Thing 22

Volunteering to gain experience

I don't think I could be where I am today with having worked voluntarily. Having no idea what to do with my life after university, and not wanting to spend my spare time doing a job that would get me nowhere in the end, I was eager to be able to get work experience at my university library. It was definitely a positive experience, and encouraged me that it was something I really could do. It gave me confidence, and helped we learn just what the job of librarian could mean, something you never really know until you experience it. Today I sometimes feel amazed that I now get paid for the job I do - having spent so long volunteering and never having had a (proper) paid job before it still seems surreal.

I spent my summer between third and fourth year doing this, plus volunteering at a local hospice and Durham's Botanic Gardens. Even though less relevant to becoming a librarian, I still think you can get a great deal out of doing something where you are meeting new people and trying something you haven't done before. Without all this experience I have no doubt that I would not be doing what I do now - having a decent degree is great but you need to have more! Since I've been in Cambridge I haven't done anything like I did that summer, and sometimes I think it would be a great idea. I can definitely see how it can fill gaps in your experience - the mention of teaching is something I have only observed, and I think some experience of that could only be a good thing. But now I am studying such a large amount of my time has disappeared, and what I have left I just want to do nothing and recuperate a bit! So maybe in a couple of years... I would love to do something involving children or maybe even just with a slightly different target group to most university libraries.

Thing 20 - From Physics to Libraries

The Library Routes Project

As seems to be the case with everyone (and hence not terribly interesting!), I fell into libraries for no good reason. And who knows if it was I will do for the rest of my working life? I was in my penultimate year at Durham studying Theoretical Physics and pondering what to do after my graduation. A close friend suggested volunteering in the college library where she did, for only an hour a week. I thought there was nothing to lose, so I signed up and whilst there saw a flyer for getting work experience at the university library. After a short chat with the staff there I found myself going in two days a week over the summer (2010), and getting to know what working in a library was all about. And I really enjoyed it! The people there were so friendly, and I really enjoyed what they asked me to do. I experienced all elements, acquisitions, processing, serials, academic support, working on the desk with students and much more.

With still no idea of how to use my degree directly in a job I would enjoy I decided to give it a go getting a job in a library, believing my scientific background would block me straight away. But I was lucky, and got a place as a graduate trainee librarian in Cambridge. The year was so interesting, I learnt so much and gained confidence, and I enjoyed my work so much. Now I have returned to St John's as maternity cover in the position Projects Assistant, and have begun my masters in Information and Library Studies at Aberystwyth by distance learning. At the current time I am just about to submit my first two assignments after my initial study school back in September, and so far I'm finding it really interesting. It is a lot to fit in but I think it is good to challenge yourself from time to time. Going from writing lab reports and equations to essays is quite a step for me but hopefully I'll make it through. I would love to find myself in a job where my science-y background was useful, I do miss maths a bit! But at the moment I'm just plodding along :-)