CILIP Portfolio Building workshop, City Library, 27 November

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here but as I’ve decided to have another go at Chartership, I thought this seemed like a good time to resurrect this blog.

                Originally I registered for Chartership about 2 years ago, but for various reasons (lack of motivation, not feeling settled in my job), I didn’t get very far. When I saw that there was going to be a Portfolio Building workshop at the City Library I thought this might give me the kick start I needed to get going again.

                On the day there were presentations from Matthew Wheeler (CILIP Development Officer) and Patricia Crosier (Candidate Support Officer). Matthew’s presentation on the whole process was very clear and informative. I think I had been a bit daunted by the whole process, and he made everything seem clearer, especially the PKSB.  Matthew explained that you can identify 8-12 key areas, which makes this part of the process seem a lot easier than I thought.  He was reassuring and told us not to over worry it. Another key thing I found helpful is that it doesn’t matter if by the end you haven’t improved on the rating you’ve given yourself, as long as you can reflect and evaluate on how your skills have changed.

                The overview of the VLE was useful as prior to the day I’d only had a quick look at it. Matthew took us through all the relevant sections, so hopefully it will be easier to upload and manage documents now that I know where everything is!

  

              Matthew also explained how to organise evidence. It’s not just a case of compiling as much as possible; the key is to be selective and reflective about what you’re including. And evidence can be almost anything – even a conversation can be included as long as you write it up reflectively.            

  

              After the break, Patricia talked about where to get help. I won’t go into great detail about this as the list is endless, but it’s reassuring to know that there are so many avenues of support out there.

                Finally she talked about reflective writing. I’ve always worried that my writing can tend to be more descriptive than reflective. Patricia gave us a good overview on reflective writing which hope I can put into practice once I really get started building my portfolio. A good piece of advice was to keep a log or diary of activities and use some of the exercises mentioned in the presentation each time you take part in a learning activity.  I’m going to try to keep this blog more up to date with recent activities as I think this will help with my reflective writing skills.

                All in all it was a very good afternoon. It has made Chartership seem less daunting than I thought and has definitely motivated me to restart the process.  

Thing 10 : Social Reading

Coincidentally I helped a colleague with a current awareness workshop before looking at Thing 10, so it was very well-timed! I already use RSS feeds and have been using Google Reader for a few years. I started when I was studying for my MA as it helped me keep up to date with current information in topics I was interested in. However as Google Reader is closing in July I’ve been looking at alternatives. There has been a lot written on Twitter and elsewhere about other RSS aggregators, and initially I only looked at Feedly and The Old Reader. Although they both look similar to GR, I think Feedly has an advantage at the moment as is has an app, so I can have all my feeds on my smartphone as well as my desktop. Plus it’s visually attractive! However while exploring this thing I also looked at Pulse, Flipboard and Newsblur. I discounted the later immediately as you have to pay for extra sites. Pulse and Flipboard are both visually appealing. However because I don’t like the desk top version of Pulse and Flipboard doesn’t have one, I think Feedly will be the app I use. It's very easy to import existing feeds from GR and add new ones. The only problem I found was that some Twitter feeds I was following don't seem to be updating. If anyone knows how to remedy this I'd like to know!

I last wrote about RSS in 2011 for 23 Things for Professional Development. At the time I said I was more likely to use Twitter for current information and although I do try and remember to check GR/Feedly this hasn’t really changed. However now I have Feedly on my smartphone I will try to make an effort to use that more.

Thing 9 : QR codes

We’ve been using OR codes in the library for a few years. Here are some examples of how we’ve used them:

For Library tours...

On the end of shelves where they link to our subject Library Guides...

On posters for events in the library...

On plasma screens...

For competitions...

I think it would be great if we could have QR codes on shelves next to popular books which link to the e-book. The list of uses seems endless.

Personally I think they’re great; smartphones are so ubiquitous now it’s so much easier for a student to scan a code instead of writing down a shelfmark or URL (especially as students don’t seem to being pens with them to the library anymore!).  

