The CPD program has been fantastic! I should add that I do not consider myself quite finished with this program yet, as I plan to come back to things 18 & 19. I've learned so much and the course had fuelled my desire to keep learning. My six word story - "Always interested in continual professional development".
What do I want to do next - I want to take on new things in 2012. I am hoping to gain new tasks in my permanant job, hoping to get another part-time job and hoping for some interesting volunteer opportunities to come my way.
Gaps in my experience - I have never presented at a conference, never given a library tour, and I never done cataloguing. I've never used our library's blog. I don't have programming experience. I'm already thinking about how I can fill at least some of these gaps.
Many thanks to the team that came up with and put together CPD23!
And best wishes for 2012 to all the participants! I've enjoyed reading all your blogs more than I can say.
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Thing 22: Volunteering to get experience
After finishing my college course, I was volunteering at the library I currently work at. This is what got me hired as a library assistant and made the transition to full-time library employment much easier for me. I am currently very interested in any volunteer opportunities that will enable me to develop new skills. I've just applied for a volunteer position but will have to wait quite a while to see if I have been successful.
Thing 21: Promoting yourself in job applications and at interview
What do you like to do?
I have a huge passion for public services work and working with patrons.
What do you dislike?
I dislike the technical services side of things. I truly dislike detail work but am told I am good at it!
Do you remember the last time you felt that feeling of deep satisfaction after creating, building, completing something? What was it about?
I had finished an enormous project involving adding many new titles to our library. It wasn't an enjoyable project but it was beyond anything our library undertakes in a typical year and I was thrilled to finish it.
What skills do you need to do the things you like? These skills are your strengths; they stem from your interests.
I need to keep gaining current experience in public services work. They may be some opportunities to do this through my job in the coming year. However, part-time work and volunteer positions may be more likely to allow me to keep my skills up to date.
Part 2: Applying for a job
I've alread built a record (in Evernote) of everything I have done that demonstrates my library experiences and skills. I also try to spend some time keeping track of new job postings. And I look at person specifications to see what skills employers are looking for. And I'm just about to update my resume!
Part 3: Interviews
It's good to prepare as much as possible and some questions come up over and over again. The reference to CAR (Context, Action, Results) is great advice and I'll be sure to remember that in the future.
I have a huge passion for public services work and working with patrons.
What do you dislike?
I dislike the technical services side of things. I truly dislike detail work but am told I am good at it!
Do you remember the last time you felt that feeling of deep satisfaction after creating, building, completing something? What was it about?
I had finished an enormous project involving adding many new titles to our library. It wasn't an enjoyable project but it was beyond anything our library undertakes in a typical year and I was thrilled to finish it.
What skills do you need to do the things you like? These skills are your strengths; they stem from your interests.
I need to keep gaining current experience in public services work. They may be some opportunities to do this through my job in the coming year. However, part-time work and volunteer positions may be more likely to allow me to keep my skills up to date.
Part 2: Applying for a job
I've alread built a record (in Evernote) of everything I have done that demonstrates my library experiences and skills. I also try to spend some time keeping track of new job postings. And I look at person specifications to see what skills employers are looking for. And I'm just about to update my resume!
Part 3: Interviews
It's good to prepare as much as possible and some questions come up over and over again. The reference to CAR (Context, Action, Results) is great advice and I'll be sure to remember that in the future.
Thing 20
These words in Thing 20 really reasonate with me: Like many people, I fell into librarianship after trying my hand at other jobs that I wasn’t really suited to. Once a careers adviser suggested to me that librarianship was something I could actually do for a living, it was like a light bulb going off: why hadn’t I ever thought of it before? Well, the simple reason was that I just didn’t know that it was an option. My only clue as to what librarians did was the ladies I saw stamping books and shelving in my local public library. I suppose at some level I must have been aware that there was probably more to it than that, but I’d never have guessed at the sheer range of jobs available within the information profession.
I'm a library assistant not a librarian. I completed a college course in library studies instead of doing the MLS. It's not always easy to find a job as a library assistant as some libraries will hire those with a bachelor's degree, some will promote from within (e.g. you move up from page to library assistant as you gain seniority) and sometimes those with a MLS will be hired for assistant positions. So I felt I was incredibly lucky to find work in a special library a year after graduating. I've also really enjoyed my time this year working in a part-time public services job.
I'm a library assistant not a librarian. I completed a college course in library studies instead of doing the MLS. It's not always easy to find a job as a library assistant as some libraries will hire those with a bachelor's degree, some will promote from within (e.g. you move up from page to library assistant as you gain seniority) and sometimes those with a MLS will be hired for assistant positions. So I felt I was incredibly lucky to find work in a special library a year after graduating. I've also really enjoyed my time this year working in a part-time public services job.
Thing 18: Jing / screen capture / podcasts (making and following them)
This is another thing I have just read through so far but am planning to come back to in detail. We are not currently using podcasts in our library but we have had one person suggest we use them. I definitely very interested in learning more.
Thing 17: The Medium is the Message- Prezi and Slideshare
So far I've just read through this thing. I'm planning to come back to Thing 17 in detail as I am aiming to create my very own Prezi.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Thing 16: Advocacy, speaking up for the profession and getting published
Thing 16 states this is a fairly UK-centric post but that's okay with this international CPD23er! I've been following events in Britain through newspapers and radio debates. I've been surprised by the number of people who comment online or call into radio shows to say they think public libraries are not needed as much in the Internet era. It's been dismaying to hear as I truly believe libraries are about equitable access to information.
It's not just public libraries that have to advocate for themselves though. I work in a special library where resources are limited. If a special library is part of a broader organization, it can find itself squeezed for attention and considered an easy target for budget cuts in an era of financial restraint. Special libraries have to promote themselves and the important work they are doing.
It's not just public libraries that have to advocate for themselves though. I work in a special library where resources are limited. If a special library is part of a broader organization, it can find itself squeezed for attention and considered an easy target for budget cuts in an era of financial restraint. Special libraries have to promote themselves and the important work they are doing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)