Doors, windows and jobs.

Have you ever heard the saying "God doesn't close a door without opening a window"?

Of course you have. It's one of the most overused cliches out there.

Right behind "everything happens for a reason".

And these cliches are probably very annoying to people who are going through a hard time. 

If you have an eye for the ridiculous, then click here and see what the Bloggess has to say about it.

And while it's fun to be all sarcastic and ironic and cool, this is where I'm going to reveal my Pollyanna tendencies to you all.

Sometimes when it seems that things are going to hell in a handbasket, it is just plain hell.

But I believe that often when things don't seem to be going quite right, another opportunity presents itself which turns out to be just as good, if not better, than your original plans.

This week I had a job interview. For a two year full time contract at the library I've been working at casually this year.

Those of you that have been following this blog for a while know that I have spent all year looking for permanent library work, desperately trying to launch my career.

Prior to completing my Masters in Librarianship, I thought long and hard about my goals and dreams when it came to work. I knew that I wanted to choose something that I'd find stimulating and challenging for the long term.

So, if you've read this far, you probably know what's coming.

I didn't get the job.

But I did get a call from the library manager offering me an extended period of three days a week work during the first half of 2012.

Which actually suits me better.

Of course I'm still actively looking for permanent, rather than casual, work. But three days a week is much more manageable for me right now with Josh still in primary school. And the fact that we are having an overseas holiday in the middle of next year means that it's nice to not be committed to work and needing to ask for leave.

 So what do you think about the old cliche? Do you believe in the concept of doors and windows?

Success!

Today I had a fairly unhappy customer at the information desk.

"Well, I've only got a minute, I've got a train to catch!" she started. Not a good start for me. I may have possibly felt just a little teeny tiny bit of pressure to be very quick with my help!

She slumped into the chair I offered her. "I've never used libraries until the last couple of days and since then I've had nothing but trouble." Oh dear. A new student, unfamiliar with the library, feeling unenthused about what help I'll be able to offer. Now I have to be not only quick, but brilliant!

She was actually a lovely girl. Just not feeling confident and happy about using the library. We had a chat, I showed her a couple of things, and lo and behold when she got up to leave she said,

"Thanks. You've actually been really helpful."

And she smiled. And walked away with a bit of a bounce in her step.

It makes this "baby librarian" very, very proud.

It's been over a week since I posted. I totally suck.

What have I been doing? Not much.

The kids have been on school holidays. We've done a bit of this and a bit of that.

I'm still sticking with Weight Watchers and I'm nearly at my goal. I've only got about 4.4 kgs to go! 

I've just found out that I've got four or five weeks work (twenty hours a week) at the library! This is awesome for me. It's just enough work; five hour shifts (during school hours!) four days a week. Could it be more perfect? I'm very much looking forward to actually feeling like I'm part of the team. So far I've only worked two shifts, a month apart, and both have been during the quiet time after the semester has finished. Each time I've met new people who have to be introduced to me as "the new casual librarian". Each time there's not much to do, and while it's always nice to be paid to sit behind a desk and look pretty (!), it will be fabulous to go in to work each day and have the library buzzing with students at the beginning of the new semester. I'll learn so much more about the job from actually doing it under normal circumstances. I'm sure that some days I'll be run off my feet or make a mistake or be asked a question that I can't answer and feel foolish. But I don't think there's anything for it, I've just got to "sink or swim" so to speak!

I'm soooo looking forward to tomorrow! It's Chris' 40th and we've got a fabulous afternoon and evening planned. We're going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and then having dinner at an Italian restaurant afterwards. It should be wonderful!

I'm going to link this post up with Brandy's Fat Ass Friday even though I've only briefly mentioned weight loss :)

Click on the button to visit Brandy.

In which I talk about work and my desire to have a house cleaner

I bet you've all been wondering what I'm doing for work these days!

For two years, 2009 and 2010, I was busy studying for my Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship). In fact, my studies were what led me to start this blog. If you're feeling all nostalgic, you can click here and read my very first post!

All the while, I was working from home, tutoring high school students in Mathematics and teaching Flute and Music Craft (music theory).