Thing 8 :Calendar

I’ve decided to skip Thing 7 and come back to it later, so here’s Thing 8.

I wrote about using Google Calendar for 23 Things for Professional Development in 2010. Back then I didn’t have a smartphone so my use was restricted to my desktop. I've just added Google Calendar to my smartphone but at the moment it doesn't seem to sync with my desktop (Outlook) calendar.  At work we use Google calendar to add events to the library website. Unfortunately it doesn't display well on smartphones as we don't have a mobile website at the moment. (However the website is being redesigned this year so hopefully that'll be something they incorporate then). We also add this calendar to our Library Guides.

Another useful app is Eventbrite which is being used a lot now for event bookings. This is useful as it allows users to add the event into their calendars so there’s excuse to forget!

Personally I tend to use my calendar just for work and related stuff, but I can definitely see how having your calendar on a smartphone could help a student to be more organised. Or is that wishful thinking?

Thing 6 : Video

I like a lot of the ideas for using video which are mentioned in Thing 6; there are some we already do here at the Robinson Library and some which I think would be good to try. Although I’ve not had any opportunity to make any videos myself, we do use them. We have a YouTube channel which consists of a few ‘How to’ videos.  A lot of my colleagues recently attended Camatasia training so I’m sure in the future there’ll be a lot more.

We’ve been brainstorming ideas for Welcome Week this year and have been experimenting with apps such as Animoto and Viddy.  A colleague of mine produced a short video with Animoto promoting a recent event. To be honest I’m not sure how much I like it; I think I would need to have a proper look myself before deciding. The idea of producing a video for induction has been proposed and I think this may be in the works. We’ve had library videos in the past which were professionally made by our now defunct AV department.  Hopefully with all the video making apps available it’ll be quicker and easier to make our own videos.

I like the idea of digital signage. At the moment we have plasma screens around the library highlighting events and resources. We use PowerPoint to produce these but I think incorporating videos and animation would be a good way to capture students’ attention.  I’m not sure how easy this would be though.

As with all of these new tools, I find myself not having enough time to play with them to see what I like best, but I’m sure I’ll come back to them in the future.

Thing 4: Maps and checking in

Foursquare is probably the one social media tool I haven’t really gotten to grips with yet. However at the Robinson Library we've had a Foursquare page for a while now and it seems to be popular with students.
Initially when my colleagues set it up, they added useful tips and created lists. This information highlights the best cultural venues, shopping areas, parks and Libraries in the city. A Campus tour list has tips and information about various locations around campus. All this information is handy for prospective and current students.

We’ve also had few Specials and competitions.  I think this is a good way to encourage readers into the Library, especially if there is a prize!  The prize is usually a Library bag and photocopying credit or a selection of library goodies such pens, pencils, postcards, pads, bookmarks and chocolate! I think Foursquare is fun for students as they can compete against friends to become ‘Mayor, but also it’s a good way of getting feedback and letting staff engage with readers in an informal environment.  

I had a quick play with Google maps and was a little bit frustrated that there were no public transport directions from my home to work, but that could be down to where I live rather than a fault with the app. I love the examples of indoor maps and as we have been considering doing a video guide to the library, maybe this is something we could incorporate in the future.

I think the geocaching idea is interesting, although I wonder how time consuming it would be to set up. We are planning to do a scavenger hunt for induction, so this perhaps something we could do in the future. However I think some colleagues are concerned about excluding library users who don’t have access to a mobile device. Nevertheless I think I would still like to investigate all these tools further, it's just a case of having the time!

Thing 3: Email on the move

I’ve not used an email app on my smartphone as to be honest I’m happy with the email feature which is built into the phone. However I do find it useful to have the facility to email on my phone; I can email links to myself to read later at my PC.

We use email in several ways at the Robinson Library: databases allow users to email citations; students can email catalogue records from the mobile library catalogue; email reminders notify users when a book is due back or a reservation is available and publicity emails are sent to both staff and students in order to gain the widest audience for library events. Now that smartphones are so common, students come to the desk asking for a book and have the details on their smartphone instead of printing it out.

