How to prepare for Library School MA interviews: ... UCL (Part 1)

Yesterday I left work early, caught the train to London, had the world’s tastiest lunch-to-go from Wasabi Bento (Chicken Yakisoba… it was absolutely bloody divine) and arrived 35 minutes early for my interview at UCL’s Department of Information Studies.

 As I arrived so early, I had a brief meander round UCL’s Bloomsbury campus and once I found the department, got chatting to some of the post-grad students on the Publishing course, all of whom were really friendly and made me feel at home from the word go. 

I was surprised, but pleasantly so, at how small the department is – it looks really too small in size considering that it offers five taught Masters courses in Library and Information Studies, Archiving, Publishing, Digital Humanities and Information Science. But it does mean that everybody seemed to know each other, and the department felt really intimate, friendly and relaxed. Cue lots of people spilling out of the common room and eating lunch on the floor before classes started for the afternoon. My English department at uni consisted of four loooooong corridors of offices piled on top of each other, while seminars were in a variety of buildings across campus. And as for a common room...? Don't be daft!

I was also pleasantly surprised by how nervous I wasn't... I always prep a lot for interviews, as it doesn't hurt to be prepared, but one of the downsides of that is that I have a mental ticklist about 3 miles long in my head, of all the things I should mention. Said ticklist tends to make me quite nervous before interviews.

But, although I prepared well for my interview, I didn't feel anxious about it at all. I had a heard a lot of positive things about how informal and friendly UCL's interviews had been for previous students, who are now librarians working in Cambridge, and in a Library School workshop we had a few months back, Vanda Broughton of UCL said along the lines of: if there's one thing you take away, remember it's not a job interview. So I went in knowing a few things I wanted to say but remaining calm. Which was a nice (albeit alien) feeling!

My preparation before my interview consisted of:

1) Reading through the module descriptions. At UCL you take six core modules: Cat & Class, Collection Management and Preservation, Information Sources and Retrieval, Management , Principles of Computing and IT,  and Professional Awareness... and then the dissertation. But on top of that you can also pick two optional modules in areas that interest you. Out of the 9 available, I managed to create a 'short-list' (haha)... of six! I am still unsure whether it's best to completely dedicate yourself to one sector (as for the competitive rare books market, you need all the experience you can get!) or to split myself more evenly and take some more digital/knowledge management type courses that will enable me to work in broader information sectors outside libraries alone. I managed to narrow it down to four after much re-reading on the train: Advanced Preservation, Digital Resources in the Humanities, Historical Bibliography and Creation & Capture (an archival module about record management). This was probably the most important section of my preparation, as most of the interview centred around my interests and career plans and how I was planning to develop them at UCL.

2) Rereading my personal statement. As I wrote this at the beginning of November, I thought it'd be a good idea to go over what I'd written and refresh my memory. As always there was the obligatory cringe-worthy sentences ("Did I really write that?") but - seeing as the interviewers had it in front of them - it's a pretty good indicator of where they will steer the conversation. For instance, I wrote about the formal RDA and AACR2 training I'd been to at the UL, which Anne Welsh asked me more about because cataloguing is her area of expertise.

 3) Updating and printing off a copy of my training log. We are encouraged at Newnham to keep a spreadsheet of all the training we've been to or had in-house. I also find it useful as a place to record visits I've been on... so conferences, lectures, and trips to other cities organised through the traineeships; those organised of my own accord, such as Library Camp, British Library exhibitions and Festival of Ideas talks; and day-to-day/one-off tasks and responsibilities I carry out in my job. Having a list of all the different things you do - cataloguing, enquiries, purchase orders, book requests, displays, rare books, the dreaded shelving - really makes you realise just how much you do as a graduate trainee. My list is at least 40 items long, and that's just tasks in our library!
       I thought this would be a really useful thing to whack out in the middle of the interview (and look really impressive!) but I never got round to it - but it was certainly a useful exercise anyway, because it helped me to analyse all the different aspects of my job and consolidate them in my head.

4) Reading around current issues. My current project at the moment, when I have 10 free minutes at work, is to create a library 'glossary'. As someone who's only worked in libraries for 2 and a half years, and only in a more professional capacity in the last 6 months, there seem to be a LOT of buzz-words in the profession which keep passing me by. The library blogging community is so helpful for quickly getting an overview of current trends and issues, and for understanding terms such as open access, service provision, metadata etc., as well as current special collections exhibitions. It's a cliched one but being able to talk about the wider library community, outside Cambridge (or your own city) just shows enthusiasm for you, if nothing else.


5) Remembering to smile! Even if I'm nervous for an interview and believe me (I was terrified for my graduate trainee interviews) I think the worst mistake you can make is look scared, or worse, bored. I'm not saying you can't be serious in an interview, as for job interviews in particular you want to look professional, but you can be down-to-earth and serious about what you do without coming across as Eeyore's long lost cousin. Even if I'm trembling inside, I always go into an interview beaming from ear to ear and forcing myself to be outgoing. And it works! Not only do first impressions mean a lot, but if I look happy and confident, it makes me believe in my ability more and I actually feel confident and passionate as a result.