Once I finished my Masters, I started looking for work in a library. So what's been happening?

I recently starting working casually as an Information Services Officer at a University Library near me. Yay!

This is actually the real library in which I work!

The job involves sitting at the Information Desk and waiting for patrons to come and ask questions. It's pretty much my dream job, apart from the fact that I'm only getting one shift per month at the moment and have to wait for someone to go on sick leave/maternity leave/long service leave to get more work. Should that happen, there would certainly be more involved than just manning the Information Desk, but it would all revolve around helping to connect Library users with the information that they need.

I also have a job interview on Monday for a year's full time (maternity leave) work as a librarian in a smaller academic library. So things are progressing on the career front.

What would be lovely would be for me to become securely installed in a permanent position so that I could stop looking. That would be a relief. I'd also love to give up the maths tutoring/music teaching. It's not that I don't love my students. It's not that I don't enjoy teaching them. It's just that my work hours are between 4pm and 8:30pm on weekdays and I just don't enjoy working at that time. Firstly, I find it hard, after being at home alone all day, to get myself motivated and excited to start work when it feels like everyone else is almost finishing.

Secondly, I'd like to be able to have dinner with the family and then enjoy the evening. As it is, our family is awfully busy after school. The kids have activities and of course homework to complete. I'd like to just come home from work and wrangle with kids activities and homework like a "normal" mum, rather than having students trooping in and out of the house and having to leave Chris to deal with the family.

I also have a confession to make. If I got full time work, I'd feel entitled to pay someone to clean my house!

I don't think I'd need a whole team!

Wouldn't that be just bliss! I'm not very good at housework and I don't take pride in it, but I would looooove to have a really clean house. I think it would be divine!

So what do you do for work? Are you in your dream job? And do you have a house cleaner?!?



Caution: Optimist at Work

On Monday I had an interview for a really great job. It was almost my dream job - at the University Library closest to me working as an Information Services Officer. You can read about my interview experience on my professional learning blog here.

The only thing that wasn't perfect about the job, from my point of view, was the fact that it wasn't a permanent position but rather the opportunity to be placed in a casual pool to fill temporary vacancies as they arose. Not ideal, but a great oportunity for someone like me who needs to gain experience, and a wonderful way to get my foot in the door at a place that I would like to work long term.

Anyway, long story short, I didn't get it. And, optimist that I am, I was surprised! I really thought I'd get it and was already imagining myself in the job.

The Senior Librarian, who was on the interview panel and rang me to let me know that I was unsuccessful, was encouraging. The position, despite being casual, is not really an entry level position. They need casual Librarians who have the experience required to jump straight into work without needing training or support. And that's fair enough.

I have also applied for another position at the same Library which has two things going for it. Firstly, it is a lower level in terms of training and experience required so I am more likely to be successful. Secondly, it is a permanent postion! Yay! So it's all good.

And, guess what! The Senior Librarian who interviewed me is making the short list for this other job and I told her I had applied for it and so now she knows me. I believe that the interview went well and she did say that she enjoyed talking with me, so I'm really hoping that means that I will back there again soon for another interview.

So, yeah, my optimism has not been rocked. And I'm still looking for other positions to apply for. And I really want to get a job before the next school year begins at the end of January, so that's my goal.

How about you? Are you working in your dream job? How long did it take you to find work the last time you were looking?

I'm not sure about Super Librarian, but I sure am super busy!

I'm busy, busy, busy!

This week I'm combining a full time week at Wyong TAFE Library with my usual work teaching Maths and Music. As well as both these, it's week 2 of second semester at uni and I'm desperately trying to stay on top of all the reading.

Here's a quick look at something I did at the library today. I prepared a small display on sustainable living using materials from the collection.

What have you been doing?

Work Placement Days 3 and 4

So...I have actually done some "real work" at the library!

Yesterday I learned how to process newly accessioned resources (for the non-librarians, that means how to get new books ready for the shelf!). I then spent the afternoon working through the pile that had been building up because the library technician has been on holidays. I got all the way to the bottom of the pile - yay me!

