Danielle Czerkaszyn, History Faculty Library

Posted on 23 September 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

Hi! I’m Danielle, the new Graduate Library Trainee for the History Faculty Library. I am based in the Radcliffe Camera and Gladstone Link.

radcliffe-camera_image — Radcliffe Camera

A bit about me: I am from Hamilton, Ontario and completed a BA in History from the University of Guelph and an MA in History from the University of Western Ontario. In 2011 I took the plunge and moved across the ocean to England for the MA in Museum Studies programme at the University of Leicester. Following my year in Leicester, I decided I wasn’t quite ready to go back to Canada and I am still in the UK four years later!

Unlike most of the other trainees, I am new to working in libraries. I’ve had a wide variety of customer service jobs and volunteer roles- everything from a coffee shop barista to a museum intern to a front of house assistant at a major UK tourist attraction- but never a library, although the idea of being a librarian has always been at the back of my mind. During my time at university I spent a lot of time in the library and often wondered what it would be like to work on the other side of the desk. With my background in history and museums, I figured a career as a librarian wasn’t too far off since libraries often put on exhibitions with their special collections and a lot of museums have libraries and archives. Plus I have always been one to have a book on the go and love the idea of being surrounded by books! I realise librarians are far too busy to do any reading on the job but that doesn’t stop me from noting down books that I might like to peruse on my own time.

I was fortunate enough to be placed in the History Faculty Library which houses the University of Oxford’s main collection of undergraduate materials in Medieval and Modern History, as well as in the History of Art and History of Science. It is nice to be in my subject area and among some interesting historical material- I have even found myself shelving books I recognise from my own studies. I also have the added benefit of working in a stunning historical building which is not a bad place to arrive each morning.

Radcliffe Camera ceiling — Upper Camera Ceiling

Having never worked in a library before I didn’t really know what to expect when I started at the beginning of the month. I have had a lot of training in the past couple of weeks and have done several solo shifts on the reception and circulation desks- luckily help has always been nearby! I have also done a few closing shifts which involve ringing an antique bell and shooing out the readers reluctant to leave. I think the most challenging part so far has been remembering all the required passwords and getting to grips with the vast amount of library jargon and abbreviations. Fortunately my colleagues in the Camera have been very patient and helpful as I get orientated. September is a good month to start as the library is relatively quiet, however I’ve been told nothing will prepare me for the change of pace next month when term starts and the new students arrive.

If these first few weeks are anything to go by, I am looking forward to the year ahead- getting to know my fellow trainees, becoming more confident in my role at the HFL, and exploring all that Oxford has to offer.

Elizabeth Back – Archives Assistant (Trainee), Oxford University Archives

Posted on 16 September 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

Hello all, I’m Elizabeth. I’m in my first month working with the Oxford University Archives.

For those who don’t know, OUA hold the administrative records of the University. We are housed in the Tower of the Five Orders in the Old Bodleian, guarded by James I who sits on his stone throne outside the Lower Archive Room. If Wikipedia can be believed, ‘the Tower is so named because it is ornamented, in ascending order, with the columns of each of the five orders of classical architecture: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite.’ If you look at the capitals on the columns you can see the differences in the five classical styles so, in this instance, I am inclined to believe them! The tower was likely finished between 1615 and 1619, but the tower as we see it today owes much to restoration work in the 1870s.*

We also have stacks in the new Weston library and any external readers who have requested to view something from our collections are invited to do so in the Rare Books and Manuscripts reading room over here. We also assist internal University departments as many of our documents are still relevant and useful to them.

Like other Library and Information Services roles, it’s a job that can require a lot of lifting and handling of sometimes heavy materials but this particular role also involves a lot of stairs. I don’t think I’m going to need a gym membership to keep me fit this year!

I am really enjoying my placement so far. There are some real gems in this collection and I’m looking forward to getting to know it better. My favourite item so far is the Proctorial Cycle (1628) as it is beautifully illuminated with birds and flowers, and bears the signature of King Charles I. It is a calendar organising the order in which the colleges would have the privilege of electing a University proctor from their ranks. The role of Proctor still exists at the University and if you want a less dry introduction to what they do there is an Oxford Student article where the then Proctors were interviewed here.

As you may know, the University does not have an official founding date but the earliest University document held in the University Archives dates back to 1214 (you can see it here). It details privileges conferred by the papal legate following a dispute between town and gown (in which, I understand, a woman was alleged to have been murdered by a scholar and the town sought retribution by hanging two University clerks. They didn’t have Morse back then, so the Pope had to settle it).

