Thing 23: Reflection - What next?

The journey of the cps23 programme has just finished but my personal development journey has just started. I enjoyed the programme and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in wanting to know web 2.0, social media and networking better.  I can sum up my experience with the 23 tools in six words as “I definitely developed professionally and personally”

First tool introduced by CPD 23 (blogging), is indeed very useful tool to me. I was blogging before but not at this level. It gave me the chance to pick up some interesting, encourage and inspiring blogs. Those blogs enable me to develop a wider understanding of our profession and gave me insight into how fellow librarians and information professionals are dealing with current changes affecting our profession.

 I learnt some new tools and develop some old ones further. Some of the tools I use now daily in my work. They helped me to organise my work effectively and efficiently. Other tools have not had the time to look closely at them therefore have not used them yet but I will definitely revisit them.

I am better aware of where I want to be, where the gaps in my experience are and what the requirements for my next move are. The template provided by the CPD team is a good start for planning my PDP time wise.

Thing 22: Volunteering to get experience

I was lucky to get a job immediately after I got my university degree in librarianship. It was a Library Assistant in an academic library. I did the job for four then moved on with my husband overseas and that is when volunteering entered my life.

 I volunteered to help cataloguing and classifying the collection of BMI, Bishop Mackenzie International School in Malawi when I was there with my husband. The library was in need for help from a professional librarian. The school couldn’t afford to employ two librarians and didn’t want to get ride of the librarian who was running the library for quite long time. Cataloguing the collection allowed me to have a close look at it and advice them on how to develop it.  

Beside the library work I used some of my free time volunteering as a membership secretary for International Women’s Association. Joining the association was a great opportunity for me to meet women from all over the world, organise events to raise money for, orphanage centres, help single poor women to establish small business so they can have steady income to look after their children. Our main fund raiser was an annual bazaar and I was responsible of running the book stall. Although this wasn’t library related work a part from book stall but it did equip me with skills such as plan down to small details, respect other people ideas and understanding, meet target, be patience and focused to achieve targets and above all learn to live and enjoy different culture and respect and or obey the rules of the society you are living in.   

If you are living a nomad life like mine (moving country every two or three years) then  volunteering is the best starting point for finding a job,  knowing the country you are living in and its people. Volunteering in Africa is very valuable and appreciated as the need for free help is greater than anywhere else.

Thing 21: Promoting yourself in job applications and at interview

After I read thing 21, I reflected on my work, positions I held and academic qualifications or skills I gained for the last 5 years. From the long list I made of things I like, interested in or good at, I managed to discover the following about myself:

I am a tidy person therefore I like to work in a tidy and clean environment. Having a tidy desk help me find my things easily and prioritise my work. I feel uncomfortable and a bit irritated when someone uses my desk and move my things out of their places. It’s a tricky situation when sharing a desk or an office with someone messy.

I enjoy helping students to use the technology in searching and finding their information needs. Generally, I like dealing with enquires rather than sitting in a back office classifying or cataloguing books. Do not get me wrong I do like cataloguing.

 Information literacy is one of the areas I’m interested in and would like to develop my skills further within the next year or so. Since the school I’m working in is fairly new, we are in the process of designing info. Lit curriculum across the three sections. It’s a chance to acquire skills in designing info. Lit curriculum from age 3 up to age 18. I believe strongly in the important role of info. Lit in teaching and learning.

Strategic planning is an area I developed recently. I am keen on setting and writing policies, introduce new services and or improve existing services and set long and short terms targets for my operation. I managed to write our libraries staff manual from scratch. Documented existing and writing new polices. We upgraded LMC to a better system that will enable our team to deliver better services in effective and efficient ways. I turned the library to a better learning and teaching environment. I involved students in the library operation by creating Student Librarians Programme. I like to incorporate technology in my daily working life and use it to promote the services my library offer. Moving to a new LMC create a chance to use the technology in designing a new website for the library.

I work in international school compromises of three sections, infant, junior and senior. Each section has a library with the senior library is the main or the hub. In school like this it’s important to have a library team its members are willing to cooperate with each other and eager to move the whole operation forward. I hate to be part of a team its members work in isolation of each other, unwilling to change or accept changes and not trying to update their ways of running their libraries and servicing their patrons.

In my current post, I’m enriching my experience by the day. I’m learning, new ideas and from mistakes. Now I know where and what I want to do in near future.

Thanks CPD 23 for referring to  What’s the key to a good interview - beyond the usual truisms we all know already? – a blog post by Ned Potter, aka The Wikiman, and various comments to it.  it’s indeed very useful.