Personally I think a disadvantage of having access to email on a smartphone is that you might never switch off; even if you’re on holiday there is always the temptation to check your work email. Of course this may not be such a bad thing for students!

Thing 2: Taking a photo with a mobile device

A few words on Thing 2…

At the Robinson Library we use photos in lots of ways to promote the library and its resources. We take lots of photos of library events and displays and add them to our various social media platforms, as well as our Library Guides, http://bit.ly/14vj12o. 

The app we’ve used most is Instagram. This was particularly useful during the library refurbishment last year as we could tweet photos to show some of the changes that were happening. Many of the photos on this Pinterest board were taken during the refurbishment http://pinterest.com/newcastleunilib/the-robinson-library/. Some of my more artistic colleagues have also taken some lovely shots around campus and in Newcastle which we’ve added to our Pinterest and Flickr sites http://pinterest.com/newcastleunilib/on-campus/. It’s a good way of showing current and prospective students what they can expect from their new home. As well as this, we often run competitions on Twitter or Foursquare and take photos of the winners for promotional use. We have a consent form that they sign to allow us to use the images across our social media sites. All of these things help to engage users with what’s going on in the library and hopefully show that there’s more to the library than just books!

The advantage of using a mobile device to take photos is that it’s quicker and easier to shoot, edit and upload images to most social networks, instead of having to hook a camera up to a PC. I haven’t had much chance to play with the other apps suggested for Thing 2, but I think this post by  Ellyssa Kroski sums up some other useful ways to use Instagram http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2012/10-interesting-ways-to-use-instagram-for-your-library/.

Thing 1:Twitter (or Twitter revisited)

Twitter is the social media tool I use all the time; in fact friends and family would probably say I’m an addict and since I got my tablet and smartphone I'm probably worse! I began tweeting as @Chrissie72 in 2009, but my interest really took off when I set up a Twitter account at work. I thought I’d write a little about how @nulibrs has evolved. 

In November 2009 I was asked to investigate how the Customer Services section (formerly Reader Services) of the Robinson Library could launch a Twitter page. Initially I emailed staff to ask for comments and suggestions. Liaison staff who were already experimenting with Twitter were contacted to see how they used this application. Once this information was fed back to the head of CS, it was decided to set up a team of staff who would be responsible for posting information. Most staff had never used any kind of social media before so it was a case of giving it a go to see how it worked.  However, we were convinced of the potential usefulness of social media and saw it as another way help disseminate the message about our services and resources. 

   

After some discussion, we proposed some suggestions for tweets;

• Changes to opening hours.
• Promoting new services e.g. lap top loans, e-book readers, new lockers, etc.
• Any disruptions to services.
• Answers to anything that crop up regularly from e.g. reminder that a different password needed to renew books.
• Routine things such as staff due dates, occasional reminders about checking receipts, any other problems.
•  Did you know? e.g. that you can book STC books, that you can borrow laptops.
• To ask for feedback for when we're looking at new things -  ask people what they think.
• Current 'events' e.g. EndNote week, Postgraduate open days.
•  Could have a 'service of the week' or 'how do I do X'  question

Although @nulibrs started off slowly, it has really taken on a life of its own! I think one thing that makes @nulibrs stand out from the crowd is the way in which staff engage with followers; it’s not just about sending out information from the list above, we take part in conversations and build relationships with followers too which I think gives library staff a more human side. 

We have used hashtags as a way of indexing tweets by subject, for example #robrenew (for the library refurbishment) and #Robreads (book recommendations). We also regularly run competitions which have proved to be very popular.

I can’t really say much about using Twitter for research, but a colleague has put together a really useful guide on using Social media for research. Personally I find Twitter helpful for keeping up to date with what’s going on in Library land and hashtags and lists are a very useful way of doing this without being overwhelmed with information.

