View from the Hill

Time Out

So you have just been made redundant.  What now?  Have you thought about having a gap year?  A recent survey conducted by Travelex, the foreign exchange company, conducted a survey which showed that 78% of people who have recently been made redundant have taken the decision to take time out and travel.  In fact the 30-55 age bracket are twice as likely to travel that the 18-24 year olds.

But what about skills and continuing professional development?  Well you can take the opportunity to volunteer, whether overseas or closer to home.  Freepint have produced some helpful information on how to keep your skills up and how to stay in touch with the information world. 

Whether you have taken a self-imposed time out or you had no choice in the matter, you have options.  All doesn't have to be lost.  It can be an opportunity and the advice and guidance is out there and available.  And we, being information professionals, will be able to find it.

 - Katharine Liu 

 

Through hell and high water

In this time of careful economics we are all looking for ways to save a bob or two, whether it is through using your local library instead of Amazon, or trading your travelcard in for something less credit crunching, like a mountain bike to take you to work.

All of we brave souls who struggled into work on 'snow day' a few months back will not have forgotten the ingenuity this involved, whether this meant an hour and a half walk, a chilly boat trip or looking out the old snow shoes.

In the spirit of cheaper, environmentally friendly and adventurous travel we have just learnt of truly dedicated employee who takes advantage of the Summer months to canoe to work! What a fantastic way to start the day.

Perhaps this brave soul should be an example to us all to explore fresh paths and the route less travelled, or perhaps this is the catalyst we have been waiting for to prompt Mayor Boris to instigate a kayak to work scheme.

Lazy, bad mannered or just plain selfish?

Just every now and again I could scream.

Every day we hold interviews to enable people who are job seeking to register and come and present to us not just their credentials (Passport, ID checks etc) but also to chat about what they want so we can make a good match.  We offer Saturdays too as we know not everyone can get here during the week.

You would be surprised how many people don't bother to turn up and can't, don't or won't make the effort to phone, email or wite to let us know or to apologise.  If my team are prepared to give up a Saturday they expect people on the list to show.  Last week there were three who couldnt be bothered.  Particularly annoying as there was a waiting list.  How selfish is that?   Could we trust those people to turn up at a job interview?

On the day the snow was deep and crisp and even and not even London's buses were running, we had an interview candidate arrive on time who had walked to get here.  Good to know the world isnt totally going to pot.

On that note I am off for a little r&r.

Visited your local Donkey Mobile Library recently?

A heart-warming story on the BBC website caught my eye recently about the literacy-boosting powers of Ethiopian donkeys. This is a fantastic initiative bringing Amharic language books to local school children in Ethiopia. It not only helps teach the children to read but the project is also trying to teach them respect for animals. A quick web search later and I discovered that there is a Camel library service in Kenya and a floating library in Western Norway.

It seems that librarians will get their books to their community by whatever means possible. Have you got any fond memories of your mobile library? Or of donkeys, camels or boats with books on them?!