Many of our records are much more recent than these and I have enjoyed helping family and local historians trace their ancestors. We often hear from people interested to know if their grandfather or great grandfather came here and I really enjoy it if I can tell them that they did and perhaps give them a few details.

I hope this has been an illuminating insight into what I do. By the end of this year I am sure I will be full of facts about the University’s history. I find it all fascinating so I hope I don’t get carried away with anecdotes that no one wants to hear!

* Cole, Catherine, ‘The Building of the Tower of Five Orders in the Schools’ Quadrangle at Oxford’ in Oxoniensia Vol. XXXIII (1968) pp. 92-107

Emma Quinlan – Kathleen Major Library, St. Hilda’s College

Posted on 14 September 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

Hello all! I’m Emma and I am the new(ish!) Graduate Library Trainee at the Kathleen Major Library, better known as the St. Hilda’s College Library. I say newish as I started the post in April as the wonderful past trainee (Grace Brown) secured a full time job at the Bodleian through her second year at St. Hilda’s.

So a little bit about me … I graduated in 2013 with a 1st class honours degree in Observational Astronomy from the University of Glamorgan. I specialised in solar system volcanology over my two dissertations; volcanism in the inner solar system and cryovolcanism in the outer solar system. I know it sounds star trekkie but no, there was no mention of Spock in my work! I spent most of my school life in the library – doing work, swotting up and most importantly reading Star Wars novels (I must have been the only person to do so as the librarian was shocked that I would request more books from the series …). I have fond memories of finding exciting novels to read as well as, you guessed it, finding lots of stuff on volcanoes and astronomy! A home from home, I learned that life could be exciting, knowledgeable and dare I say it, dangerous, without leaving the comfort of my chair.

My library experience (apart from being in one for the majority of my educational life) has been based on public libraries. I worked as a relief library assistant after graduating for a year and a bit before getting the post at St. Hilda’s. I fell in love with library work and interacting with the public and then everything slotted into place – librarians are awesome! I want to be awesome … I will become a librarian!
So far St. Hilda’s has been a joy. Starting at the beginning of Trinity term with lots of anxious students got me into the swing of things quite quickly. I have had the long summer to complete some small projects (yay!) and to look forward to finally meeting my fellow trainees (double yay!).

I can’t wait to get the trainee year properly underway, getting to know Hilda’s and all you trainees further and looking forward to all there is to experience in the Oxford library system.

Welcome to our new trainees 2015-16!

Posted on 4 September 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

I met with our new trainees at their welcome session on 2nd September. We have 15 trainees in total this year who are based in both the Bodleian and college libraries. The welcome session was a chance for them to meet one another and introduce them to Oxford and its libraries and the trainee scheme.

The trainees will be introducing themselves on the blog and posting regularly about their experiences and progress over the coming year. I hope they all have a great year with us!

Graduate Trainee Showcase 2015 – The Programme

Posted on 20 July 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

When the email came round asking for two trainees to organise the Showcase, Hannah and I volunteered without really knowing what we were letting ourselves in for! It turned out to be a great experience and, despite a few nagging emails, not as stressful or as complicated as we feared.

As part of our planning we decided it would be nice to have a programme to give out on the day. Sadly Hannah’s idea of black and white headshots like a theatre programme never did come to fruitition! However, we did get each Trainee to write a short paragraph on their highlights of the year and their future plans which I have included below. Enjoy!

Emily Chen – Digital Archivist Programme
I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year! I’ve loved learning how all the different parts of the library (many of them parts I didn’t even know about!) work together. A few of the highlights of my year were: my colleagues who are all amazing to work with; participating in workshops and talks and seeing how readers use our unique collections; and the variety of projects, big and small that we’ve had a chance to work on. Next year I will be continuing with my traineeship and hopefully applying everything I’ve learned and finishing my professional qualification.

Lydia Wright – Sackler Library
With my background in Arabic and Eastern Art I could not have spent my graduate trainee year in a better place than at the Sackler Library. The Sackler has almost an entire floor dedicated to Eastern Art and as well as helping out with this collection I have used my language skills to assist with the cataloguing of Arabic and Persian material. However one of the best aspects of doing my traineeship at the Sackler has been the variety of experience I have gained both at the front desk and behind the scenes, always supported by an amazing team and a constant supply of cake, biscuits and cheese. In the future I hope to go on to work specifically with my academic area of interest, becoming more involved with cataloguing, special collections and subject specialist tasks.

Bethan Watkins – Taylor Bodleian Slavonic & Modern Greek Library
My highlight of the year has been learning about how a library is run, both through my experiences at work in both TABS and Taylor Institution, and through our training. I will study Information Management part-time at UWE, and will be working in Bristol.

