View from the Hill

The Future is Bright, the Future is...

I was back at the Royal Society of Chemistry in Burlington House yesterday to take part in the Chemical Information And Computer Application Group's (CICAG) event about the future of the chemical information profession. In the beautiful Science Room, the delegates sat at round tables which allowed for lots of interesting discussion after each session.

Dr Sandra Ward started the day in style giving us her Long View of the chemical (& wider) information world. The two best things I'll take from listening to Sandra are her framework for valuing a service and the wonderful phrase "optimistic curiosity" - in Sandra's words, a key skill of the information professional. She also got us thinking about what opportunities there are in your organisation. On our table we looked at the small opportunities that we could facilitate for our own development.

Next up was me. I was invited by Stephanie North to give the recruiter's view of the market. My theme was Maximising Your Impact. I'm very grateful to everyone attending for throwing themselves whole-heartedly into all the group exercises. It's a good thing for a facilitator to have trouble breaking through meaningful discussions!

After a delicious lunch and a thwarted attempt to get some fresh air (the air was a little too moist for my liking), we heard from Pam Toplis who spoke about setting up as an independent information specialist.

Our last speaker was Joanne Thomson (@chemicalscience) who talked us through the RSC's publishing pipeline, from acquisition to delivery. Not only was I impressed by the breadth & depth of their output, but it was fascinating to hear Joanne describe their processes and the expertise of the team. One stat that stood out for me was that ChemComm journal rejects 60-70% of their manuscript submissions. It feeds into Joanne's point that good usage stats on their products = better sales = more content submission = good usage... you see how this works! I really liked one of her closing slides which asked "what makes our people succeed?" The answer is "a shared vision". She's right - having a diverse team with differing experiences is wonderful but you need to work for the same goal.

Stephanie North chaired the meeting and asked us to finish up by completing the ... in the title of the event. The theme of discussion on our table during the day had been personal development - we comprised a PhD student, a first professional post subject librarian & a many-years-in-the-job subject librarian and also someone about to set up their own business. How did we finish it? Well, what is an info pro if not curious? And I am determinedly optimistic, so...

The future is bright, the future is ours to shape.

- Suzanne (@suzyredrec)

Successful networking: A case study

We are delighted to introduce this post by Lena Roland, another of our guest bloggers, who shows us how to make the most of a networking opportunity:

I recently attended a Sue Hill Breakfast Briefing at Roast. Over a breakfast of egg and Marmite soldiers a group of 12 Information Professionals discussed some of the pertinent issues facing our profession such as data security and that old chestnut: adding value.

Above and beyond this lively and relevant discussion I surreptitiously took my seat next to a Research Specialist in the legal sector.

Having swapped business cards I later made contact with Lisa via LinkedIn. I explained that I was keen to apply my information and research expertise in other sectors, particularly the legal sector. I went on to explain that although armed with a recently acquired MSc qualification thus far I have been unable to secure an interview as a legal researcher. A lack of knowledge of the specialist legal databases such as Westlaw was my barrier to entry. Although frustrating, it is also an understandable situation.

Quite simply I asked Lisa for her advice and guidance. Perhaps she might know of any contacts who may be looking for a temp? Much to my surprise (and delight) Lisa kindly suggested I do unpaid work experience in their department for a few days. This was more than I expected and of course I did not hesitate to seize the opportunity that was presented to me. Not only did this experience enable me to gain experience of the key databases, I also developed an understanding of the legal terminology as well as the types of information required by the fee earners. It was also helpful to get a feel for the law firm culture.

In return I was able to advise the team on some major, yet often obscure sources of free business intelligence. In my experience it is often this type of data that can make the difference to winning a new business pitch or not. Delivering unique insight can make a company stand out from its competitors by looking beyond the obvious.

I now feel more confident to apply for work in a law firm. I'm by no means an expert, but I certainly have a good understanding of the databases, and I hope by doing voluntary work I have shown good enthusiasm for the sector.

All in all, it was a mutually beneficial experience. I was genuinely touched by my fellow information professionals' willingness to help me advance my knowledge of another sector, and everyone in the team made me feel very welcome. It just goes to show what can happen from attending these events, by seizing an opportunity, and of course by being fortunate enough to meet generous and open people. I hope one day I will do the same for someone else!