The use of social media at the Robinson Library seems to have grown organically; staff tend to try new things and report back to colleagues on the appropriateness (or not) of these tools. This has worked well so far with both Customer Services and Liaison staff managing and updating Twitter, Facebook and our other social media tools.

23 Mobile Things

A couple of years ago I completed 23 Things for Professional Development, an online, self-directed  programme which introduced a range of tools to help personal and professional development. It was a mix of various social media tools and other more 'traditional' tools. I enjoyed the programme and found it very useful, so when I came across ’23 Mobile Things’ on Twitter it immediately got my attention! As an enthusiastic smartphone user this looks like a good way to build on my knowledge of social media while exploring the ways mobile technologies can be used to deliver library services. Although there are some tools which I’m already familiar with there are several I’m only vaguely aware of, so it will be good to learn more and blog about each ‘thing’ as I go along.

Visit to Ponteland High School Library: a day in the life of a school librarian

Last month I spent the day at Ponteland High School Library, shadowing the school’s librarian Ann-Marie Laws. When I visited the library in June (see my previous post), Ann-Marie had kindly offered to show me a day in the life of a school librarian.  As I have been in my current job for more than 11 years I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to see how a library in another sector works. The library supports approximately 1200 students and 100 staff. Ann-Marie is the only librarian and has to provide the resources necessary to support the learning needs of the students with a limited budget and resources. Yet she manages to make the library an inviting and welcoming space. This makes a difference to whether students use the library or not, and is important, particularly as there seems to be a connection between good library provision and pupils’ reading and information skills. (Lucy, 2012)

I thought I’d look a little at the similarities and differences I found between the school library and academic library.  The most obvious one to me was that there was no smartcard system in the library.  Having worked for most of my career in a university library and also briefly in a public library, I am used to some sort of card system to allow users to enter and borrow books. I think as the library at Ponteland is much smaller, perhaps there is less need for this. Instead the Year 12 and 13 students simply sign in whenever they need to use the library. Younger students can come and sign for a pass which allows them to use the library at lunchtime; they are given a pass which they return when they come to use the library. The sign in system is also used for students who want to use the library at break time. This is an efficient way to control the number of students using the resources.  Obviously because of budget restraints a computerised card system would not be possible, so Ann-Marie has been very creative and I think it works very well. While I sat with Ann-Marie at the librarian’s desk I helped to give out passes and I thought it a useful way to get to know the students and see who is using the library. In my experience in the Robinson Library there are so many students and staff it’s only really possible to get to know a handful of library users. 

Another big difference was that the use of social media is not allowed and sites such as Twitter and Facebook are blocked. As a bit of a social media addict I don’t know how I’d survive the day as it’s an important source of library and university news.   However, as Matt Britland (2012) says, there is a debate for and against the use of social media in schools. On one hand it can be a good promotional and broadcast tool, but it can also be open to abuse.  It seems to me that in a school it’s not always easy to police student’s use. Although Ann-Marie can monitor students’ website use to ensure they are working and not accessing in appropriate material, it wouldn’t be feasible to do this all day.  Social media can also be time-consuming to use, so it may not be appropriate for a solo school librarian to use it as a communication tool, especially as other tasks take priority.  In the Robinson Library we have several people who tweet and use other social media channels so the responsibility is not left to one person. 

During my day I sat in on a Year 12 induction session led by my colleague Jackie Dunn.  I have assisted with Information Literacy sessions in the Robinson Library so I thought it would be interesting to see what differences there were. Obviously the message is the same, but the audience is difference. Despite the lack of electronic resources, it’s still important to stress how to find, evaluate and analyse information and how to use information ethically. So Jackie stresses the importance of using reliable, academic resources like Intute and Sweetsearch instead of Google, even though the latter can be a good starting point. Ann-Marie uses lots of imaginative techniques such as quizzes and games to engage students and get them thinking about how they find and use information.  As well as this Ann-Marie has introduced Drop Everything and Read http://www.pchs.northumberland.sch.uk/dropandread.php which encourages students to read every day for 20 minutes. I think it’s important that this becomes a habit and vital that schools have a qualified librarian who can ensure that pupils have the skills to read and handle information effectively. The work that Jackie and Ann-Marie do in teaching information literacy in the school is important as it gives the students a head start for university and beyond.  

