My Struggle: The First Decade

The Summer of 2015 marked the point at which I'd spent ten years working in libraries. It's looking like it might have the makings of being a career. Back in 2005 I took my first library job (not counting my stint as the 'school librarian' in Junior School) as a Shelver at a teacher-training-college-turned-university in Sheffield. Work was three hours a day, four afternoons a week. It was my first steady job after self-employment and some casual invigilation. 

[2005] I sent an email to enquire about the job, but I didn't have the time to write an application for some reason so I decided not to bother. I was invited to an interview anyway, where my inability to communicate effectively gave my would-be-boss, Bernard, the impression that I would be unable to fulfill the hours (I emailed him afterwards to clear up the ambiguity, which was perhaps as well). I got the job.

Prior to this I'd speculatively applied to work at a number of public libraries in the area, thinking it might make a nice job, but early on I'd made a bad impression with the woman on all the interview panels. It was probably a lucky escape considering what would happen to public libraries in the decade that followed.

Shelving was fun - delightfully physical but not too physical. Short hours which suited my sleeping patterns. I got into it and did a good job. After a few months I was offered the chance of promotion. I made my application and got an interview.

Bernard's opposite number at the other campus (also on the panel) described my interview as the worst he'd ever seen. But competition wasn't a thing in those days and my boss spoke up for me. Such it was that I was now a General Assistant, working four hours a day, five afternoons a week. I had made it.

 General Assistant's Eye View

[2006] At first, being a General Assistant was not entirely dissimilar to being a Shelver, except you got to sort your own trollies before you shelved them. But there were other strings to the General Assistant bow, and more were added with each passing year. A big part of the role was processing: checking the shelfmark allocated to new stock, printing its label and attaching it to the item along with any other Library markings as required. 

There were also certain reprocessing projects, complete with extra hours (full time work!). And then there was repairs. I liked repair jobs. Saving dying books, often by ripping out their spines and rebinding them. Plus the glue smelt wonderful. I endeared myself to my third boss, Karl, by doing a good repair job on the family cookbook. So it was that I was sent off to another Library to help get through a repairs mountain they had there owing to a member of staff being off sick.

[2007] The other Library in question was an Arts Library housed in an old Blue Coat School (site of reputed hauntings) attached to some of the best concrete in Sheffield. It was Heaven, alone with my glue-pots (pictured in the cabinet below) and the most interesting books the University had. I could play conservator with wild abandon and gaffer-tape (it was all that was to hand). The backlog was reduced and more brownie-points were earnt.

My base of operations in the Arts campus years

[2008] Then they decided they would shut down the lovely Arts campus, and after my initial success there I was invited back to help with the dismantling (complete with yet-more extra hours). This included the chance to help work out the shelving allocations at the other end, and to supervise the removal men accordingly. Plus I got to wallow in the Special Collection, where all the very nicest things lived, and to hang around with the Art Librarian, Kate, who was well cool. She introduced me to the wonders of Librarianship, and to the realisation that Library Schools were a thing.

 How to repurpose an abandoned Library

I look back very fondly at those bitter-sweet months in the Arts Library. And I miss that campus so much. They turned it to rubble but not before we had a disco in the empty Library (see above). The stock moved to the big Library on the main campus and I went with it for a time, to help rehouse the Special Collection in its new climate-controlled home.

 The Special Collection being rehoused

My old History teacher, Anna, worked at the city campus, doing the same job as me as her post-retirement earner. She was shocked that one of her star pupils was bumming around rather than making something of themselves, and she gave me a stern talking to. At the same time, I had my appraisal with Karl -- the only appraisal I ever had that was worthwhile -- in which the notion of Library School or Archives School was mooted. I decided to give it a go.

[2009] Archives School was in Liverpool, but there was a Library School in Sheffield, so that was that decision sorted right there. Eventually I made my application, which got through at the last minute, and I attended the last round of interviews for the next year's course (2009/10). I didn't give it much thought, and it wasn't until I started that I realised there had been a chance that I might not have made it through the process (i.e. that some people didn't). But my interview seemed to go ok. I said I'd applied to Sheffield because it was nearest, and that I saw it as an opportunity to sit the recession out (ha!). My application made reference to Giles from Buffy, naturally.

 Legoland Sheffield

[2010] I attended Library School part-time, while continuing my work as a General Assistant, and my second/fourth boss, Julia, was brilliant with regard to my flexible working. By this point the General Assistant role had evolved even further. The Library was now predominantly serving a Nursing course and we were manning what was effectively a second help-desk in all but name, as well as fixing the printers, and supporting the more senior Library Assistants with their back-room work: a range of clerical duties from inter-library loans, collections and serials etc. On account of being the 'clever' one, I was also given the job of leading our role-profile review in an attempt to get our grade upped -- it was never going to happen as it would've set the whole house-of-cards tumbling, but it was a worthwhile exercise non-the-less, not least ahead of all those job applications. To the same end I started to get in some work shadowing with the Librarians about the place. This would be essential when it came to my first professional role.