The interview itself was more like a passionate chat over coffee (minus the coffee) than anything I've ever experienced before! I was interviewed by Anne Welsh and Lucy Gildersleeves, and rather than being structured as strict questions and answers -  interviewers talk, I talk -  the conversation just flowed into different topics, covering everything from rare books to cataloguing to working in the corporate sector.

I have decided to split this post into two because it's quite long already, and I'd like to dedicate a whole post to my experience of the interview itself, because it might help anyone who has yet to interview this year (2014) or would like to study there in the future. So I will link that post below (when I get round to writing it)!

Overall, I actually really enjoyed the experience - I came out feeling positive and happy with how it had gone, and it was definitely the least stressful 'interview' I've ever had!

Meriel x

Naughty November and the dreaded 'Personal Statement'

Ok, so successfully managed to make it all the way through November without posting anything ... not my finest hour!

I have been spectacular at procrastinating - I've actually got lots typed up in notes form from different events, training, research I’ve done… but not got round to the headache that is typing them into coherent paragraphs. In all fairness though, The month of November has been a busy one in my library - Cambridge only has 8 week terms, so the four weeks of November (half the entire term) were ones of last-minute essay writing, printers breaking (a lot), rushing new books through processing so people could borrow them for Christmas, and the obligatory confusion over Vacation Borrowing. Cue lots of enquiries about due dates, renewing books, and the rules on borrowing 3 day loans. In that time I also went to the Library of Birmingham for Library Camp (one of the best experiences of the year so far!), travelled back to uni for a weekend, sat my driving test twice (and passed!) and went to a fantastic event called 'Late at the Library' at the British Library, to launch their new Georgians Revealed exhibition.

However, the single most time-consuming task for November was writing my personal statement for the Library and Information Studies course at UCL. On November 7th the Cambridge trainees had a fantastic session at Pembroke College, where we were joined by Professor Vanda Broughton of UCL, Dr. Stephen Pinker of Sheffield University, and Dr. Lyn Robinson of City University. We heard about the library post-graduate courses that their institutions offered, and what sort of things each department specialised in. 

I have always had a strong interest in special collections, for which UCL is the obvious choice, offering two or three different modules on rare books, and having some overlap with their Archive course, whereas most other university courses have one module on it, if at all. It does, however, have cataloguing as a core module... which is most certainly not my strong point at this current point in time. But any course is swings and roundabouts!

However, the deciding factor - as indeed it is for many library students - is practicality. I really found the course on offer at Sheffield appealing, much more, if I'm honest, than I was expecting it to! I was certain that I wanted to attend UCL, but Sheffield’s course genuinely made me reconsider for a moment. But even if I worked part-time on the side, I could not afford to live away from home with £8000 masters fees and living costs! For me, it makes more sense to live back at home and commute the 40 minutes to Kings Cross, which is conveniently located next to UCL. Plus, the full-time course at UCL is only 2 or 3 days a week, so I could finance my studies alongside. Distance learning is never something I've considered - I enjoy the lecture and classroom environment too much as a student, and I know I'd over-stress myself trying to juggle a full time job with my post-graduate qualification in my own time. 

So on 23^rd November, I submitted my application for UCL’s Library and Information Studies course! My supporting statement went through many incarnations and I had several intense sessions in Starbucks armed with nothing more than a toffee nut latte and an overcrowded CV. As always, with applications, being concise is not something I excel at! And most of my free time in November was spent tweaking it, cutting it down and condensing five sentences into one. I think for the majority of information professionals ‘organisation skills’ are their life-blood, but perfectionism can be an inhibiting personality trait. Even for me, spending a month perfecting a page and a bit of A4 and  a two page CV is a bit much! So I was glad to get it sent off, satisfied that it accurately represented my experience and interests, but more importantly: me, as a candidate and student. One tip I received was that your library school application is not a job application. Yes, it’s important to consult the prospectus, to see whether you have enough experience and whether you are personally suited to the skills taught on the course. But at the end of the day, a degree course is for learning and self-development; you are not, like a job, expected to walk into an MA knowing all about the degree content already.  

I would be interested in knowing how other students have found the process, what courses they’ve applied to and what the deciding factor for them was. I got to know a few students and fellow grad trainees when I went to Library Camp two weekends ago, which was an invaluable experience. But that’s a whole other blog post!

Meriel x

Things to come

I've been thinking over the weekend of different topics to blog about. The list is currently quite extensive! Top of the list at the moment is applying to library schools... two of the other Cambridge trainees and I met at Costa on Saturday, to talk about the different courses on offer at various institutions. The deadlines begin in December so that's definitely high on my list of priorities. I'll let you know how the process goes!