Ultimately the school librarian needs a wider variety of skills, or at least different skills than an academic librarian. So in the Robinson Library there are several staff members to deal with tasks such as cataloguing, book ordering and IT, whereas Ann-Marie does it all. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to this: she has complete control of everything, but she has no other qualified librarian to discuss problems and ideas with, although she does network online. However being a solo librarians is probably a good way of keeping skills up to date; I know there are things I studied for my MA which I have not had the opportunity to use.

Thanks again to Ann-Marie for arranging the visit. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and it was interesting to see the contrasts between sectors. I realise I am lucky to work in an academic library where we have a plethora of resources at our fingertips, but I wonder if that makes us lazy.  However it made me see that in both academic and school libraries we have to be creative and flexible in the way we manage teach and promote library resources to benefit our users.

References

Britland, M. (2012) 'Social media for schools: a guide to Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest', The Guardian,  [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/2012/jul/26/social-media-teacher-guide?CMP=twt_gu (Accessed: 27 September 2012).

Lucy, G. (2012) 'Do school libraries make a difference?: Some considerations on investigating school library impact in the United Kingdom', Library Management, 33(6), pp. 403-413.

Robinson Library summer visit to Durham University

The Robinson Library summer visit is an annual event andthis year we were lucky enough to visit Durham University Library. We had a busy day, visiting the Main Library,as well as Palace Green Library and Durham Cathedral Library. Our host for theday was Jon Purcell, formerly the Robinson Library’s Deputy Librarian and now DurhamUniversity Librarian. As it was a longday this post is just some general highlights and reflections.

The main Library

Founded in 1832, Durham University is the third oldest universityin the country, although according to our host there is some dispute aboutthis! The library was originally established in 1833 on the Palace Greensite. By 1983 the Science Library wasextended to become the Main Library. The Main Library (also known as the BillBryson Library) was designed by Faulkner Brown, who was also responsible forthe design of the Robinson Library. The similarities are evident; the narrowwindows, staircases and the brick walls and exterior all felt very familiar.However the library has been undergoing a major redevelopment, the mostsignificant part of which is the new East Wing. This new extension increasesthe size of the library by 42 %. All theglass and steel used in this part of the library gives it a light and airy feelwhich is quite a contrast to the older part of the library which felt darkerand a little claustrophobic. The newentrance is a very welcoming, colourful space with lots of seating and a lovelypicture window. There is a combined Help and Information desk which I think isa really good idea; I’m sure students can sometimes find it a little confusingto be confronted by separate Reception and Service desks when they enter theRobinson Library.

Like a lot of academic libraries, a lack of study space is aproblem and Durham have addressed this by adding 500 more seats. The new extension means that Durham are nowlucky enough not to have to rely on their three stores, which will be closedand all books transferred to the main library. I think all academic librariesseem to have a constant battle between providing more study space but notlosing so much space to this that users won’t have access to the books theyneed. I don’t know if any library hasmanaged to resolve this problem yet.

As part of the redevelopment all staff, including liaisonlibrarians, now work in an open plan area. Although we have a similar area for Document Delivery Services in theRobinson Library, I’m not convinced this would work as our liaison staff oftenhave staff and students visitors and need some quieter space. And I’m sure ourtechnicians would feel harassed if they were so accessible all the time!

Palace Green Library

In the afternoon we visited Palace Green Library. Although Durham University Library wasestablished in the 19th century, this site has been around for a lot longer. Ithouses Special Collections, including Bishop Cosin's Library and the SudanArchive. This site has also been undergoing redevelopment, including thecreation of new galleries allowing items from Special Collections and archivesto be exhibited. Dr Sheila Hingley, Head of Heritage Collections gave us anoverview of this work.

