Join Your Community!

When starting the MLIS in either UCD, DBS, University of Ulster or distance learning, you are not just starting a college course but joining a profession, an industry and a community.

The great benefit of becoming a librarian at graduate level is that we all come from different academic disciplines and often previous careers. Okay, we tend to skew towards the arts and humanities side of things but many successful librarians have very different backgrounds. Sandra Collins, director of NLI has a PhD in nonlinear fluid dynamics.

Embarking on a new career can be a bit daunting and the best thing you can do as a student is to set yourself up for success by joining your community and this stage. It’s also a good idea to do so now as many organisations offer free or reduced student rates to join or free or concession tickets for events. I would encourage you to go to as many events, conferences, seminars as possible to see what people are doing, what organisations are the big names, the breadth of what library work really is.

So, here at SLIP Ireland we’re going to tell you about some of the top groups to join, websites to check out, hashtags to follow on twitter – librarians love twitter.

But be warned, there is a slight epidemic of an unusual malady affecting the library community not just here at home but also abroad – you will definitely encounter it during your studies and probably in this blog. We’re working on a cure. It is of course…

Librarians seems to just love acronyms. It never even occurred to us to call SLIP anything other than an acronym. The library world can be quite jargon-heavy so don’t feel overwhelmed when you hear someone say a string of seemingly meaningless letters and everyone around you is just nodding along like that actually meant something. You will catch on.

LAI: LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND

The biggest player on the acronym scene is the LAI. They are the professional body representing librarians in Ireland. There are many subgroups, explained below, and as a student you can join for free for two years. The LAI website is under construction at the moment so you can keep up to date on Facebook and Twitter.

Groups of the LAI

These are some of the main groups of the LAI, but there are more. Check in on the new LAI website to see the full list or search around on Twitter.

A&SL: Academic & Special Libraries Group
CDG: Career Development Group
CMG: Cataloguing & Metadata Group
RBG: Rare Books Group
HSLG: Health Sciences Libraries Group
WRSLAI: Western Regional Section

International Groups

CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals
ALA: American Library Association
IFLA: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
SLA & SLA Europe: Special Libraries Association & European section
UKSG: United Kingdom Serials Group

Student & New Professionals Groups

SLIP Ireland: Student Librarians & Information Professionals in Ireland (that’s us!)
NPD: New Professionals Day (Ireland)
NLPN: New Library Professionals Network (UK)
Hack Library School (USA)

Website & Blogs

Hashtags

These are hashtags that are active all year round, many library conferences have specific hashtags – keep an eye on our Twitter account to see when they are coming up.

#LISjobsIE
#libchat
#uklibchat
#critlib
#librarianwardrobe
#saturdaylibrarian
#libraryproblems
#radlibchat
#UXlibs
#openaccess
#scholcomm
#infolit
#medlibs
#librariansforrefugees

All of these groups over various things from great informative blogs and websites, online learning platforms to great events, workshops and conferences. Over the year we will be highlighting are promoting various events around Ireland organised by many of these groups. In February 2019 we will be holding our fourth annual student conference. If you’re looking for work in libraries why not take a look at our previous series of blog posts on Job Searching to find out more info about how and where to look for library jobs in Ireland.

Just starting your MLIS? Take a look at our post on 10 Tools to Survive Your MLIS!

If you’re interested in taking part in SLIP Ireland and have a topic in Library & Information Studies you would love to write about for the blog, take a look at our submission guidelines here. Feel free to drop us an email anytime or send us a DM on Twitter or message on Facebook.

If we missed any groups or sites please leave them in the comments below!

About the author

Clare Murnane is one of the founders of SLIP Ireland. She graduated with an MLIS from UCD in 2015 and now works in UCD Library. If you would like to write for SLIP you can contact Clare on Twitter @SLIPIreland or by emailing clare@slipireland.com.