Yannis Choupas – Taylor Institution Library
Having already worked in libraries for more than a year before starting the traineeship, the highlight of my trainee year was the freshers’ inductions back in October. Their lack of awareness of basic things, such as shelfmarks, was a powerful reminder of the value of the librarian’s role; I learnt to not take anything for granted when answering readers’ enquiries. (By the way, most of the freshers have made excellent progress in finding their way through the Taylorian labyrinth by now!) In August, I am returning to Greece, hoping eventually to be able to do the masters by distance learning.

Jamie Stokes – Sainsbury Library (Said Business School)
The highlight of my trainee year has simply been working with a genuinely wonderful team, each member of which has been generous, supportive and excellent by nature. Being given the responsibility to work on both my own and joint projects throughout the year, in between a large amount of face time with students and other patrons on the enquiry desk, has been invaluable in reinforcing and refining my future plans. Next year I’m heading to University College London to study the MA in Library and Information Studies course full time.

Hannah Hickman – History Faculty Library
This year has been a really enriching experience and I’ve loved being a part of the Radcliffe Camera team. Attending the Committee for Library Provision and Strategy in History was a real highlight for me – it was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the ways in which the Library and Faculty work together to support student learning. I am going on to a role in community engagement at University of Warwick Library, and hope to pursue an MA the following year.

Michelle Cook – Codrington Library (All Souls College)
The past year has been very interesting, and I have most enjoyed working alongside people in such diverse roles and from varied academic backgrounds. It has allowed me to learn by observation about different facets of librarianship, including conservation, law librarianship, and the cataloguing of a wide range of materials including modern books, serials, early printed books, manuscripts and archival collections. The highlight of the year happened in the period of time when Dr Mir Ansari was cataloguing the Codrington’s Persian manuscripts. His work allowed us to learn about a previously enigmatic collection. More specifically, however, whilst perusing the books at the end of one workday, and to our great excitement, we discovered small paper stencils between the leaves of MS 373 used to create illustrations in another unidentified manuscript! I will be starting the MA in Library and Information Studies at UCL in September, taking modules on historical bibliography and cataloguing. I would like to follow rare books librarianship, specialising in antiquarian and special collections cataloguing.

Tom Cullimore – St John’s College Library
It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to research, describe and promote items from the St John’s College special collections, a rare, diverse and fascinating resource for any kind of historian. I will take this experience into a librarianship MA at the University of Sheffield, where I will endeavour to explore the field in greater detail and depth.

Rebecca Wray – Social Science Library
While helping readers with varied, weird and wonderful queries has been my favourite part of my trainee post, my highlight has to be all the fantastic training and trips I have had the opportunity to attend. From visiting the vast BSF, to talks from book sellers, voice training, and tours of all sorts of Oxford libraries. I loved our day in London where I got to visit the Natural History Museum Library! Next, I’m going to be working at the Cairn’s Library (which we also got to visit!) up at the JR Hospital and studying for my Masters via distance-learning through Aberystwyth University.

Sarah Arkle – English Faculty Library
I would say that the highlight of my trainee year has been being part of a really nice team that have been really pleasant to work with. Everyone’s been really supportive of me and responsive to my ideas and I’ve been allowed to get involved with lots of different things. The rest of the team really made the EFL a fantastic environment in which to be a trainee. I’ve really enjoyed being allowed to pursue my own projects alongside my more regular duties, which is largely thanks to the encouragement and support of my colleagues. I’m going to be incredibly sad to leave the EFL, but after the traineeship ends, I’ll be moving back up north in September to start my MA in Librarianship at The University of Sheffield, which I’m very much looking forward to.

Ceri Ashwell – Social Science Library
At the SSL I have been very fortunate to get involved in a wide variety of tasks but my highlight has been working on the front line in reader services. I started just one month before the new academic year commenced and it was great to get to know the regulars and help the new readers with what they thought were ‘obvious questions’. They didn’t realise that they were actually helping me to learn too; inadvertently providing me with extra training. These ‘new’ readers are now the regulars who ask more involved queries which I am (mostly) able to answer. There’s always the chance to learn more! It’s been a great experience to have developed with the readers in this way. I hope it’s a feeling I have the chance to experience elsewhere. Currently my future plans aren’t certain. I won’t be taking the masters course next year but I am aiming to find library work in another city and hope to start the masters in September 2016.

