Jessika Brandon, Social Science Library

Hello, I’m Jessika, the graduate trainee this year for the Social Science Library. Upon graduating from University College Dublin in 2018, with a BA in Celtic Civilisation and Irish Folklore, I considered pursuing further study and a career in academia. However, as I was not sure exactly what I wanted to do I instead ended up applying for a position as a Library Assistant in the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dublin, which I was extremely fortunate to get. This experience made me consider working in libraries as a long-term option for me.

I’ve had a fascination with Oxford since I was young and always wanted to visit, and so when I saw the opportunity to further develop my skills and career prospects while also living here, I decided to go for it.

I started my role working remotely in Ireland for the first three weeks while I consulted the ever-changing situation until I was able to move to Oxford finally. Tomorrow (first Monday of term) will be my first day fully onsite, although I have been doing half days for the last couple of weeks, so I am slowly becoming more familiar with how everything works.

My main duties at the moment include processing the new stock to get them ready to go out on the shelves, as well as answering emails, reviewing reading lists, assisting readers on the Issue Desk and helping with all the new procedures in place at the library at the moment such as Click & Collect and Scan & Deliver. It’s definitely going to get a lot busier now that the term is starting and I am really looking forward to the year ahead, getting to know the city and surrounding areas, seeing all the historic sites/finding things off the beaten track, and finding out what aspects of library work interest me the most. It’s incredibly exciting and I am really grateful to be here.

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