- Lena Roland can be found on Twitter @rolandreckons

Taking the plunge: ARLIS at the National Gallery pt.2

Our second guest blogger from the ARLIS Taking the Plunge event on Saturday 3rd March is Jen Smith. Jen is a student on the MSc in Electronic & Digital Library Management at the University of Sheffield.

 

On a drizzly Saturday morning, a group of working and would-be librarians gathered in The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square to test the waters at “Taking the Plunge: Art Librarianship as a Career Option”. We heard from a diverse range of people at all stages of their careers, and while everyone agreed that the job market isn't as vibrant as it could be, there's no shortage of options for (pre)professional development.

Our first speaker was Richard Daniels, Senior Archivist at the University of the Arts, London. Although he summed up his job as “looking after older stuff and getting it out for younger people”, the rest of his presentation proved to be a little more complicated than that.

Next, Natasha Held, Learning Resources Manager and Librarian at Christie's Education London shared with us the challenges and rewards of working as a nearly-solo librarian in a private institution. Held interacts with global stakeholders on a regular basis: Christie’s in both London and New York, the University of Glasgow (their accrediting body), the tutors, and—of course—the students.

Sarah Maule took us on a whirlwind tour of her career from volunteer cataloguer at Sheffield Hallam University to Library Services Manager at Ravensbourne, a London design college. In addition to a string of library jobs, a SCONUL placement, and an M.A. in LIS, Maule also used social media to keep herself up-to-date and to network. Maule cited Twitter as her most helpful career tool, and she encouraged us all to develop our online presences to make sure that our prospective employers find us interesting when they Google us.

Sarah Currant, Reader Services Librarian at the British Film Institute, also studied in Sheffield, and her path to the BFI had twists and turns of its own. Currant announced the end of the paid membership scheme for the BFI, proudly declaring, “We’re free, which is the dream of all libraries”.

From the other side of the employment table, Donald Lickley brought us a wealth of experience from Sue Hill Recruitment. He reiterated Sarah Maule’s exhortation to use social media to our advantage. Lickley also reviewed the standard rules of CV preparation (identify your skills, list your accomplishments in reverse chronological order, use bullet points, and proofread, proofread, proofread before submission!).

Joseph Ripp, Librarian at the National Portrait Gallery, rounded out the day’s structured sessions with practical advice for applications and interviews. The applicant’s work doesn’t end with securing an interview: it’s essential not only to keep yourself informed about the industry as a whole, but also to research the institution you want to work for so you can make intelligent, enthusiastic responses to their questions and demonstrate that you’re the ideal candidate.

One of the highlights of the day was Elspeth Hector’s tour of the library of the National Gallery. After letting us leaf through treasures such as the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and the original card catalogue, which was constructed by cutting out pages from the first list of Sir Charles Eastlake, Hector led us to the elegantly designed slide library and told us the sad tale of its impending demise.

Budget cuts and hiring restrictions across the sector can be disheartening, but as Ripp said at the beginning of his presentation, with “a bit of luck and a lot of applications”, we’ll find the right jobs.

  (This article is also being published by ARLIS in a slightly different form.)

 - Jen Smith, University of Sheffield

Having a Voice

Breakfast on Thursday 8 March started with discourse on a diverse selection of good (and not so good) issues currently affecting the working lives of those present. The depth of the discussion which was wide ranging doubtless reflected the excellent mix of new and familiar faces.

Once the last morsels had been cleared from our plates we moved to how communication within the work place can affect not just our own job, but also the general way in which those same organisations are represented to the outside world.

One of our number had worked on an extended contract within a major government department where the research and writing output went directly to a Portfolio Minister and thus garnered an intense perception of personal job satisfaction and value. A solo researcher within a smaller organisation felt that being the focus for all queries created an exceptionally interesting job. These positive views were countered by some who felt that reporting to a far flung city in another country distanced the value of work done as well as the effectiveness. This mirrored another who felt that reporting into a manager in the office next door was no better, as that individual didn't understand information nor want to manage and this had a similar effect.