Andi Glover – Law Library
I’m Andi, and my trainee post at the Law Library was very varied, with experience of both reader and technical services; as well as finally getting to use my German A-Level, working with EU law textbook catalogues. I’ve applied to UCL for their MA in LIS, and my particular areas of interest are cataloguing and the history of the book. The highlight of my trainee year was volunteering in Rare Books. This included processing a 17th century work on magic and medicine, a meeting with the Weston’s incunabula expert Alan Coates, and learning not to be too alarmed when an old leather binding starts flaking a little in your hand (just extra careful!) At the Law Library, I particularly enjoyed contacting Continental publishing firms for a serials claims project; one publisher even sent me a lovely postcard of an avant-garde clown.

Duncan Jones – Bodleian Library
The highlight of my trainee year has been the chance to work at the Main Enquiry Desk and to deal with the great variety of enquiries that pass through it. I also really enjoyed volunteering at the Weston opening weekend and getting to tell the public about the libraries. What’s next is still up in the air but I’d like to start studying towards my MA and keep working in libraries!

Harriet Costelloe – Digital Archivist Programme
The highlight of my trainee year has to be meeting and working alongside Emily and my other colleagues. This is because having someone to run things past, collaborate with, and, obviously, take tea-breaks with has made me feel settled and competent much more quickly. I am really looking forward to another year at the Weston Library where my role will focus more heavily on acquisitions and funding, outreach initiatives and cataloguing literary collections, alongside my continuing responsibilities of webarchiving and processing digital material.

Sam Hughes – Law Library
It is difficult to choose a highlight of my time as a trainee as there are many positive aspects to the role. I really enjoy the challenge of finding material in answer to more obscure requests but I also appreciate the variety of tasks that come my way including creating a libguide, Moys reclassification, clerking a Moot, conducting SOLO usability testing and I have even written a blog entry for SLA and been on Twitter. I am delighted to be staying on at the Law Library for another 12 months during the refurbishment works and I am going to start a distance learning library and information management MA in September.

Graduate Trainee Showcase 2015

Posted on 17 July 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

The Trainee Showcase gives trainees the opportunity to deliver a presentation on a project they have undertaken or a particular aspect of work enjoyed during the year.

This year Becca (from the SSL) and Hannah (from the HFL) were the hosts. We were joined by colleagues as well as ex-trainees who came to talk to the group about their experiences after the traineeship.

We’d like to thank everyone who came to support us or impart their knowledge and wisdom of what happens next!

It’s fair to say that the majority of us were quite nervous about going up to present but everyone did a great job and the mix of people in attendance created a great atmosphere!

Here’s a run down of the day:

9.30-9.40 – Welcome!

9.40-9.50 – Emily Chen, Workshop with History and English department students about discovering the authors of anonymous travel diaries through contextual clues
9.50-10.00 – Hannah Hickman, Finding books, surveying students
10.00-10.10 – Jamie Stokes, The Oxford Futures Library – Creating the Art Kleiner Archive Catalogue
10.10-10.20 –Rebecca Wray, Social Science Social Media
10.20-10.30 – Andi Glover, Blues and 852s – Organising and Barcoding a Series of Police Reports

10.30-10.50 – Coffee break!

10.50-11.00 – Ceri Ashwell, ORLiMS: Designing the logo
11.00-11.10 – Yannis Choupas, Creating an online Shelfmark Locator for a labyrinthine library: the work so far

11.10-11.30 – Guest Speaker: Verity Westgate, Bodleian Libraries
11.30-11.50 – Guest Speaker: Charlie Lythgoe, Oxford Brookes
11.50-12.10 – Guest Speaker: Niall Sheekey, Harris Manchester College Library
12.10-13.00 – Lunch!

13.00-13.10 – Sam Hughes, General Year in Review
13.10-13.20 – Duncan Jones, Redesigning/rebranding the Bodleian notices and signs
13.20-13.30 – Bethan Watkins, Preventing book damage
13.30-13.40 – Harriet Costelloe, Cataloguing the papers of the Tilling Society

13.40-14.10 – Break out!

14.10-14.20 – Micha Cooke, #digital: a survey of manuscript viewers in the digital humanities
14.20-14.30 – Tom Cullimore, Leaving Out: Curating livres d’artiste in St John’s College Library
14.30-14.40 – Lydia Wright, A Collection in Review: Bringing the Sackler’s Eastern Art Periodical Collection Up-to-Date

14.40-14.50 – Thanks!

Finally…a little picture collage. Including (maybe) the first Graduate Trainee Showcase selfie! Yes!

Open Day for New Professionals with SLA Europe, BIALL and CLSIG – Part 2

Posted on 27 May 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

Written and edited by: Micha Cook, Codrington Library; Andi Glover, Bodleian Law
Library; Hannah Hickman, History Faculty Library; and Becca Wray, Social Science Library

Our highlights from the open day, 15th April, at CILIP HQ, London – continued!

