A Librarian: the Beginnings!

I remember going to the local library as a child.  My mother used to bring my younger sisters and I to it on a weekday evening maybe once a month, and we would return and take out books.  It seemed like a great novelty at the time.  My love for browsing began there!  In some primary school classes also, we had small collections of books that would be referred to as a “library”, and we could take out books and return them as we pleased.  In the latter part of my teens then, I spent two summers working in the same local library that I used to go to as a child.  However, it wasn’t until two years after I had completed my undergrad that I began to seriously consider working in a library as a career. 

I guess the factor that influenced my decision to embark on this career was the fact that I had worked in a library before and found it to be an enjoyable experience.  I found great pleasure in flicking through books and finding out interesting titbits of information that I hadn’t come across before.  I had had my share of work experiences that weren’t altogether that enjoyable and knew that if I was going to spend 40-odd years of my life doing something, I had better get some sense of satisfaction from it!  What appealed to me the most during those two summers of work experience in my local branch library was that the library itself was very much a community hub.  Events, exhibitions, and public readings were regularly held there.  That, and the library team’s main aim was to always help the patrons in any way possible, whether it was searching for or recommending a book, or spending time aiding some of the older patrons with computers and the internet.  The library also had a small archives section which interested me to no end!  I still have a fascination for items that come from a different time!

After completing an undergraduate degree in Arts (English and History), I took a break from study for a number of years.  I figured it would be a good idea to get out into the workplace, save some money, and spend some time thinking about what kind of career I would like to embark on.  I definitely had a good idea of what I didn’t want to be, but when it came to what I wanted to be, things were much hazier.  One week I would consider zoology, the next psychology.  At different points over those in-between years I had considered many things from journalism to teaching, and loads in between!  I finally realised that I had an interest in knowledge in general, and becoming a librarian seemed to fit with this.  So in early 2013 I applied to UCD for the Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies and began the course the following September.

The course was very work-intensive and difficult at times, but it was enjoyable.  I had been so long out of college that I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed learning new things, and finding new perspectives.  Upon finishing the course I admittedly wasn’t prepared for the difficulties I would face in securing work in my chosen field.  I had begun to lose hope on securing anything in Ireland and started making plans to move to London in order to find experience.  About a fortnight before I was due to leave I got an interview for a 5 month contract in the University of Limerick, and was delighted when I was informed that I had secured the job.  I am now more than half way through my term in UL, and I am hopeful that I will secure employment in Ireland again.  Nevertheless, London still remains and option “just in case”.  Although I am still only very much at the beginning of my career, one thing I am certain of (and my experiences so far in the Glucksman Library in UL has compounded this for me) is that I am in the right career!