Today my supervisor checked through a whole lot of new arrivals and started a new pile...

Also, Joanne got me working on a metadata project that she is supposed to have finished by tomorrow. It involves choosing some keywords that will be used as search terms when prospective students are searching the website for what course they would like to enrol in. I was doing the Electical Engineering courses, an area in which I have absolutely no expertise! I read through the course description and career options for each course, then added funky keywords and phrases like "special class electrician" and "technical officer". I really hope that when new electrical-engineering-type-people search the database they are successful in finding the information that they need!

So, what have you been up to?

Work Placement Days 1 and 2

Wyong TAFE campus reminds me a bit of the High School that I attended. It's very low-rise with bushy surroundings. Here's a picture taken from the car park. The building behind the yellow car is Block J which houses the library.

So far I've spent most of my time learning about the procedures used and services provided within the library, in the hope that I may soon be able to contribute by doing some actual work! (I have used the "wand" to check in some books!) Tomorrow I hope to do some processing, which is fancy library talk for sticking barcodes on books and covering them with contact. On Thursday and Friday I might be involved with a special project adding keywords to some records in a database of course information. Then next week the students will descend upon us for library orientation tours and other "Reader Education" sessions. There are also many students who don't have access to computers and/or internet at home, so will be using the library as a study space. Some of the students may be new to the college, and so will need a lot of support initially.

I'm really appreciating all the time and effort that my supervisor, Joanne, is putting in to make my experience as valuable as possible. I'll update you again soon.

Help! Literature in Education

I am starting a new subject at uni called "Literature in Education" and I'm putting out the call for help.

What children's literature is in your school library? How is children's literature being used to enhance the education of children at all levels of schooling?

I am looking specifically at Contemporary Realistic Fiction for my first assignment. What are the current trends and themes in this area of children's literature? Can you suggest any current examples that are popular, relevant, and used in schools?

I appreciate your help! If you can post a link to this blog entry on your blog, or tweet a link to it so it gets to as many people as possible, that would be wonderful :)

Thanking you in anticipation.

Study Visit Day 4

Well, the study visit is finished, but I'm still processing everything that I experienced. I think it might be a few days before I can express what I've learned in any meaningful way.

Today we visited the State Library of NSW, and if you are able to, I advise you to visit. If that's not geographically feasible, why don't you check out the website.

Click here to visit the website.

That's it for me for now. If you go to the State Library website, make sure you look at "Discover Collections" (on the top menu). It has fascinating original historical documents that have been digitised.

Sydney Study Visit Day 3

So...I didn't take any photos today, but I wish I had! Today I visited the Australian Museum Research Library, and there were a lot of photo-worthy moments. For a start, there are taxidermied animals and birds dotted about the library, even on the librarians' desks! Also, they have an extensive collection of scientific monographs going back to the 1800's, many of which have hand-coloured drawings of animals and birds. It makes this library very, very different to the others we have visited, with their emphasis on a move to electronic information.

During the afternoon I visited the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. We were shown a sound stage, a recording studio and a digital mixing theatre used for post production on feature films and documentaries. We were all sent home with DVDs of students' short films and other multimedia projects. The library houses a very specialised collection of scripts, DVDs - even press kits! 

I'm tired again, but still have one more day to get through :) 

Study Visit Day 1

I really thought I would take lots of photos today...you know the sort of thing...

"Here's me in Sydney on the study visit"..."Here's the group in front of such-and-such library"

Not so much...

Had a great day, but I was constantly on the go and didn't really get to the "photo opportunity" stage!

I had my first experience of "commuting" in a long time, driving to the train station and trying to find a parking spot in the designated commuter parking. Ughh! Then an hour and a quarter on the train and a short walk to the first venue of the day. And the same in reverse coming home. The good news - plenty of time for reading Uglies by Scott Westerfield. The bad news - I'm going to need another book!

