Blog Every Day in June Day 3: "You never say never'

“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” –A.A. Milne

TO DREAM

What do you want to be when you grow up? A librarian. This has been my answer ever since I was eleven. The teacher librarian at my primary school inspired me then and still does. So with that deep conviction I didn't think anything more about it until high school when I had my first career night. On this night I tracked down the representative promoting this profession and spent hours there finding out all there was to know… 

From high school I went to university and completed a Bachelor of Arts, then because there were no Librarianship studies offered in Newcastle, I came to Sydney and completed a Graduate Diploma in Library Science.

OPPORTUNITIES

Okay so far so good....everything was going as planned then I tried to get a job. All through my working life I am so grateful for the Library Managers who have been prepared to take a chance and it was because of my beginning that I ended up in special libraries. The librarian at a stockbroking library who took on a young librarian with no work experience, the librarian at a lead and zinc smelter who saw my potential, the librarian at a private independent school who could see the knowledge I would bring to her library.

CHANGE

In 2007 I decided that I needed a change after 20 years in special libraries, also deep down I wanted to see if I could be a teacher-librarian (TL). I resigned from my job and back to full-time university I went - completing a Bachelor of Teaching through UTS, what a roller coaster ride! Going back to study was a huge shock, as was trying to get a job without any TL experience (a déjà vu moment) and stepping into a world going through massive changes in technology.

THE FUTURE

If my older self was to tap my younger self on the shoulder and tell her what she would experience in the future I would have said "Don't be ridiculous". What would prepare you for the rate of change I have seen since becoming a TL? The world of BYOD ( bring your own device), the flipped classroom, social media as a teaching and learning tool, ebooks and the great information overload that is the Internet.

 So....to finish I think the only way to sum up my professional working life so far is to use this quote 

"The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different".

With my Primary School Teacher Librarian at the opening of my school's new library - 2012

Jacinta Ebbott is a teacher-librarian at an independent Catholic school in Sydney.

Professional Development musings

Talking about professional development with a colleague got me thinking about motivating staff to actually go to training courses or participate in training opportunities.  I can understand when you have to pay for the training yourself, but when the organisation pays for the training or it's offered free for those in the profession then I'm left perplexed by the refusal to go.  Especially when that same person then goes and complains that they never get an opportunity to upgrade their skill!  Chances are if you say no to training often enough the employer will not bother offering you the opportunity to go to again.

I'm always looking at ways to improve my skills, and by no means am I perfect or even particularly good at everything but I try and learn at least something about the various aspects of librarianship.  My biggest struggle at the moment is motivating others to try and learn a new skill. This is especially true if the skill involves technology, whether a new device or new software/medium. Have to agree with Mary Kelly who on her blog Library Lost & Found said

Chances are that a perfect blend of scheduling, training budgets, and managerial support will not exist.   Often, the reality is that there is nothing to support you and your career.  You – and you alone – will be the only one to care about your career.

We need to take responsibility for our own professional development and look at the courses being offered and seeing if it would enhance our skills even in a small way.  I'm not saying to go to everything but don't say no to something just because you don't know anything about the subject.  The other benefit of going to training seminar/workshops and other professional development opportunities is the opportunity for professional networking.  Sometimes that becomes a valuable opportunity because it gives you the opportunity to find out how others do things and gives you the opportunity to bounce ideas off someone else.


Vesna Cosic