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Welcome11

Evelyn Webster, Oxford Union Library

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Hello! My name’Oxford Union Library - Gallery and Muralss Evelyn, I’m the trainee for the Oxford Union Library. I graduated in 2009, having studied Linguistics at York, then spent a year as an English teaching assistant in Japan, followed by a season working as a Tudor waitress and a Victorian shop girl for the National Trust (costumes sadly not required).

I’ve worked part-time in various public libraries from the age of sixteen until I finished university, gradually climbing from ‘shelving assistant’ to ‘counter and shelving assistant’ to full-blown ‘library assistant’. I’m very excited, and very lucky, to be beginning my career in Oxford, in such a beautiful library. I’m hoping I can be a useful asset to the Union, get stuck in with everything from cataloguing to minute-taking to wrestling with the new circulation system – and with any luck I’ll learn a lot in the process.

Jayne Finlay, Taylor Institution Library

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Hi everyone.  I’m Jayne and I’m the trainee at the Taylor Institution this year.  I previously  studied  Theology at Queen’s University Belfast, and graduated from my Masters last Christmas.  Since then I have worked in Queen’s as a customer service assistant in various departments.  This role gave me valuable experience of providing customer service in an academic setting, and I loved being able to interact with the students and staff on a daily basis. The desire to guide and work with students is one of the main reasons I am considering a career in librarianship. I hope I will be able to help the students this year as I seek to make information more accessible to them in the library.

Having studied both French and Spanish to A-Level, I am delighted to be working in the Modern Languages library and having the chance to make use of these subjects again. I have worked here for almost three weeks and I’m really enjoying it so far. Most of my time has been spent on the issue desk getting to grips with the new circulation system! I have also been dealing with a lot of stack requests, fetching books for students, and shelving. The library has been relatively quiet so I am looking forward to term starting and things becoming a little busier.

I am really excited about my year in Oxford. I have loved meeting the other trainees and swapping library stories! I hope working in the Bodleian Libraries will give me an insight into the various aspects of librarianship and help me decide if I wish to pursue librarianship as a career.

Laurence Peacock – Taylor Bodleian Slavonic and Modern Greek Library

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Hello,

I’m Laurence and I’m the new trainee at the Taylor Bodleian Slavonic and Modern Greek Library, or TABS as it’s affectionately (but confusingly) known. After a couple of English degrees, I did a bit of language teaching in Russia followed by some work experience at libraries and archives in Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham, all of which proved to be very handy experience when applying for the current position.

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks now. The steep learning curve of a new role has been compounded by a new Bodleian-wide computer system and the fact that most of the languages in my library are somewhere beyond foreign to me. Fortunately, all the books have numbers on, so no harm done. Equally happily, there also always seems to be plenty of tea and biscuits about (an area in which I have considerable expertise) so I foresee no major problems settling in.

Rosie Lake, Sainsbury Library, Saїd Business School

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Hey everyone!

I’m Rosie and I’m the trainee at the Sainsbury Library at the Saїd Business School.

I grew up in Coventry, and studied Music at Nottingham University, graduating in 2010. Whilst I was studying in Nottingham, I worked as a student librarian at the Music Library, which I really enjoyed. (The most memorable moment was when a barber shop quartet with nowhere to rehearse, chose the corner of the library in which to practice their set. Alas, I had to ask them to keep it down).

Following my graduation, I embarked on a PGCE, which only lasted 3 weeks before I dropped out. It was quite clear to me that I had made a mistake: choosing what I thought to be a safe career option, when it wasn’t really what I wanted to do. I started talking to graduate trainee librarians, people in special collections, anyone who worked in a library whose ear I could bend. When I was sure this was the career for me, I started applying to traineeships.

During this time, I was living in London, and began volunteering with the Special Collections Relocation project at UCL, where I met some brilliant people, but also confirmed my suspicions that I wasn’t really interested in old/rare books.

I then began working in a West-End theatre, where I had many strange experiences (to be told at another time. Maybe.) and gained invaluable customer service experience. I was thrilled when I was offered a place as a Bodleian Libraries trainee, and I’m particularly pleased it was at a busy library where I will get the opportunity to interact with many different sorts of people.

The Sainsbury Library has already proved to be a busy and diverse environment, where the small team have been welcoming and friendly. I’m looking forward to gaining experience in many different areas of Librarianship, and throwing myself into every opportunity which comes my way, as well as taking part in courses towards professional development with the other trainees.

Welcome to our new trainees: 2011-12

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Trainees 2011-12

Welcome to the new Graduate Trainees 2011-12!

Our new trainees have now arrived and are settling in to their new roles.  A Welcome session took place on the 7th September and it was great to meet them all and for them to meet each other.  This photo was taken during the break.  The trainees will be introducing themselves on the blog soon and you can follow their progress on the blog over the coming year.