Jul 07 2008
End of an era - for me!
Well, I have not posted here for a long time because so much has been happening professionally and personally. Totally out of the blue really, the perfect (I hope) job opportunity came up that I could not ignore. I had thought that I would stay at my present post until the Grim Reaper came for me!
I set up this blog to enable me to track the developments of the LRC as we moved into the Web 2.0 and School Library 2.0 era. So, I now need to think how I am going to use the blog in my new role.
So - what am I going to be doing? From September, I will be The Librarian (love the title!) in a school where the Library (love the name!) needs refurbishment. Because I will be working on my own, I will be going back to basics again. The refurb will take place in the summer of 2009, so I have a whole year to help the school plan. In the meantime, I will have to do the following (not necessarily in this order):
- Assess the current state of the Library to get the base-line.
- Learn an unfamiliar LMS.
- Stock-take and weed the current stock.
- Clean, cover, label and re-catalogue the stock that is staying.
- Put in place basic library management procedures.
- Get out and meet the staff and pupils.
- Get the staff and pupils excited about the prospect of a new Library.
- Put in monitoring and evaluation systems.
… and so on.
So, will my current interests in the development of technologies go on hold for the time being?
I don’t think so. Because the stock appears to be unable to meet the needs of staff and pupils, I can see that I will be using ICT in, hopefully, innovative ways to give the school a library service that they have not had before.
I need to make an impact, to show the school community just what a Librarian can offer.
Warch this space…
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That’s fantastic news, it sounds like you will find yourself in the same position i was 6 months ago - in an unloved, unused library and a school wanting a fresh start for it but no clue how to begin.
i suppose the difference between us is that i took on the job fresh from uni armed only with my DfES Self Evaluation Framework and lots of ideas!
I’m sure you will approach the challenge significantly better in your first year than I have so I look forward to hearing how you take on the new venture (i might have to steal some of your ideas!)
Fantastic, Anne! That’s exactly the same position I was in four years ago, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. A really exciting opportunity, and a chance to make your mark and define what a librarian should be, when you have no-one else’s shoes to step into, no bad practices to undo, and no impossible image to live up to. The very best of all worlds - I hope that they finance you properly as well for setup, that makes all the difference.
Congratulations Anne, it will be a real challenge and I’m sure you will be very successful.
I started 2 years ago in a partly refurbished school library that still has some way to go (do we ever finish?) It’s great being able to put your own mark on things and make a difference even if you are working solo.
I’m also trying to make ICT work and the school has just set up a VLE so I shall be watching this space for inspiration and ideas.
Well done
Jenny
Thanks for all of the kind comments! Actually I have been the first Librarian or taken over a “struggling” library a few times. What I have not been able to do before is have a year to plan for a refurbishment. That is what I am really looking forward to.
Also, working in a small school….
Anne
I had six - eight months of planning. I had an empty, redecorated room, a budget for furniture and a budget for books! It was fantastic fun, really hard work though - wish you well - Caroline