Lots of positive suggestions came to the fore: attaching yourself to high fliers, forging positive relationships in all areas of the business, demonstrating value, maintaining high visibility and engaging people to let them know your value and skill mix. 

We went off pondering two final questions. Why does breakfast taste better when the sun shines? And is hierarchy based on ego?

Sue H with able assistance of Donald Lickley.

"Technology is a tool - it is only as good as the leadership"

It took me a while to remember why I'd set my alarm so early this morning. I'm glad I figured it out and made my way to Roast for our networking breakfast as it was jolly good company and conversation.

Social media was the main topic of conversation whilst we were tucking into our delicious food. Some organisations are embracing the functionality that new technologies can bring, others are holding back. Managing risk in this area is a high priority. Giving staff a thorough understanding of the implications of their actions/words/Tweets is a vital step.

Some broader questions raised throughout the meeting included: How do you add value when your users have access to the same information? Would you introduce yourself and your service to other parts of the organisation who don't know you? What is the true cost of bad information management? Has your service become a process that is administered rather than delivered?

And my personal favourite question - "weren't we supposed to be paperless by now?"

- Suzanne

 

I'm sorry if this blog post isn't very good...

Listening to Woman's Hour on Radio 4 this morning (one of the joys of working from home), I was struck by a discussion on women in business where a panel of successful businesswomen answered questions and offered advice to female entrepreneurs.

One of the central issues discussed was women lacking confidence in business and this lack of confidence putting off female entrepreneurs. In the closing remarks one of the panel said that women have a tendency to over-apologise "sorry if this presentation isn't very good, sorry if you don't like the ideas, sorry my hair's a mess". Stop doing that right now she said.

A useful piece of advice I thought. You need to present yourself confidently to win the trust of others - this is equally true in business or in employment. Over-apologising undermines people's confidence in your competence and ability and draws attention to flaws that otherwise might have gone unnoticed. While I wouldn't go far as never explain, never apologise, it is more professional to keep it short and focused. Of course, if you are at fault for a professional mistake, you should come clean. Offer your sincere apology once and make a plan to sort the problem out. The only thing worse than an unnecessary apology is an unnecessary apology followed by an unnecessary explanation.

And to finish with a quote from my mother "Don't keep saying sorry, just don't do it again!".

- Fiona

Interview Adjectives

I've been away on sabbatical for a few weeks (thanks, Sue!) and as it's my first day back I thought I'd share the one bit of work-related activity that I (passively) engaged in. It was an interview question that my friend was asked by a senior director. I think it's rather splendid. It also doubles up as a great car game and helped us pass quite a bit of time in the UAE and Oman whilst we had to deal with the tiresome issue of passport stamps and the rather more immediate threat of sandstorms...

 

Think of your favourite book or film. Now think of your favourite character in that book or film. Describe them to me using only adjectives.

 

My friend correctly identified mine after just two words - musical and caring. Can you guess what it is yet?!

 

- Suzanne

Maintaining the value of professional qualifications in the midst of recession: CPD25 Development Day pt.3

Thanks to our third guest blogger, HJ McQuarrie from University of Westminster, for this thoughtful contribution on the CPD25 Development Day.

The Career Development Day for Library and Information Assistants organised by CPD25 has become a popular event, making regular appearances in the programme. Having been pipped to the post by other eager assistants last year I was very pleased when I managed to get a place.

The aim of the day was to give paraprofessionals an insight into a variety of careers, to give honest advice on getting your foot in the door, and to arm us with basic skills and ideas that will make our applications and CVs stand out.

The event had the secondary theme of ‘Current trends in Higher Education and the Future of Library Services’ to prepare us for very competitive application processes. Information workers have been hit hard in the recession. As we are often found working quietly within large organisations our work can be mistakenly seen as a ‘back room process’ just waiting to be trimmed down. Public libraries in particular have been hit hard, and academic libraries are currently undergoing a drastic makeover aimed at increasing efficiency.

For paraprofessionals, the decision to pursue professional qualification and move up the career ladder is one that must now be made in light of these changes. The job we had once hoped for may no longer exist in the form we had known it. The landscape of the information world is changing – are we prepared?