Dr Sarah Price provided us with an introduction to the workof the Heritage Collections Education Team. Like Newcastle University Library,Durham University Library does a lot of outreach work with schools. This isobviously a very busy and exciting time for them as the arrival of theLindisfarne Gospels is now less than a year away.

We also visited Bishop Cosins Library which was built in1669. In contrast with the Main Library, Bishop Cosins and Bamburgh Library aresmaller and darker and the library smell is very distinctive, reminding me ofchurches for some reason! I think this atmosphere would have been moreconducive to working in silence. Interestinglythe library had a unique classification system; portraits above the bookcases identifiedthe subject. This would have been an easy way to organise a smaller collectionsuch as this, but I don’t think it would work successfully in a larger library. However the collection is alsoaccessible via the main catalogue.

Durham CathedralLibrary

For our final visit of the day we were lucky enough to visitDurham Cathedral Library and Monks Dormitory. The latter was particularlyimpressive for the ceiling constructed of huge beams made of whole trees. AgainI was struck by the quiet space. It’s no surprise that students like to keepthis place a secret, as it’s so distinct from the hustle and bustle of a modernlibrary space.

Overall this day was a good opportunity to visit other typesof libraries and appreciate the similarities and differences. It was good toget a sense of the older libraries, but as much as I enjoyed my visit I don’tthink I’d like to work there; I prefer the technology and conveniences of amodern academic library. Thanks to Jon Purcell and all the Durham Universitystaff who made it such a fascinating visit.

Roving for Service Excellence workshop, Robinson Library, 5th July

I attended this Roving workshop which was arranged by my employer and delivered by Michelle McArthur-Morgan of Jigsaw@work.  With the current refurbishment of the Robinson Library this summer, particularly the rearrangement of the subject floors and the changes in the Information Desk service, the way we provide assistance to students is changing.  Instead of having static Information Desks, there will be more emphasis on roving and staff will have to be more proactive. I think a lot of people, myself included, are daunted by this idea so I hoped that this workshop would help me get over the fear and offer some hints and tips on how to be a better rover.

The aims of the workshop were to:

• Understand why roving is an important part of delivering a modern university library service
• Increase awareness of the role of rovers
• Be aware of the benefits of roving
• Overcome the fear of roving and other common barriers
• Develop techniques to ease obstacles

Throughout the day we participated in exercises and activities which really made us think about ourselves and our potential customers. I would usually be quite apprehensive about this kind of workshop but the day was relaxed and informal and all the activities were a lot of fun.

To begin with we discussed the role of rovers; why they were needed, the duties and task involved and our perception of roving.  Some of the things we considered were:

• Can’t assume students know anything about the library, especially first years
• Roving is good for library marketing
• Staff represent the library, therefore need to be visible, approachable and friendly (but not too friendly)
• Makes librarians seem less intimidating
• Do it to provide a good service and engage with users
• Can promote other library services, e.g. Libguides
• Need to have a good standard of knowledge (but always have support from colleagues)
• Be proactive – remove barriers

We also talked the benefits of roving in the Robinson Library for both staff and students:

Staff benefits

• Chance to use skills and keep them up to date
• Good learning experience
• Makes a difference to students
• Good for staff morale – get a buzz from helping students
• Good customer service
• More personal and sociable

Student benefits

• Find resources they’re looking for
• Feel valued
• Saves time
• Staff more accessible when they’re not sat behind a desk
• Increases user education and IL skills

My favourite part of the day was the activities which were designed to determine more about our personality types. I could go into great detail about this but that would be a very long blog post.  Essentially there are four types which can be summed up as Creative, Caring, Organised and Action.  Suffice it to say I think the outcome was quite accurate: I was a Carer which means I’m considerate and a good listener, but dislike confrontation, need to feel appreciated and reassured to maintain confidence and like a supportive environment.  I think this was a good exercise to undertake as I embark on the Chartership process as I find it difficult to be reflective, especially when it comes to putting myself under the spotlight. This part of the day also enabled us to determine the possible different character types of students so we had clues on how and when to approach them. 

