The Adventures of an International School Librarian

With a little bit of disruption before the Christmas break, where the Head of the School was fired, which put a bit of a damper mood on the school, this semester has been going really well. I feel like I'm settling more and more into the role. There is so much work to be done. Things that have been established so far have been a budget for the library, a new guided reading section and I'm cataloguing the English books now. I needed to take a bit more control in my role as the Head Librarian. Its still completely new to me. I'm still learning and adapting to the role. Only 6 months ago I was still a lowly library assistant. Used to taking orders and managing my own job, not managing jobs for two other people. I love the job. I love the excitement the kids have when they enter the library and find new titles. Last week with MYP 1 & 3 I did speed book dating and it was a huge success. Most of the students went home with a book from another person that had been recommen...

So I entirely forgot about this blog. Whoops! These things do happen. Life tends to get in the way. To catch up over the past two years from where I last left off, I continued to work part time in the library for 2 and half years in total. Then 6 months ago I picked up some more hours and was almost working a full time job. Yet in the back of my mind I was worried about my contracts knowing that they weren't permanent, that job security still lacked. That I was constantly broke. That I had to move home because I couldn't afford to pay rent. So sometime in July I started randomly applying for jobs. I'm not sure I was actually serious about moving away. I think I just really fancied the idea. I'd toyed around for years with the idea. It really was just working up the courage to do so. Then finally in August I was offered a job - in China. My wonderful and amazing boyfriend persuaded me that this was the best decision that I was likely to make. In his words "Stop ...

This summer has been go, go, go in terms of job interviews. Whilst I haven't been exactly successful in the job aspect, it has been informative. I've had 2 Skype interviews with a school in Romania and in Italy. The interview for the school in Romania was interesting, it was over the phone, and I felt a lot more confident in my approach to that interview. I even used BIG words. At the end of the day they were looking for someone who had supervisor skills, something that at the moment, I do not have. The Italian interview, took place whilst I was on holidays in Thailand. It was a face-to-face Skype interview and it was hard. Primarily due to the fact that there was a significant delay, it was hard to get the flow of conversation going. And I had flies landing and driving me insane, so arms were being flung violently around the place. Funnily enough I didn't get the job. It has made me hungrier for an International experience. I personally believe it's the only way ...

NCI are looking for a part time library assistant . The deadline is Friday May 11th. All Hallows College are also looking for a full-time library assistant . In which has to be the first position of it's kind advertised in the past 6 months. A long long drought. The deadline for this one is Friday 18th May. Prepare your CV's!

Apologies for the ridiculously long delay in writing a new post. To be honest not much has been happening in my Library world. I still work as a temporary part time library assistant {phew - what a job title!}, although for the past 3 weeks and for the next 5 weeks I am full time, working 35 hours plus overtime at the weekends. It's great to be getting the extra hours. I know work 2pm-10pm, and thankfully I have a car, if I didn't I think I'd hate working till 10pm every night. Especially as the area I work in, is particularly dodgy. The role is only temporary, as the person who used to do the evenings, has left on a 2 year career break. I'd imagine when the role starts up again in October, they'll get someone new to fill it. So a potential job could be made out here in Trinity! Lately I've been questioning the value of the Masters in Library & Information Studies. I loved the course, it was probably one of my favourite things that I have done.Yet valu...

It's amazing really how quickly time flies. I've now been employed in my current job for an entire month. I have 2 weeks left until my Christmas Holidays, and then we'll be into 2012 when we come back. Initially I was quite disappointed with the role, but I've actually grown to love it. I really enjoy what I'm doing, the shelving, getting to know where the books are kept, especially the Occupational Therapy ones, which most of the students seem to use. Helping the students is great, they seem to be mainly older, possibly 3rd or 4th year students, they know how the library works, so they don't seem to ask for help as much, but the new staff or occasional unfamiliar student will unhesitatingly approach the desk and ask for help. The LMS in the library is Millennium, it's very easy and very very user friendly. Touch wood, it doesn't act up. But I think i've come to grips with it. I try to stay away from the problems that staff members have with ea...

ANLTC's next event is “The show must go on: sustaining libraries in challenging times” on Wednesday 30th November 2011 at Trinity College Library Dublin. Details of the course and a course application form can be found at: http://www.anltc.ie/events/ events-archive/2011-events/ the-show-must-go-on- sustaining-libraries-in- challenging-times/ Target Audience: The course is specifically geared to library staff involved in the provision or management of key tasks and/or staff. Description: The morning session is about how we in academic libraries can meet the challenging times head-on. We have John Cox, University Librarian, NUIG setting the scene. We’ll then hear from Helen Fallon & Lynne Budden about how NIUM is meeting the challenge via Staff Development. Finally we’ll hear from John McDonough, of the Oireachtas Library & Research Service about the Fas JobBridge Programme how it works and its benefits. Then we’ll get tips from practitioners in the field (in UCD and UL) abo...