[2011] After two years of Library School I started sending out applications. I was in no great hurry because I had the security of my General Assistant job, so I started out with the wish-fulfilment stuff: rare books collections... Oxbridge Libraries... one of them even demanded a hand-written letter of application, which was just downright weird (plus my wrist ached for about a month afterwards).

[2012] And then, in the middle of 2012, I saw a maternity cover job in York. I'd been an undergrad in York and I hadn't wanted to leave. Plus it was a Health Sciences / Medicine Assistant Librarian job, which was the field I was currently in. So I fired off a quick application, making a few gambles with my life in the process, just to see what might come of it. And I got offered an interview.

The interview went well. I was on it that day. I'd seen a magazine in the waiting room that had an article of relevance that I could drop into proceedings, and that doubtless helped. But I didn't get the job. What I did get was the offer to do three months' sick-leave cover for one of the Librarians, and I snatched it. I had no idea where I might live, but I had a job. In a different city. For three months.

 Obligatory book shot

Savings and parents were employed to pay out six months of rent, on the big gamble that I might eke out another three months in the job. In the end I got four months out of it. And I was working as a Liaison Librarian in Social Work and Women's Studies. And it was great. I loved it. I had indeed made the right choice. But then it ended; a month after it was initially meant to end, but it ended all the same. There just wasn't any more in the kitty. So what next?

[2013] There was an Open Access job at York but my heart wasn't really in it, and I didn't get it. I had a couple of interviews down south before a colleague pointed me to another maternity cover role, this time over in Hull. I applied, and as with the original York post, I must've been on form in the interview, because it seemed to go ok. And again, I got the job. Third time lucky. I moved to Hull in a Liaison Assistant role. I was concerned that it was technically a backward step, and that perhaps I ought to look to a fully-fledged Librarian position, but needs must. And it was a good time. I was able to put to use various skills from York, and develop some serious spreadsheet wizardry along the way. But it too was temporary cover. And it too came to an end.

 I didn't actually work in here very much.

I was in a terraced house.

And then I got a call to return to York - phew! Yet more cover was needed, for the same job I'd been interviewed for a year earlier. I'd dropped on. Hurrah!

So back to York, a year after my first stint. It should've lasted until Christmas. And it did. This time I was a Health Sciences Assistant Librarian: lots of one-to-one tuition with nervous nurses. But in January we were due a restructure, and that job was to come to an end. Fortunately, another job has come up as an Academic Liaison Librarian for Health, Psychology and Social Policy & Social Work. It looked terrifying, but it seemed to have my name on it. I put in my application and duly got an interview.

The interview was a disaster from the offset. I'd planned the whole thing -- all my examples -- with respect to an academic on the panel. But he wasn't there -- the academics were on strike. And without him, all my planning went out of the window. It was a mess...

...or as I see it, a narrow escape. In hindsight, I'd've hated the job. Sometimes fate knows what it's doing.

[2014] But for now, I had a problem. My plans had collapsed. Fortunately, another hole had emerged, as Assistant Librarian for the Medical School. I got to cover it for a few months before it would be up for interview. But that was only half time. The other half I was able to fill with odd-jobbing for now: covering any cracks while the reshuffle bedded in. I was clinging on for dear life.

Another job came up, looking after software licences. I wasn't overwhelmed by the prospect, but I kind of had to go for it. I didn't get it. An e-learning job came up at another University nearby; I interviewed for that; I didn't get it. Another interview back where I started, which I also didn't get. Again, these are jobs that if I'm honest I wasn't really that bothered about getting, save for the need for food and shelter. It was no fun. It was disheartening. It was worrying.

And then came the interview for the Medical School job. If I messed this one up, that was that. You'll be pleased to know that I didn't mess it up. It went Just Fine. It was easy, lovely, and largely without hitch. Thank goodness for that. Half of my job was now permanent. And it was bloody brilliant too. I even got to work with my mates from Hull from time to time.

Meanwhile, the other half of me had moved into the Teaching & Learning team, to cover a sick-leave which became a retirement. I got to play with spreadsheets and design teaching. I now had two good jobs for the price of one. Time wore on, and I clung on.

[2015] A year later, I was able to be offered a full-time job in the Teaching and Learning team, at Librarian level. It meant leaving the Medical School post [sad-face emoticon], but it was a step up and a secure position, so that was that. That was that and here we are: Ten years after this journey began... my first full-time Librarian post. Or rather, Teaching and Learning Advisor post. *breathes*

Action shot: I teach. It learns.

[2016] So what is a Teaching and Learning Advisor? Does it involve books at all? Well, these two questions, and more, will be the subject of another post on another day. For now, just be content with the knowledge of a job well done and another blog post in the bag.

Cheers to everyone on the journey. And good luck to all. We Librarians... I think we've got nine lives and we land on our feet, just like Shakespear's Sister. I hope you land somewhere nice too.