To-blog list:

1.  Preparing for library school
2. Comparing courses... which one is best for me?
3. The CILIP New Professionals Day that I attended a few weeks ago
4. Media Librarianship (one of the talks I went to)
5. E-resources and digital services
6. Cambridge Library Group events... and being on the committee!
7. What is a librarian?
8. Tackling misconceptions
9. Book displays I'm working on
10. Newnham College Library Tour
11. CATALOG - the Cambridge Trainee Blog
12. Training courses I've been on - AACR2, MARC 21, RDA, Voyager and more to come...
13. Man Booker prize and encouraging reading for leisure
14. Kindles and ebooks
15. A bibliography resource hand-out I've been trialing in our library
16. The benefits of social networking (looking particularly at the Judge Business School)
17. Book of the month - both fiction and professional
18. Library visits throughout the year
19. Librarians in fiction
20. Staff room cake of the month...
21. The "Library Shaming" Tumblr
22. Libraries and bookshops... what makes them so nice?
23. The CILIP name change - necessary or not?
24. Blog of the month (and featured blogs)
25. Thinking outside the box: information skills and alternative career paths

As you can see... quite a list! I'm starting to read more and more blogs, ranging from fully-fledged professionals and other trainees who, like me, are still flying the nest, and am getting new ideas for topics to cover all the time. 

Meriel xo

The logic behind the title...

Forgot to mention in my first post - I spent ages trying to come up with an interesting name for my blog (it is notoriously difficult). I settled for 'Aisles of Wonder' in the end, partly because I had just shelved the Tempest, and partly because it reminded me of the 2012 London Olympics.

It was originally going to be called 'This Sceptr'd Aisle'. I knew I wanted to pun isle/aisle but I couldn't remember the quote from the Tempest about 'isles'... it turns out that the opening line is "be not afeard; the isle is full of noises" which is not hugely appropriate for a quiet college library! "This sceptr'd aisle" is a quote from Richard II but it ended up sounding a bit archaeic and, let's face it, a bit of a dull blog name.

But the Tempest quote reminded me of the Olympic opening ceremony, which of course opened with Kenneth Branagh and his marvellous top hat celebrating the best of British culture. I particularly loved the children's literature section, and as a book-lover was immensely glad that books were included and celebrated as an integral part of Britain. I'm sure they could have quite easily been overlooked if the Olympic offices were anything like the BBC programme "2012"!

Libraries up and down the country, whether public libraries, legal archives, or museums housing national treasures are full of aisles and aisles worth of knowledge, enough to keep any of us reading and learning for a life time. I am really missing being back at uni at the moment and I actually miss having research and work to do. I'm glad that I'm still in a place that I get to find out new things every day :-) I doubt many other professions could offer that level of awe on a weekly basis.

Hence: Aisles of Wonder!

Meriel x

Meriel's umpteenth attempt at blogging

So I have bitten the bullet and finally decided to start blogging for the umpteenth time - but this time, for professional reasons.

I must say, since I started looking into library and information services as a career, I have been absolutely astounded by just how big an online community there is for librarians. I humanly can't keep up with all the different platforms, topics, discussions, forums, e-conferences and other sorts of online presences that librarians in the UK and further afield use. If I did, I would be glued to my laptop screen for a good 23 hours a day, which is not conducive to keeping up a full time job!

But since I have now been working at Newnham College for almost two months (!) I've decided that, since my position as graduate trainee is only a year long post, I might as well keep a log of it for my benefit, if not for anyone else's.

Already I have learnt so much in six or seven weeks. I had a lovely student come to the enquiry desk the other day and she said "I've never really been sure what librarians do when they're not talking to students or shelving books..." and I honestly had to hold myself back from listing all the tasks I've done so far! Despite working in my university library, my job now is so much more varied and I am so excited about all the things I will get to experience this year as part of the trainee programme put together by the Cambridge trainee employers.

One of the other reasons I wanted to start this blog was as a way of challenging the very stereotype that so many people - students or otherwise - hold of anyone in the knowledge professions. As a 21 year old who has quite a wide range of interests, is straight out of uni, doesn't hate people and who doesn't knit or own a cat, I know a lot of people think that I am not the 'typical' librarian, and think that I am choosing a career which isn't interesting, or exciting, or challenging.  But I am so eager to show people that there is so much more to the knowledge and information profession than all the stereotypical connotations that the word 'librarian' conjures up in peoples' minds. As much as I obviously love working with books (I would quite like to specialise in rare books for my masters) I also love helping people improve their research skills, broaden their reading or think outside the box. As far as I'm concerned, that is the polar opposite of peering over my glasses and telling them to SHHHHHHHHH. Librarianship and other information professions should be user focused and user led, and it's incredibly disappointing that people can be so narrow minded and judgemental, when our only aim is to provide a good service and help people . More to follow on that particular train of thought.

I am hoping to put up a post later in the week about the experiences I've had of Newnham College Library so far, and also posting a brief(ish) overview of the ideas I've got for some posts.

If you are a librarian or information professional yourself, please feel free to comment and suggest ideas or useful blogs that I can draw inspiration from, they would be hugely appreciated. Or, just introduce yourself or become my first follower!

Meriel x

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