BBC (Media Management)

Laura Williams, a Media Manager in the BBC Archives, spoke about ‘embedded
librarianship’. Embedded librarianship “moves librarians out of libraries”, so that they pop up in unexpected (and exciting) places, such as TV companies, zoos and hospitals. Laura is
embedded within Entertainment Production North and BBC Learning, although she is
formally part of BBC Archives. The centralised Archives services perform more traditional
“library” processes like cataloguing and digitisation, while media managers are based around the country working within production teams. Media managers are responsible for a diverse range of core tasks including records management, photo archive work, selecting material for the archives, and navigating the BBC’s holdings on behalf of researchers.

Enticingly retro-looking tapes in the BBC Archive. Photo by Andy Armstrong

The range of duties involved in such a multifaceted role means Laura has to be very
flexible. As her team might not necessarily realise how an information professional can support their work, she has to be proactive about promoting these services; whether that means scheduling official meetings to discuss record-keeping, or simply using a catch-up over coffee to chat about how library services could assist new projects. As a qualified
librarian, working for an archive service, with the job title of ‘media manager’, Laura uses the identifiers interchangeably, depending on which term has the most meaning or value to her audience: an adaptability that I found really striking given the traditional divide
between library/archives as vocations.

Community and network is especially important in an embedded role: if you are going to work as an embedded librarian, it is important to be an integrated member of the team. That said, you may well be working solo, which can be lonely, so it’s important to reach out to librarian networks too… such as the SLA! – Hannah

British Library of Political and Economic Science, LSE

Maria Bell gave an instructive talk about her work as Learning Support Services Manager for LSE’s library. Founded in 1896, the library moved to its current well-known location in the 70s, and recently became home to the Women’s Library. It provides a research base for LSE’s students, researchers, academics and visitors, covering subjects as diverse as gender, law, accounting and sociology. Having a background in law librarianship, Maria gave
guidance on the particular skills needed to work with an academic law collection; these
include knowledge of legal terminology and academic standards for legal citation and
research; managing and developing a relevant and sustainable collection that reflects
readers’ needs; and, in HE, teaching legal research skills to your users.

The impressive spiral staircase in the LSE Library. Photo by ZhaoSiyun_HeavenBlue on Flickr

Developing a relationship with readers is of key importance for creating an accessible learning environment that underpins research; and Maria suggested that in future, it will become increasingly important for librarians to demonstrate how their skills are relevant for supporting researchers. That might be worth thinking about when putting your CV
together. To those starting out on library careers, Maria strongly recommended signing up for relevant training sessions, and taking opportunities to network; as she put it, “Building relationships takes time and must be maintained,” so it’s never too early to start making connections. – Micha, Andi

Morgan Stanley

Karen Tulett and Susan Ryan, from the Corporate Information Management Team
of major multinational investment bank, Morgan Stanley, shared their experiences of
something you wouldn’t immediately expect when thinking about careers in libraries and
information. They are both involved in making sure that bankers within the organisation have the documents and research they need in order to do their jobs. This involves
working on a global scale to provide a 24/7 information service to the different offices that need it. Both also emphasised the skills important for a librarian in the banking sector:
creativity in the way you do your research, and keeping up to date with banking news in
order to work out what information might be needed before you are asked for it.

Research Manager Karen started her career as a Trainee in the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, before her Masters, and has since worked for several different banks in
Information Manager roles, including involvement in overseeing an outsourcing project. Susan, in contrast, has spent most of her career with Morgan Stanley, working her way up
through various different information and research posts to become Vendor Manager. She mentioned an ongoing movement in many banks to make some aspects of research off-shore, creating a team in another country. She spent several months in India setting up a new office and training new research staff who she now works closely with. – Becca

Mishcon de Reya (Law)

The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL), co-organiser of the open day, represents information managers in the legal sector, be that in the Inns of Court, law firms or academic libraries. Sandra Smythe, from private, international law firm Mishcon de Reya, talked about her role as Knowledge Manager. The KM is in charge of supporting the sharing of knowledge in an organisation; for example, through collaboration tools on the intranet, to promote information-sharing amongst colleagues. Key skills needed in this role are openness, communication, and the ability to work in a team.