I found our visit to Ultimo TAFE library quite inspiring. It's a large library, with a lot of staff who seem to be passionate about meeting the needs of the community of staff and students that they serve. Particularly interesting for me was information literacy workshops provided, including help with using the Australian Bureau of Statistics website (apparently a minefield!), advanced internet searching, and help setting up iGoogle and RSS feeds to suit individual information needs. As far as I can see, the library is a dynamic workspace with large tables for group work, wifi access throughout, and a collection tailored to meet the current needs of the (often industry-related) courses that are taught. The library also serves International students studying at the English centre with a designated collection of "easy readers" and "easy reader non-fiction" (equivalent to junior non-fiction).

Customs House public library was not so inspiring for me. Although the building has been redeveloped, and the library looks as up-market as they come, I'm not easily fooled by flashiness! The ground floor of the library is designed like a hotel lobby, there's a cafe, lounge chairs and a model of the city of Sydney under a glass floor (yes, you can walk on top of it!). It's noisy and the architecture is fabulous, but what's with having the cafe tables so close to the newspapers that they seem in constant danger of spillage??? I don't get the impression that meeting the information needs of the community is the highest priority. The fact that the library space doubles as a gallery with ever-changing exhibitions does however make it a very interesting public space.

Now I must rest up for Day 2!

Sydney Study Visit

I'm so excited! From tomorrow until Friday I'll be completing my Study Visit, a required part of ETL507 "Professional Experience/Professional Portfolio" for my MEd (TL). I am attending a university-organised tour of various libraries and information agencies.

From my subject outline:

"Study visits are an excellent opportunity to see the information resources and services of a range of libraries and information agencies and to reflect on the diversity and commonalities in the goals of these organisations and the manner in which each works to fulfil these goals."

I'll be commuting via train to and from Sydney each day, then travelling by train, bus and foot to different venues with the CBD.

Libraries I'm visiting:

1. Ultimo TAFE Library
2. Customs House Library
3. University of Technology Library
4. St Andrews Cathedral School Library
5. Australian Museum Research Library
6. Australian Film TV & Radio School Library
7. State Library of NSW

After the visit is finished, we must hand in two reports. From my subject outline:

"The reflection report gives you the opportunity to overview and discuss what you have gained as a developing information professional from the sites you visited during your study visit and from the overall experience. The evaluation report gives you the opportunity to assess the value of each site you visit."

I'll keep you updated during the week as to how I'm getting along. Wish me luck!

Latest in the Ongoing Saga of My Local Public Library Branch

This morning some politicians were out and about in my local area. It's an election year, and I live in a marginal seat. Also, our sitting member has been "kicked to the curb" by the party that she represents and consequently we have a new candidate. And did I mention that it's an election year, and we're a marginal seat???

So I decided to have a chat with our new candidate, get a feel for her, and find out what she had to say about the possible closure of our local library branch. My first impression is that she's intelligent and strong. She seems well-informed about the importance of public libraries to communities, and supportive of the campaign to oppose the closure of our branch. It's not an issue that she has direct control of, not yet being member of parliament. Also, libraries are a local government (Council) issue, and our new candidate is running for a Federal parliament seat. However, she did assure me that she would support my petition to Council.

So I came home and rattled off a letter to the Mayor.

"It has come to my attention that XXXXXXX City Council is considering closing the XXXXXXX Branch of XXXXXXX Library. I have also become aware that moving the Branch to a temporary classroom within XXXXXXX Public School has been forwarded as a possible alternative arrangement.

Please do not close XXXXXXX Library.



XXXXXXX is an isolated neighbourhood with limited transport and the Library is an important asset within the community. In addition, residents from the even more isolated XXXXXXX communities do not have a Library Branch of their own, and the XXXXXXX Branch is their closest public library. The recent opening of XXXXXXX High School further expands the clientele that the XXXXXXX Library Branch serves.



Moving XXXXXXX Library to within XXXXXXX Public School is an unacceptable solution. It opens school students to risk from members of the public who would not usually be on school grounds.



Public libraries are vital to social infrastructure, providing the indispensable service of facilitating access to information for all.



“Freedom of access to public library and information services is essential to the democratic process and to the social well-being of the Australian community.” From Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Statement on Public Library Services, this can be read in full at http://www.alia.org.au/policies/public.library.services.html



Please use this opportunity to consider how XXXXXXX Library can best meet the information, learning and recreational needs of the XXXXXXX community."