The day’s speakers came from a variety of backgrounds and had experienced qualifying and job hunting during this increasingly precarious climate. Their stories contained valuable lessons and warnings, but also great success and job satisfaction.

Our first speaker, Robert Hall, is Director of Library Services at Kings College London. Having previously worked at Southbank University he was able to describe the effect of rising tuition fees on students’ expectations of university services and how our roles are changing to reflect their changing needs and demands. Information workers in HE have been adapting their services to accommodate new learning and teaching practises - including VLE (e.g. Blackboard) and distance learning – and as our departments restructure, the librarian jobs that we have been aspiring to have changed too. Robert Hall’s lead presentation set the tone for the day perfectly by rationalising the changes.

Our second speaker, Karyn Stuckey, is a Special Collections Archivist for the architects, Foster and Partners. She gave insight to information work in the private sector, where the roles can be slightly more unusual and defined differently from the public sector. She suggested that this can be because private companies may not have a longstanding dedication to record keeping in the way that some traditionalist information workers can do! Stuckey’s work history was varied and interesting, comprised of both permanent positions in reputable archives and temporary project posts. Her story contained lessons for all of us who are faced with a tough jobs market and the possibility of temporary employment and slightly unorthodox positions.

The third speaker, Helen Williamson, had been working at the Horniman Museum since qualifying, first as a library assistant and now as the librarian. The recession hit during her studies and finding work in the museum sector became difficult. She fought a long and difficult battle to promote the library within the museum, organising educational visits and contributing material to exhibitions. She also came to compromises with practical changes in the library to save money, such as restricting public access. Williamson’s story was a fantastic example of why it is important for information workers to constantly promote the worth and relevance of our profession during a difficult economic climate.

Our final speaker was a current Information Science student, David Pearson, who spoke about his experience of balancing part-time study with full-time work. Pearson spoke in depth about the benefits of the course to his current work in SOAS library and why now feels that the qualification is a valuable one – an opinion he admits he did not have during his 10 years of paraprofessional work at SOAS.

The morning’s speakers were followed in the afternoon by a far more practical few hours with Donald Lickley from Sue Hill Recruitment. With two decades of experience working in libraries and another 10 years of HR and recruitment support for information workers he was well-equipped to speak with us about expanding our skill sets, job applications, CVs, and interviews. The afternoon was lively as attendees took on the advice from the morning’s speakers and considered the possible routes that Lickley’s advice could take them on.

The entire event was definitely a useful one to attend. Many paraprofessionals find themselves in assistant roles for years as they save money for tuition fees. Indeed there were some of us in the room that had begun to feel like it might just not be worth it. However the success of this event was in its anecdotal approach. The speakers, from their range of backgrounds and in their wonderful range of jobs, inspired many of us once again and reminded us why we wanted to become information professionals. They all proved through their stories that with ingenuity, open-mindedness, and determination, it is possible to enjoy working in the profession despite the murky economic climate.

- HJ McQuarrie

The Language of Leadership

The practical challenges of leadership in times of change came to the fore at this week’s Sue Hill Breakfast.  On one side of the table we had a manager who is facing the prospect of the loss of decades of knowledge and experience during a current redundancy programme.  On the other, one who is charged with reinventing a once-thriving information service that has had no direct senior management for a significant length of time. 

The first is in the ironic position of having actively encouraged the team to develop their skills and competencies over the years with the direct objective of feeling able to move on.  The other has to reguide an independent workforce back into delivering a service in line with organisational rather than individual imperatives. 

Both must maintain morale and direction, as well as service continuity, and ensure that their teams understand and embrace the need for change.

A number of wry smiles were raised at the question of whether restructuring and severance programmes were being conducted on a truly strategic and sustainable basis, or simply on the basis of headcounts and political expediency.  Regardless of local politics, it was acknowledged that the key to successful staff leadership in times of radical change and crisis is clear, honest and frank communication.  Where staff are properly informed in a timely and truly transparent manner, the equally damaging processes of worst-case-scenario rumour mills, or heads-down-it’ll-never-happen-here can both be avoided.  Whether HR departments, with their litigation-wary circumlocutions, always support this frank and fearless approach to communication can be debated endlessly.