Formerly, Sandra was Mishcon’s Senior Information Officer. Amongst other duties, this
intensive, varied job involves legal research, and remaining informed both of legal
developments, and of the organisations and individuals with whom Mishcon works.
Sandra has found her career in law librarianship fast-paced, confidence-building and
rewarding; and she assured aspiring law librarians that new entrants to the field are not
expected to arrive with legal research skills fully-formed, but will be trained. In her
previous role with a firm handling maritime law, she was sometimes called upon to aid with the interception of ships; which just goes to show that law librarianship is
full of variety! – Andi

Looking back, this was an informative day broken up with engaging tours. It was
interesting to hear about the different, sometimes surprising, forms librarianship and
career paths can take. We also learned that, for aspiring librarians, networking, passion
and curiosity are essential, along with an ability to recognize our transferable skills, such
as communication, collaboration and current awareness. Some of us got a clearer idea of where to take our careers next; others discovered interests in previously-unconsidered
sectors; overall, attending this event was greatly valuable for our personal development.
We’d like to thank the SLA, BIALL and CLSIG for organising this impressive open day.
— Primary editor, Andi Glover

Follow the links to find out more about SLA Europe, BIALL and
CLSIG, a special interest group of CILIP

For another perspective on the open day, see Sue Hill Recruitment’s blog post

Open Day for New Professionals with SLA Europe, BIALL and CLSIG – Part 1

Posted on 26 May 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

Written and edited by: Micha Cook, Codrington Library; Andi Glover, Bodleian Law
Library; Hannah Hickman, History Faculty Library; Becca Wray, Social Science Library

In April, seven of the Bodleian trainees headed off to CILIP HQ in London for the
SLA Europe, BIALL & CLSIG New Professionals’ Open Day: a chance to hear presentations
by information professionals from several well-known “special libraries”, and to network with the speakers, other trainees and Master’s students. Here, we report back on our
experiences of the day: what we learned, and why the next Open Day might be useful to others considering careers in library and information science.

NERA Economic Consulting

In the first talk, Hanna Shearring spoke about her role as Associate Information Resources Consultant (IRC) at NERA (@NERA_Economics), which undertakes research on behalf of mostly corporate clients. Her job is similar to a subject librarian’s role with academic
researchers; she works closely with clients and uses specialist knowledge to ascertain
exactly which information they need, and which sources and institutions could provide it. This may entail persisting with enquiries involving several institutions and individuals, such as tenders taken on for the EU: more negotiation than is usually necessary in an HE
library. IRCs are less desk-based than many Graduate Trainees, and, interestingly, work with fewer book-based sources than most of our readers.

For Hanna, her post offers a chance for continual learning, for gaining new skills and knowledge; she also said that socialising with colleagues after work helped to build her network and professional identity. For trainees, chatting with fellow librarians can be a good way of finding opportunities, such as chances to volunteer; and indeed, Hanna left us with the advice to follow our natural curiosity, asking established professionals about their careers and pursuing any intriguing leads. – Micha, Andi

Wellcome Library

Danny Rees’ talk on the Wellcome Library and his role as an outreach librarian touched on and accentuated the diversity of the library’s collections and the active involvement of the Wellcome Trust with the dialogue on access, outreach, and hot topics like the digitisation of manuscripts. Getting excited about cataloguing makes me a rare beast in our group of trainees and it was Danny Rees’ answer to my question about the structure of the
cataloguing department at the Wellcome Library, including specialist librarian and
archivist cataloguers working on specific parts of the collection, which sticks with me.

His talk was complemented by the fact that it was followed directly by a fascinating tour. The latter took us to the library and the newly incarnated reading room filled with a bizarre collection of singularly remarkable objects. We were told during the tour that every staff member at the Wellcome library had come to the job with different academic backgrounds and interests and so brought something unique to the greater team. From the fondness with which this reading room/ gallery/social space was described, I like to imagine that the displays included exciting discoveries made by the staff!

The wonderfully unique reading room, with its enlightening medical history exhibits and cosy staircase seating

Looked at in unison, the library and this hybrid space confirmed that the Wellcome is not only a multi-faceted institution, but the outcome of a concerted effort to incorporate the pursuit of knowledge, with the preservation and promotion of culturally and historically significant objects relating to the medical sciences. The library, open to anyone who wished to join, felt exactly like an academic research library made more by the beautiful paintings from the Wellcome collection which were unaffectedly exhibited throughout. Small things like the colour-coded finding aids on the shelf-ends, both considered and
decorative, hinted at a careful guardianship and respect for the space and collections on
behalf of both readers and staff.

