What it is to be a one person library
It's a weird thing really to be a one person library. I am a bit like one of those musicians you see on the street, playing the guitar and the harmonica and singing, while beating a drum at the same time!
The good thing is: you are never bored!
It will be very rare to find yourself with "nothing to do" because there always be something to do as there are so many facets to the job. You've finished cataloguing and processing all the new books? There might be donations lurking in a corner. You've finished paying all the bills for the magazines you get, there might be some catalogue to have a look at in order to order more textbooks. You've finished updating the French page of links on the webpage? Go on, there are other 199 languages to look at.
The bad thing is (or is it only a bad feeling/thought): do you do everything right? I tend to joke often: "I do everything, badly, but I do everything!" Surely, if you provide some subject help, it will have nothing to do with the quality of a Subject Librarian. Same with cataloguing, how can you possibly compete with a full time cataloguer from the Bodleian when it comes to impeccable records. The biggest issue is prioritising and trying to find quieter moments (the summer mostly) when you can go a bit deeper than just doing what's good enough in the year. For example the guides are updated in the summer, as well as most jobs on the website. The rest of the year will consist of running a broken link checker and removing websites that do not longer exist.
Another bad thing is: you are pretty much married to the place at times. You can go to trainings, but very rarely for the whole day. And another bad thing is: the danger of placing yourself in a nice comfortable time-bubble because you don't known about changes happening outside your library.
Ways to cope: liaising with others. I will, each term, attend the Cataloguer's Forum and the Circulation Forum, it's so important to keep in touch with what's happening and discuss issues with other library staff. At Oxford, I'm lucky, we have the OLIS mailist which links all library staff of the university. And then of course, you can use the LIS jiscmails, such as the general one, or the LIS-COPYSEEK. Another way to cope is to get an ERASMUS at least once a year. The ERASMUS trainee will help you, but also visit other libraries and departments. Ask them to write a detailed report. If they do a good job, it's almost as if you've been there! Great that way to keep up to date!
In order to compare yourself with other librarians, CILIP's information and regular revalidation of your work, should help! In CILIP's intranet, you can also communicate with others (in Webinars for example) and see their revalidation work if they have decided to share it with others. I'm applying for Fellowship now and some candidates have shared their portfolio which is a great help!
The good thing is: you are never bored!
It will be very rare to find yourself with "nothing to do" because there always be something to do as there are so many facets to the job. You've finished cataloguing and processing all the new books? There might be donations lurking in a corner. You've finished paying all the bills for the magazines you get, there might be some catalogue to have a look at in order to order more textbooks. You've finished updating the French page of links on the webpage? Go on, there are other 199 languages to look at.
The bad thing is (or is it only a bad feeling/thought): do you do everything right? I tend to joke often: "I do everything, badly, but I do everything!" Surely, if you provide some subject help, it will have nothing to do with the quality of a Subject Librarian. Same with cataloguing, how can you possibly compete with a full time cataloguer from the Bodleian when it comes to impeccable records. The biggest issue is prioritising and trying to find quieter moments (the summer mostly) when you can go a bit deeper than just doing what's good enough in the year. For example the guides are updated in the summer, as well as most jobs on the website. The rest of the year will consist of running a broken link checker and removing websites that do not longer exist.
Another bad thing is: you are pretty much married to the place at times. You can go to trainings, but very rarely for the whole day. And another bad thing is: the danger of placing yourself in a nice comfortable time-bubble because you don't known about changes happening outside your library.
Ways to cope: liaising with others. I will, each term, attend the Cataloguer's Forum and the Circulation Forum, it's so important to keep in touch with what's happening and discuss issues with other library staff. At Oxford, I'm lucky, we have the OLIS mailist which links all library staff of the university. And then of course, you can use the LIS jiscmails, such as the general one, or the LIS-COPYSEEK. Another way to cope is to get an ERASMUS at least once a year. The ERASMUS trainee will help you, but also visit other libraries and departments. Ask them to write a detailed report. If they do a good job, it's almost as if you've been there! Great that way to keep up to date!
In order to compare yourself with other librarians, CILIP's information and regular revalidation of your work, should help! In CILIP's intranet, you can also communicate with others (in Webinars for example) and see their revalidation work if they have decided to share it with others. I'm applying for Fellowship now and some candidates have shared their portfolio which is a great help!
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