I have forwarded a copy of this letter to our new candidate, in the hope that she will add her voice to the cause.

What about you? Do you have adequate public library service in your area?

Oh No! My local library branch in trouble!

From my son's school newsletter, received today:

"We have received a letter from the Council. Council is considering closing (our local branch) because it is costing them some $40000 a year in rent alone and the volume of borrowing is relatively very low. While having a joint community-school library in our existing library is not feasible because we use it for classes all the time, plus our library computer system is not compatible with theirs, we do have another alternative. I suggested that if the Council were able to persuade the Education Department to leave us with an extra demountable when the new building opens and our surplus demountables are removed then we would be happy for that demountable to be used as a joint facility. Council would staff and stock the Library and it would operate along the same lines as the current branch Library. They would also pay us rent (not 40K obviously) and we would have use of the facility as well. The proposal has gone forward to the Regional Director in (nearby city) for consideration. I know that many people want the Library to remain where it is at the shopping cintre, that's a matter for the community; our offer is intended as an alternative to the total removal of the Library from (our community)."

What a shocker! First I'd heard of it. So I decided to head over to the Council website to dig a little more. Trawling through the minutes of Council meetings is not the easiest going. Anyone would think that they didn't want you to know what was going on! But I was able to find in the minutes of the March 9 meeting:

"Consideration of the operation of (the) Library be deferred until further discussions have been held with the Principal of the Public School and the Department of Education and Training on the use of the school site as an alternate library and a further report come back to Council."

My initial thoughts:

• There are lots of people that wouldn't, for one reason or another, feel comfortable using a branch within school grounds, rather than in a public shopping centre.
• Would the branch only be open during school hours? If not, what are the implications for the school if people are coming in and out when school isn't open?
• Why does the shopping centre charge so much for rent when the Library provides an important community service, and doesn't make a profit?

This is all further to my post the other day (see here) about funding for Public Libraries being "redeployed" by Council by making opening hours shorter. It all seems a bit more sinister now. If they save $40000 a year in rent, plus wages etc by closing my branch, what will that money be spent on?

I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience in a shared community/school library. How does it work?

A Post about Libraries - Shock Horror!

For those of you who don't know, I started this blog as an assessment requirement for my Masters degree in Teacher Librarianship. The idea was to use the blog as a personal learning journal, to record the development of my knowledge about the role of the Teacher Librarian.

Along the way, I somehow hi-jacked the blog for my own purposes, reviewing books, talking about myself and my family, and connecting with lots of other bloggers.

I love blogging! I enjoy having a forum to post my thoughts and photos, and I like the fact that everything I've posted is neatly archived so that I can revisit it if I want to. I have a great time blog-hopping, reading about parenting, fashion, education, current issues, libaries, and lots of silliness and fun!

So, today I'm actually writing a post about libraries. This morning I heard a news story on the radio about the public libraries in my Local Government area. They are shortening their opening hours due to a restructuring of the budget. A quick visit to the Council website confirms that "changes to library hours will bring us closer to the library operations of similar sized Local Government Areas around the state" and that "funds have been reallocated to provide improved library resources and better maintain library facilities and no funding cuts have been made to library budgets".

So, does that mean that I should expect an influx of new books to arrive in my local branch? More computers? More comfortable couches? Just how much money are they saving by reducing hours? And what, exactly, are they going to spend it on? What's better; a reasonably good library that's open long hours, or an excellent library open shorter hours? What serves the needs of the community better?

Speaking of meeting the needs of a community, two ladies from my church run a library of Christian books and other media to serve the needs and encourage the Christians in our community. Visit the library website here, and see what a large catalogue they have managed to amass in the year since they began. Do you know of any private, non-profit libraries in your community? Whose needs do they serve? How successful are they in meeting their goals?

ghost by Alan Lightman

ghost by Alan Lightman.

Borrowed from my local public library.