The leaflet for the library boasts the heading “the free library for the incurably curious” and adorns my wall as a reminder that I have yet to walk up to the reception desk, identity proof in hand, to officially join the ranks of the inquisitive. That said, I expect it’ll stay there; it gave me great delight to see what I hope was an intentional medical pun—the readers are incurable, not terminal, you see! – Micha

Andi, Micha and Duncan with the virtual autopsy table, the popular exhibit revealing layers of the human body

Extract Information (Intellectual Property)

As trainees, many of us are most familiar with academic librarianship, and perhaps with working in public libraries; so Jane List surprised us with her talk about
Extract Information, the patent research company she founded in 2013. Jane works
primarily as a consultant involved in research to solve her clients’ IP-related problems.
She set up her business after a career in research and development librarianship, and
database-testing for scientific research bodies. She has built up a wealth of experience of
information roles in intellectual property, with one of her areas of expertise being Asian patent information; an area that is fast growing with the advance of technology in the Far East, particularly in Korea. She told us that this has created a demand amongst businesses and legal organisations for translators of Asian languages; so Korean-speaking information
managers could find they have an unexpected skill to offer in the field of IP. – Andi

Careers tips from Suzanne Wheatley and Victoria Sculfor, Recruitment Specialists

Suzanne and Victoria from Sue Hill Recruitment (@SueHillRec) and TFPL (@tfpl_Ltd)
gave some extremely useful advice on careers planning and writing a CV for
recruitment agencies. Highlights included:

• Make the personal profile on your CV reflect what you’re doing at the moment: recruiters want to build up a picture of you to help them find the most suitable opportunities

• Also on your CV, list your achievements, technical experience such as the software you regularly use at work, and professional activity (training, forums, open days you’ve been to)

• Recruiters are very willing to work to your timescale: let them know when you’re looking to start work, and they’ll bear this in mind when finding opportunities for you

• Creating a profile on a site like LinkedIn makes you more accessible to potential
employers

• Find a job you love: you will be more productive at work, and much happier

– Andi

This is the first of a 2-part series of blog posts on this excellent open day. The next
instalment features the BBC Archive, Mishcon de Reya, Morgan Stanley and the LSE Library! Primary editor: Andi Glover

Reflecting on the ARLIS career workshop

Posted on 11 May 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

Photo taken from the Rivington Place website

This year, Taking the Plunge: art librarianship as a career option was held on the 20^th of April in the Stuart Hall Library at Iniva. The day garnered interest from delegates at different stages of their careers and from a variety of institutions, and brought them together with an equally interesting range of speakers who spoke informally about the ways in which they had progressed into art librarianship and the nature of their work at present. The interludes, led by Darlene Maxwell, gave continuity to the day, drawing similarities from each presentation to address the role of the art librarian in general. The intimate setting encouraged a conversational tone and truly made the event a “workshop”, encouraging an easy dialogue between delegates and speakers.

Without apparent coordination, the speakers echoed each other in their view of art librarianship. They painted a picture of a multifaceted profession that drew from a wide skillset. The speakers spoke of the “art library” as a broad term as well, describing institutions in a wide range of physical spaces, with collections that covered more than one subject-area or interest group. Consequently, their advice often revealed the value of thinking laterally; the career histories of each of the speakers made clear that art librarians can exist in different incarnations and use their skills in roles that do not overtly declaim them as “librarians” or “information professionals”.

Andrew Gray and Nicola Saliss stressed that the “art library” must be different for the users of visual resources have a visual approach to learning in general. Gray explained the fundamental need to evaluate the concept of “data” in an arts context specifically, thinking broadly about the forms these can take and questioning the semantics of the word “data” for the user of the arts repository. Unexpectedly, he also stressed that the digital interface of the art repository had to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional to prevent resistance from art practitioners in making use of the provision. From her experience working as the Information Specialist for Art, Design and Architecture at Kingston University, Salliss, spoke about working in an arts library integrated in a larger academic institution. She drew out the notion that artists and tutors present an entirely different audience to those in a typical academic setting by addressing the joys, and challenges, of working with (and for) a diverse user-group with a range of interests, unpredictable research skills, and often alternative approach to learning.

On the subject of getting into the field, the need for internal and external advocacy and professional awareness through all levels was made paramount. In each of their talks, Helen Williamson, Evelyn Jamieson, and Ayesha Khan (in their range of experience) emphasised how a thoughtful positive and proactive approach to work could directly lead to career progression or a betterment of the workplace and your role within it. Williamson’s account of the Library Closure Project and her efforts, and success, in saving the Horniman’s Museum Library were particularly astonishing and inspiring. Interesting, she stressed the importance of knowing when to be dispassionate and when to ask for help. Her insight into the life of a sole librarian corroborated the advice of the other speakers on the advantages of networking and how this could be done successfully using social media.

