision, given the A-level result. Instead I wanted to do Geography and be a geography teacher.

I did very well in my geography degree, something I am very proud of, but by then I had realised that working with any age group of children wasn't something that I was overly keen on or suited to. I had spent much of my final year in the library and had really enjoyed the environment. I'm a quiet person and I don't like a lot of noise. I also like to have rules to follow - yes, my secret is out. I'm a rule-follower, not a rule-breaker. I hadn't interacted an awful lot with the library staff, though I do remember some lurking behind bookshelves waiting to catch you out for eating or talking (not that I ever did - rule-follower, remember?). So I had no idea what a librarian would be like. I just thought it would suit me. I like order, things to be organised, lists, quiet though I have no particular fondness for tweed, hair in buns or glasses. To investigate this a bit further, I travelled home each weekend from university and did some voluntary work on Saturdays in my local public library. This worked out quite well as not only did it give me the necessary experience in a public library, it also gave me paid employment over the summer months.  In short, I changed track after graduation and applied to complete a Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) at University College Dublin (UCD).

While writing up my thesis, I was applying for any library post that came up in my home locality; public, school, academic, special, government. I didn't really care which type of library I worked in, I just wanted a job like most graduates. Towards the end of that summer, I hit lucky and was offered a library assistant post in a local grammar school. Again surprising considering that I didn't have any natural affinity with children of any age, and I was also quite close in age to those pupils in year 13 and 14 (lower and upper 6th form, in old money). I worked there for 18 months and it was good experience.  No regrets at all - it gave me a very good grounding in solo librarianship and I have a real appreciation now for what school librarians have to go through and how they have to be prepared to fight their own corner for the recognition they deserve.

From here I moved to a charity for around 8 months as an Information Officer and then eventually onto my first professional post as an assistant librarian in a government library. While I was working in the school library and the charity, I was also working evenings in an academic library so I was really trying to maximise the amount and breadth of my experience. Something which worked in my favour in the long run. I stayed with the government library for 3 years, learning from the librarian, managing staff and really for the first time putting into practice the skills that I had learnt at UCD. However I wasn't done with moving libraries yet! I moved to an academic library as a subject librarian for 4 years, and staying in the same library to a borrower services librarian. I've stayed in this post for 5 years - my longest time yet and I'm happy there. Incidentally, the University I moved to was the same as the one where I worked evenings - different library but same institution.

Looking back over it all and especially when you have to write down your employment history on application forms, it looks like I ping-ponged from one library to another. It didn't feel like that. I simply tried my best and took the opportunities as they came up. I don't have 1 best professional moment. Instead I have two. The first one is getting a full-time, permanent job in an academic library - posts don't come up very often and usually you need to have experience of working in an academic library in order to get shortlisted. That's why my experience of working evenings was so important. It's one of my best professional moments as I have ended up in the environment that suits me best. I have ended up in a post and place where I'm happy to go to work and I'm using the skills that I gained during my MLIS and building on them. I don't think that there are huge number of people that can say that. It wasn't designed that way but somehow it happened.  My second best professional moment is achieving my chartership from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). It doesn't mean a lot to most people but although it was a long drawn-out process, I eventually made it and got it.

Throughout my career, I have met a number of people that have helped me along the way; from the branch librarian who allowed me to work on a voluntary basis right at the beginning (and subsequently organised paid employment during that summer) to the outgoing Candidate Support Officer (CSO) for Northern Ireland (helping support me and gently push me in the direction of chartership) to my current line manager and Library Management Team in my place of employment. They all supported me and gave me opportunities that have allowed me to develop professionally. Some have become very good friends as well.

I don't really have any regrets over any part of my career path. Each post has helped in its own way. Perhaps it would have been better to see past the stereotypes at the beginning and complete a primary degree in LIS. But I didn't and have ended up with a lovely geography degree to my name.

With regards to the future, I still don't feel ready to move into a more senior post. There aren't many around to begin with and I am keen to stick with my current institution. I also don't feel ready for the responsibility that comes with a more senior post. Although I know that I'd be supported until I found my feet, I'm quite happy for the moment to let others carry that responsibility. I simply want to develop further skills in my current post especially with regards to management (I still feel I have a lot to learn in this area), revalidate my chartership status and take on the role of CSO.

For anyone who is starting out in the library or information profession, I would say to grab every opportunity and learning experience. Adapt your skills to suit and remember that not all library posts will have library in their title. There is no dedicated or correct career path but eventually you will end up where you are supposed to be.