*** "Engrossing."

From the inside cover: "David is a person of modest ambitions who works in a bank, lives in a rooming house, enjoys books and quiet walks by the lake. Three months after unexpectedly being fired from his job, he takes a temporary position at a mortuary. And there, sitting alone in the 'slumber room' one afternoon at dusk, he sees something that he cannot comprehend, something that no science can explain, something that will force him to question everything he believes in, including himself..."

My local librarian, Adam, knows me well. I'm a "frequent flyer", so to speak. These days, I make good use of the virtual library. I browse the catalogue online, and reserve books that I would like to borrow. I check (online) to see when the books are ready for me, and trot up to the library to pick them up. I have a little chat with Adam about what I'm borrowing, then head next door to the local cafe to pick up a takeaway coffee. Easy.

Last time I was in, Adam pointed out the new books (new to the library, not necessarily newly released) on display behind his desk. This book's cover caught my eye immediately. A quick scan of the inside cover convinced me to try it.

Lightman's protagonist, David, is an appealing, all-too-human character. A thoughtful man, he is surprised to find that working at the mortuary suits him, and his father-son relationship with the director unfolds nicely. David's metaphysical experience unsettles him deeply, and causes him to ponder many unanswerable questions about life, death and reality. He describes his feelings as "skeptism combined with a powerful and unexplainable experience". He feels that he has caught a tantalising glimpse of something usually unseen, and he desperately wants to understand the meaning of it.

Unfortunately, a group called the Society of the Second World hears about David's experience via the local paper, and appropriates it for the purpose of gaining publicity for their organisation. Soon David is the centre of a public row between the scientists from the University and the Society of the Second World over the existence of the supernatural. At the same time, David is struggling to negotiate his confusion over his relationship with his girlfriend, and the sudden reappearance of his ex-wife after 8 years.

I enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and world of the mortuary "family", and I could identify with David's intellectual questions. Unfortunately, though, I found the ending very unsatisfying, leaving far too much unresoved for my liking. This book probably won't be to everyone's taste, but if it appeals to you then you should give it a try.

I'm always visiting the blogs that I follow, to see what they're up to lately. Sometimes I laugh out loud, sometimes I learn something, sometimes I find out about a book I'd love to read.

I'm particularly interested in library-related blogs, being a librarianship student at present. The video above was found at Gina's K.I.S.S. Blog Space.

EER500 Up and Running

I study via distance education, which means that all my study materials and all my communication with teaching staff and other students is online. This semester, one of my subjects is EER500 "Introducation to Educational Research"; and though the semester doesn't begin until March 1st, the subject coordinator already has things up and running on the website. Bless you Beverley Moriarty!

I've been able to read through the subject outline, which goes into great detail about the study schedule for the subject, as well as the requirements for the assessment items. I've even been able to make a start! Hooray for enthusiastic subject coordinators that prepare early! The earlier I make a start, the less stressful the deadlines will be.

The main thrust of the subject is to prepare us to undertake our own educational research, from the point of view of both "how to" design a research question, and bigger research issues such as ethical issues and paradigms of research. It sounds fascinating to me, and I'm very eager to get started.

Our beginning point is to find a recent media release, government report, or similar, relating to an area of interest for us. Students studying this subject have many different areas of specialisation. Mine is librarianship, so I'll be looking for a report that relates to libraries in schools. I've got the idea that I'd like to focus on the implications of the Federal Government's Digital Education Revolution for school libraries and the teacher librarian's role. Wish me luck!  

I have applied for a job!

Now that all my uni work is over for the year, my mind has turned to the actual goal of my study, which is a career change.

After working from home teaching private maths and music students for some time, I am eager to go out to work and see some people!

After much deep thought, I decided that librarianship was the direction that I wanted to move. I love to read and learn, I can work alone or in a team, I'm good with people, and I don't mind routine tasks. To that end, I am studying to become a fully fledged professional librarian.

The job that I have applied for is a library technician role; a perfect stepping stone for me. It is with a company that supplies books and other products to libraries all over Australia. Looking over their website, I feel quite excited at the prospect of working for them!

In the meantime, I am exploring some other options too, including teacher librarian positions in schools.

Wish me luck!