Do organisations learn during these processes, or does so much know-how and expertise walk out of the door that every procedure and programme has to be reinvented and revisited for each generation?  Cases in point include some professional services firms whose outsourcing programmes resemble a merry-go-round: units outsourced then brought back in house for failing to deliver either service or efficiencies. Another breakfaster reflected on the schadenfreude of finding their own redundancy resulting in no less than 5 new staff being taken on in another hemisphere.

However our fellow breakfaster were far from doom and despair.  We also heard of exciting expansion programmes in the wake of regulatory change, and a tantalising mention of innovative new hand-held apps in an unexpected sector.  As our time ran out, I returned to work from Roast energised and wanting to hear more.

- Donald

Loving libraries and telling the world: CPD25 Library Assistants' Day pt.2

Our second guest blogger from last week's CPD25 Development Day is Nicola Cook, Library Assistant at the Wellcome Trust. It's always great to hear that someone is inspired and ready for action from an event like this - take it away Nicola!

I attended CPD25: Career Development Day for Library & Information Assistants for a number of reasons. The main aim was  for a reaffirmed sense of value for the career I had unintentionally embarked upon nearly 7 years ago,  as well as to discover how I can  push myself forwards and progress upwards in a constantly evolving sector.  Unsurprisingly and positively, CPD25 gave me exactly what I’d wanted. Since I graduated in 2010, I must admit I have easily avoided the daunting prospect of thinking about my future. To make the decision to whole-heartedly focus on what I want to be now means that maybe I have finally grown up…

The day was divided into 4 parts. Keynote Speaker Robert Hall began by discussing the current trends in the socio-economy and how they are affecting Higher Education, Universities and academic libraries  as well as how the role of the librarian needs to adapt to these changes.  I was most interested in how the academic library, much like the university itself, is becoming more business-like, increasingly money-driven and associating itself with consumable culture.I don’t think that this is necessarily negative, in fact it ensures the library does not segregate itself from the ‘real world’ and maintains its importance, relevance  and high standards of (customer) service.

The hardest part, for me, was concentrating on taking away the most relevant pieces of information to relate to where I am working now and where I’d like to be in the near future.This  proved to be a little challenging as I work in an academic research library that is not in a university, but instead is part of a research institution and collection, and the latter I’m still unsure of.  Helpfully however, the case study speakers covered the broad spectrum of libraries and information services and I genuinely could learn from the enthusiastic museum librarian Helen Williamson, the unconventional archivist Karyn Stuckey and the self-titled reluctant librarian David Pearson.  David is a  current Masters student and was refreshingly honest about combining study and work.

As  a Library Assistant who has not yet embarked upon a postgraduate professional library qualification (but knows exactly where they would like to study,) it was beneficial to hear of the disparate routes into success in the Information/Library sector.  It was useful to learn of the importance of collaboration, self-evaluation and promotion and utilising the digital technologies employed in libraries to enhance our own careers.  Using the web to document and audit achievements and research, be it with a blog, twitter or even Facebook, is increasingly important as a form of mass communication to reaffirm the importance of libraries, and the skills of the librarian, at a time when their value is being questioned in the public arena.

The day was rounded off with Sue Hill Recruitment consultant Donald Lickley who guided us through our skills, possible careers outside the library walls and advised us on effective CVs, applications and (the dreaded) interviews.  It was participatory and took us out of our comfort zones, but allowed questions to flow and doubts and concerns to be addressed.  SHR was the first agency I signed up to when I moved to London.  Their consultants sourced out part-time work in public libraries for me during university,  as well as for the job that I am working in now.  The emphasis was on selling ourselves, marketing our skills and providing a real approach to applying for jobs in the current economic situation – all of which simply boils down to the basic fundamentals of continuing personal development; working collaboratively, actively engaging in professional networks, seeking out mutually beneficial opportunities exploiting technology and being willing to keep on learning to stay one step ahead.   It is becoming increasingly obvious that a career in the Information sector will continue to be  rewarding just as long as you put in the effort to gain the reward.

Thanks to all of the speakers of CPD25 who have (slightly) diffused my fears of the future and left me loving libraries and wanting to tell the world (wide web) about them…

- Nicola Cook