Friday 20 July 2012

Thing 12

Putting the social into social media

This is something I imagine I am not great at! Aside from using facebook, which I guess my use could be labelled as social, I don't think I use social media effectively. I have said previously that I feel the main reason for this is the lack of time and medium on which to do so. I don't have a phone, netbook or ipad that I can use to access the internet whilst on the move, and have very little spare time on my laptop using these kinds of websites. For a lot of people who use social media as part of their job I can see how that is more achievable, as part of their day is dedicated to it, but it's not something that I am required to do at the moment. But maybe I should be...

I think that to begin with I could try to comment more on other people's blogs when I am preparing my own posts, as I do have a look around to get ideas (not being an imaginative person!) and I obviously have views on what other people write about. But this has to be a two way thing, if I attempt to be sociable but noone else does... why bother?

Thing 11: Mentoring

With no 'task' as such to do this (last!) week I just thought I would reflect on my experiences of mentoring. During my final year at high school I mentored a student in the year below me, to help him prepare for his Physics AS Level exams. From this I know how rewarding it can be to mentor, especially when the guidance you have provided yields results. The only people I feel have 'officially' been my mentors were my supervisors and tutors at university who I am still in contact with from time to time, but things have moved on and my work today is very different from the lab work and mathematics I needed guidance with back then. Working at St John's College I talk to a range of different people about my work and where I hope to go next, but I guess I am usually the kind of person who likes to go it alone and doesn't talk about these things perhaps as much as I should. I agree that is definitely based on the thought of wondering if you are good enough to be where you are, and go further. I think I need to think more carefully about this, especially as I have met so many people over the last 12 months who are in positions that I aspire to.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Thing 10

Graduate traineeships, Masters Degrees, Chartership, Accreditation

My route into librarianship began through a suggestion from a friend to volunteer in my college library at university. I have always been someone who is not sure what they want to do with their life, and decided to work in the library without thinking that it could lead to something. From there I found out about volunteer programmes in the university library, and spent my summer working there and gaining some invaluable experience. Through my final year I continued to volunteer one afternoon a week and that winter began to research what I would like to do after my graduation. And that lead me to the CILIP accredited traineeships as mentioned, and that's where I stand today. I have had a thoroughly enjoyable year and learnt an awful lot about working in a library, whilst also having the experience of working a full time job! With only three weeks to go I am looking forward to starting my studies again, with Aberystwyth University via distance learning. I hope that some of the theory I learn over the next year will help my work as I continue in a different position at St John's from mid-September. 

After all of this, who knows? I enjoy what I am doing now but I don't know that it's what I want to do for the rest of my life. But I don't think it has to be that anymore, everyone is continually changing jobs nowadays and I feel lucky that working in the information world is quite transferable. Whether changing the library I work in, or moving more into business, administration or archives, I feel there are options are available, and we need to be positive despite the current opportunities being limited in the economic climate! I hope that I will progress to chartership in the future, but we'll see. Things have a habit of just happening...