Following this we discussed confidence, which is something I’ve struggled with. However, when Michelle confessed that 15 years ago she would never have had the confidence to do the job she does, this struck a chord with me; before I completed my MA and began my secondment I would never have had the confidence to do some of the things I’ve done in the last couple of years. So this was quite inspiring and reassuring. This element of the course reinforced for me the need to focus more on my strengths and shout about them more, though I do still find it hard. A good confidence building tip we were given was to record situations and tasks we do well. So I am trying to do this more as it will be good evidence for my Chartership portfolio.

We also looked at body language. As 93% of our communication is non-verbal this is very important. I’m sure a lot of people are familiar with some of the more common gestures and signs in body language, so I won’t go into detail here, but again having some clues can be very important to how we deal with our customers.

I found the day very valuable and I’m sure I will find myself referring back to the accompanying booklet a lot in the future. Initially I was worried that students would see roving staff a bit like pushy, over-friendly sales assistants. When I walk into a shop I don’t want to be harassed unless I really need help. But by the end of the day I realised that you just need some clues on how to read students or staff so that you can spot when it is appropriate to approach them.  After this workshop I’m more prepared to embrace this new part of my role. Essentially it’s not always appropriate for staff to be sitting behind desks and waiting for students to approach them: we need to anticipate their needs and be more pre-emptive.  As well as being a good way to increase user education, it’s also a way to demonstrate that library staff are friendly and approachable and not stuffy old librarians!

Ponteland High School Library visit

This week I visited Ponteland High School Library. The visit was arranged by Jackie Dunn, Assistant Librarian, Robinson Library and Anne-Marie Laws, Librarian/Learning Resources Centre Manager, Ponteland High School. The aim of the visit was to give us an awareness of the kind of facilities school libraries have. I thought this would be useful as I’ve just registered for Chartership and having worked in an academic library for over ten years I think I need to increase my awareness of the wider library profession.

When we arrived at the school we were met by sixth form students who gave us a tour of the school. They were very enthusiastic and obviously very proud of their school. As I was last in a school more years ago than I care to remember I could see that things have changed a lot since then! There seem to be a wider range of subjects on offer to cater for all types of students and opportunities to go on a variety of educational trips. Despite this I still would not want to be back at school!

After the tour we were met by the Anne-Marie who had even gone to the trouble of baking a cake for our visit! (It was delicious). Then we had the opportunity to talk to her about her role. As with most school libraries, she is the sole librarian, supported only by student library assistants.  I was surprised to find that she works with a very limited budget which would only buy a handful of books in the Robinson Library. Because of this she can only buy books for a couple of subjects each year.  Also, it seems that a school librarian has to be to be a jack of all trades: some of Anne-Marie’s additional duties included selling school uniforms and invigilating exams. However like a lot of libraries I don’t think the library or librarian get the recognition they deserve.  

We also talked about Chartership. As I have just registered I was keen to talk to somebody who had gone through it and come out the other side.  Both Annie-Marie and Jackie were happy to answer my questions and I felt less daunted and more reassured about the task ahead.

Following our chat we had a chance to look around the library. As you might expect, the library was small but I think Anne-Marie is creative and has done a very good job with the limited space and resources she has. Most of the books are available for loan and she provides a wide range of information resources ranging from books (popular fiction and classics, non-fiction and reference) to magazines and videos. I could see similarities and differences between the school library and academic library; for instance both use the Dewey Decimal classification system and the library is seen by students as a place to use the computer facilities.  

I found the visit very interesting and informative. Having no knowledge or experience of working in a school library I think it gave me an insight into an area I knew little about. However, while I can see the positive side of being your own boss as she is, I think I prefer working in a team and being able to confer with colleagues if I need to.  The visit has made me appreciate the facilities and staff we have at the Robinson Library much more.  Anne-Marie has kindly offered to show us ‘A day in the life of a School Librarian’ which I may consider at some point.  Thanks again to Jackie and Anne-Marie for organising the visit.