Visits and events are organised as part of the SCONUL (Society of College, National and University Libraries) training programme. This page will be updated on a regular basis.
Details of previous trainee events can be found here (2007-2008) here (2006-2007) here (2005-2006) and here (2004-2005).
One cloudy day in November we met outside the rather imposing Cambridge University Library. Our visit began with a talk given by Colin Clarkson on the history of the Library and its collections. As a legal deposit library, the UL is entitled to a copy of every book, paper or document copyrighted in the UK - a daunting prospect, even though many eighteenth-century books were considered not to be academic enough, and were sold off to be replaced by more worthy tomes. The scale of the task facing Library staff in receiving, cataloguing, classifying and preserving such a number of books became apparent when we were taken into a very long room full of rolling stacks and informed that this was only part of the cataloguing backlog.
After being guided through innumerable bookstacks (half-expecting to find a skeleton or two), offices, reading rooms and the rare books and maps room, we enjoyed a well-earned cup of tea in the infamous tearoom. The highlight of our visit was a trip up the Tower. As well as a fascinating collection of nineteenth-century literature, the Tower hosts an unparalleled view of Cambridge.
At the end of the tour we had a much better understanding of how the University Library works, and a much larger appreciation of the work involved in keeping such an institution running.
A valuable session on applying to library school was sandwiched between tours of two faculty libraries on the Sidgwick site. Our first visit was to the Divinity library, where we were greeted by Alice Hinkins, the Senior Library Assistant there. Alice gave us a brief tour of the library and explained some of its main features. As a theology graduate myself, I was interested to note that, as at my alma mater, the faculty is dominated by Christian theology but is striving to develop its collection of material concerning other religions and faiths. The design and layout of the library is intended to introduce as much light as possible, and the library certainly appeared to be a very attractive and modern place to study.
Later in the afternoon, Catrin took over as our guide and gave us a tour of the library in the Classics faculty, indicating its impressive collection of books and periodicals about the classical world. Catrin told us about the different kinds of material the library possesses and the plans underfoot to expand the library in the near future. Coming from a College library, I wanted to compare the different needs of readers and the different atmosphere in the library. One of the more memorable features of the library is its assortment of statues—and those of us who expressed an interest in these were unaware of the treat we had in store when Lyn Bailey, the librarian of the Classics library, led us on a tour of the Museum of Classical Archaeology. It houses a magnificent collection of over four hundred plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculpture and served as a fitting end to an interesting afternoon.
Our thanks to Alice, Catrin and Lyn for their hospitality and for sharing their expertise!
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals runs many events throughout the year at their London headquarters. On October 3rd we attended the graduate open day which included presentations, discussion groups, a CV clinic from INFOmatch and speed networking. Most of us were reluctant to sign up for speed networking as it sounded too much like dating for the desperate, but Sophie bravely gave it a go and found it very informative and interesting. Hopefully future trainees won’t be put off by the name!
Discussion topics included how to reflect on your career, and how librarians describe their work. One memorable description was ‘I’m a taxi driver for the information super highway. I get you to where you want to go and I use the shortcuts to get you there faster.’ I’ll have to use that one if I’m ever in a taxi myself.
Three professional librarians also gave talks which highlighted the different paths your career can take. One provided useful tips on how to get published, while another made a persuasive argument for blogging as a means of promoting yourself and improving your career prospects.
The open day was a good way to familiarise ourselves with CILIP and meet others in the profession.
The graduate trainees this year were treated to an excellent and informative session on applying to library school, ably organised by Alice Hinkins of the Divinity library. We were fortunate to welcome Claire Warwick, Senior Lecture at the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies at UCL and programme director of the MA degree in Electronic Communication and Publishing. The session was enriched by the fact that Alice herself was a graduate of the part )time MA in Library and Information Studies and by the presence of another speaker at the session, Naomi Herbert, previous graduate trainee and present Library Assistant at St John's, who is obtaining her qualification via the distance-learning programme at Aberystwyth. This meant that not only were we able to gain some insights about what programme directors might be looking for in their applicants, but Alice and Naomi provided us with first hand accounts of their experiences of studying at UCL and Aberyswyth.
Even though I am sure I am not alone in thinking that the traineeships have only just begun, some of the deadlines for degrees are approaching quickly and so the session was held at an opportune time, encouraging us to think seriously about our plans for the future. Our speakers ably indicated to us the variety of degrees available to qualify in librarianship and the diversity of means of doing so. We were directed to the CILIP website for more details on the courses accredited by CILIP. We were also advised about the advantages and disadvantages of studying full- and part-time and by distance learning, about recent changes in the way that funding is both applied for and allocated, and provided with a great deal of useful information about how the application process works, what information to include in a personal statement and what we might expect at an interview.
I'm sure I speak for all the trainees when I offer our thanks to Claire, Alice and Naomi for their patience and excellent advice, for providing detailed and useful answers to our questions and concerns and, of course, for the luxury tea and biscuits we were offered!
