THE AMBIDEXTROUS LIBRARIAN

What the hell is a secondment? Some people I have chatted to have no idea what I'm talking about (and I also discovered that some spell-check utilities don't even recognise the word) so I thought I would clear the confusion by ripping a definition straight from Merriam-Webster: Definition of secondment plural -s : the detachment of a person (such as a military officer) from his or her regular organization for temporary assignment elsewhere. So if you just substitute "library services officer" for "military officer" you have an explanation of my situation! Being a qualified Librarian can take you in so many different directions. One of the reasons I chose the tag "Ambidextrous Librarian" was because I honestly had no idea which direction my career would go. I have worked in school libraries and the kids and teachers are abs...

A few days ago, I had two people approach me in the library and ask me if there were any jobs going. This is not unusual, I probably get a couple of people a week asking about work.  I work in a pretty flash, modern-looking library (and it's a fabulous place to work) so I can totally understand why a lot of people ask about jobs. It made me think of one of my posts a while back about the importance of understanding yourself and the things you enjoy. This is especially true when it comes to choosing a career path.  I don't know if I ever mentioned that I used to be a scientist of sorts.  A Clinical Research Associate, which basically is a fancy job title for someone who manages human clinical trials for drug companies.  It was a great job for many years, but it was very stressful and I literally had no life outside of work.  The pay was outstanding and light years above my current salary; but did this make me happy? Nup. Not at all. So fast-forward a few ye...

It's February and I haven't posted a thing all year. Not a jot, a word or a doodle.  I know you're all clambering to hear my latest thoughts on librarian life, and it's not like I haven't been thinking (well, most of the time).  Things have been happening.  Big ideas are afoot.  So where do I begin? I have become interested in the study of Bibliotherapy.  Biblio means books.  Therapy means therapy.  Book. Therapy.  There was a man, an essayist and minister actually, who first came up with the term Bibliotherapy just over 100 years ago (he coined the term as a bit of a piss-take, but eh, we shall run with it).  Bibliotherapy has endured, if not a tad under the radar, since this time.  Recently though it has begun peeking out from behind the book shelves and tentatively interacting with the modern world.  There are articles, websites, blogs - even the odd radio program - talking about the concept with joy and wonder.  But is it...

As part of my endless quest for professional development, I am currently undertaking an online course via www.futurelearn.com entitled "The Right to Education". ALIA sent through the link some months ago and it piqued my interest, despite the fact i'm not really an educator.  The course is based on the idea (or should I say "ideal") that all children should have access to free, quality education - regardless of their physical, psychological or social circumstance, but most of the content centres around the issues that prevent the realisation of this ideal. It would be Captain Obvious of me to say there are a LOT of barriers to education. Poverty, location, geography, war, gender, resources; just to name a few. If you live in a war-torn country, or a community that struggles for basic food, water, shelter or safety - education is going to fall a little low on your priority list.  But here in Australia, in all the glory and random luck of our first world birt...

THE GENTLE ART OF CONFLICT AVOIDANCE As part of my public library persona, I have to (unsurprisingly) deal with the public.   Being in one of the busiest and most diverse communities in Victoria I also deal with some interesting customers.  Thankfully, my employer is fairly insightful on this front and so recently arranged for us newbies to attend a full day of "Conflict Resolution Training". Our trainer was no slouch.  He seemed fairly laid back, but then casually mentioned that he is one of only four high-level hostage negotiators within Australia, and has trained in negotiation with the SAS and the FBI.  Not that I imagine a heated overdue fine discussion will ever end in a hostage situation, but I guess it depends on the size of the fine.  As with any typical training session, there was a lot of whiteboard writing and workbook reading and question answering - but what was most interesting was watching video snippets of previous students navigating their ...

PD IS NOT A CHORE. I am pretty new to this whole Librarian thing.  I only graduated in 2015 and can count the number of library jobs I have held on one hand - but my inexperience and untarnished idealism mean that I am keen to throw myself straight into the mosh pit.  I ain't afraid of getting few bruises, or perhaps a scuffed Dr. Marten in the chin. Having just gained employment at both a public and academic library, I have so many "Professional Development" options to choose from.  It's kind of overwhelming.  I'm not even sure which career path I wish to take; but I do know that I want to keep up and keep learning.  Drink my coffee in places where all the interesting stuff is going down, the ideas are fresh, the music is good and (most importantly) the coffee is decent.  But being new to the block, how do I know where to go? It seemed to me that the most obvious choice was to seek guidance from my professional association.  Enter ALIA (the Aust...