The more practical aspects of each of the talks, in providing helpful hints for applying for work in the sector were well-balanced and coordinated. It was refreshing to hear from Sue-Hill representative Donald Lickley, a recruiter with personal working experience in the library sector. Jamieson and Khan, that had both recently sought, and acquired, a new job in the sector, presented an illuminating parallel. Jamieson, still early in her career, was very relatable and counterbalanced Khan’s voice of experience. She spoke about the various opportunities for training offered by ARLIS, CILIP and other professional organisations and exemplified, with personal anecdotes, that they were not as out-of-reach as they might seem. She also offered advice on how to maximise the output of training, explaining that by writing reports and sending feedback she was able to ensure a continued allowance for professional development after she became employed. Khan’s talk brought valuable insights into how a librarian with greater experience markets herself for interview. She stressed the importance of being involved and mindfulness within a larger organisation and team; it was her view that “soft skills” become more important as you progress through your career and the public person becomes more visible and as such shouldn’t be ignored from the start.

The day ended with a short history of the Stuart Hall Library by Nicholas Brown and a walk through of the libraries collections through time. The depth of knowledge about how the collections were built through relationships with art movements and individual artists over time was impressive; one to aspire to should we ever end up in charge of a library of that kind.

I am sure I speak for all attendees in saying the day was incredibly helpful and has certainly met all expectations in providing helpful insight into art librarianship. Thank you to all the speakers, the staff of INIVA, and ARLIS for organising the workshop.

Michelle Cook, Trainee at the Codrington Library, All Souls College, Oxford.

This piece will also appear in the ARLIS newsletter. Thank you to the committee for letting me publish it here.

Intellectual Property Rights: I know you’ve been thinking about them!

Posted on 11 May 2015 by ahernm — No Comments ↓

So a couple of weeks ago I ventured into London for a conference on Questioning Rights: Disruptive and emerging (Intellectual Property Rights) IPR management practices in the arts. It was housed in Central St. Martins’ new location in the Granary building behind King’s Cross St. Pancras.

I’d intended to take a photo of it as it was looking gorgeous in the spring sunshine but I accidentally took a picture of the cake counter in the café instead.

Cake counter at Yumchaa in the Granary Building.

As for the conference itself, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect…but what I found was an interesting and engaging conference bringing together academics, professionals and artists to talk about their perspectives on IPR.

While the first two sessions were geared more towards the creators rather than the users of works and weren’t really applicable to me, it was good to hear their preception of how IPR works and how it affects them.

A common thread that emerged was that IPR legislation in its current state is both baffling to the uninitiated and hopelessly behind the times. Most speakers seemed to agree that there needed to be a demystification of IPR and/or a move away from using IPR. Perhaps because legislation is better at addressing actions rather than intent when it comes to IP?

There’s quite a grey area between inspiration and imitation that current IPR doesn’t address and a fear that excessive reliance on legislation will stifle creativity. In their close-knit communities artists rely heavily on self-policing and reputation, but this only works if you are personally invested in the group. Once their IP moves to a wider (and relatively anonymous) audience this framework breaks down.

Design and Artists Copyright Society talked about how they helped people manage their creative legacy and its disposal, but as far as I could tell they did not have any consultants with curatorial or archival experience (or indeed any experience with the heritage sector except as artists), which seems a bit one sided. How do they address the needs of future researchers who might be interested in an artist’s creative process or social context rather than the end product? Is it even on their radar?

It was a shame that the session on ‘Making the Most of Cultural Assets’ was at the end of the day as it ran a bit long and there wasn’t really time left for discussion. I thought it was quite relevant because much of the day dealt with the need for addressing what becomes of a work once it leaves an artist’s sphere of influence and certainly know what people actually want or expect to take away from it (rather than assuming) would help in formulating policy.

My favourite talk of the day was probably Ben White’s from the British Library. It was mainly about copyright and how it affects the heritage sector. He also touched on recent legislation regarding orphaned works and the EU Observatory’s Office of Internal Harmonisation (which he assured us was not as Orwellian as it sounded). He was quite enthusiastic about the way collective licencing works in Scandinavia, France, and especially Germany; it sounds like a model that would really benefit us! So I do hope that that’s the direction licencing goes in in the UK.

For those who don’t know (including me before this talk!) extended collective licencing means that an organisation (e.g. screenwriter’s guild) can extend their mandate to cover non-members and grant licences on their behalf. The problem with this in the UK is that it’s a limited licence subject to renewal after a few years, so an organisation could potentially end up investing significantly in a collection or work only to not have its licence renewed.

A bad deal!

At the end of the day the conference certainly got me ‘questioning rights’ and where IPR will go in the future.

Author: ahernm