Mo Chúinne Gaeilge i leabharlann Cabrach

My Irish Corner in Cabra Library

Before embarking on the journey to becoming an MLIS graduate, I began my first library placement in Cabra library last summer. Before making the decision to become a librarian I had worked as a substitute teacher in my local Gaelscoil as well as taking on the role as school librarian. I absolutely adored reading with the children, organising the books, and rearranging the room so that the library seemed less like a stuffy storage space and more of a creative space. When I started in the library I noticed how many of the Irish books were scattered amongst the other collections. Since Cabra library is in the vicinity of Gaelscoils I thought an Irish section would be a fantastic resource for the children. With this idea I started to plan how I might start such a project. The staff in Cabra were so supportive, constantly reassuring and encouraging me to use my initiative.

Including my ordinary tasks of the day, I put aside an hour each morning before our doors opened to work on the project. After moving a few shelves around and making some space, I gradually created a cosy and colourful “Cúinne Gaeilge” in the children’s section. I had so much fun decorating the corner with a helping hand from the children themselves who loved taking part in the project. I took inspiration from Pinterest with my “Road Sign Design” and used well-known fairy-tales translated from English to Irish to give the space a bit of familiarity and magic!

One of the main challenges with this project was categorising the reading level of each Irish book and making it easily comprehensible for both children and parents, specifically non-fluent Irish speakers. It took a while to develop this system but in the end I organised the books into five individual categories and colour coded them to distinguish the categories – Picture books (Leabhair pictúir), Translations English – Irish (Aistriúchán Béarla go Gaeilge), Early Readers (Leitheoirí Óg), Fiction (Leabhair Fiscean / finscéal) and Non-fiction (Leabhair neamhfhicsean).

Thankfully, I got to see the positive reaction and feedback from our regular users before finishing up my placement. The children that visited seemed to love the corner as well as their parents and grandparents who complimented our efforts. Our fluent Irish speakers were also delighted to see a dedicated corner for Irish books and asked whether we would do something similar in the adult section. The development of the Irish corner also encouraged the staff to create a “reference corner” for the children, using the same design. The staff thought that individual corners could be organised by themes, creating a set of different and interesting spaces for the children to read or do their homework.

The Cúinne Gaeilge is something very special to me as it allowed me to contribute something unique to the library and at the same time, promote a required resource for the community and local schools. The staff in Cabra were so encouraging and supportive, constantly reassuring me that I was doing a great job and that the corner would be maintained and continued after I left. It was only recently that a librarian from another public library contacted me about how their library had implemented their own “Cúinne Gaeilge” after I had shared my idea on a visit. This was so rewarding to hear as I know just how important Irish books are to students, children, and adult learners. I am hoping that this new, colourful, and welcoming corner will give books “as Gaeilge” a new lease of life and encourage children to take a seat and enjoy the world of Henrí Dána and Fionn Mac Cumhail.

About the Author

Saoirse De Paor is currently completing my MA in Information and Librarian Studies at University College Dublin. She previously graduated with a BA in Geography, Classics and Nua-Gaeilge from Maynooth University. She has previously worked as a substitute teacher in my local primary Gaelscoil and also as their school librarian. She undertook her eight-week library placement in Cabra Library which allowed her to gain a massive amount of experience working in a public library. The staff at Cabra constantly encouraged her to share my ideas and take the initiative! She also got to visit the staff in Pearse St Library and Ballyfermot Library which provided her with a fantastic insight into the different projects and programmes libraries are currently rolling out.

SLIP Ireland Student Conference 2018

With only two weeks to go make sure you have registered to get your free ticket to the SLIP Ireland Conference 2018. The schedule and the abstracts are now available #SLIP2018.

SCHEDULE

10:20 – 10:45 Registration and Networking

10:45 – 10:50 Opening Remarks

10:50 – 11:10 Keynote – Jane Burns

11:10 – 11:20 Jesse Waters “To be or not to be an information professional? Be”

11:20 – 11:25 Gillian McCarthy “To be an information professional”

11:25 – 11:35 Alice Morrissey “Practising While Learning: My Perspective ”

11:35 – 11:45 Anita Cooper “Translation: learning the language to communicate relevant skills”

11:45 – 11:50 Questions

11:50 – 12:00 COMFORT BREAK

12:00 – 1:00

Academic Panel “Libraries and Archives, what is the difference?”

Kalpana Shankar – UCD, Head of the School of Information & Communication Studies (ICS).

Marie O’Neill – DBS, Head of Library Services.

Jessica Bates – UU, Course Director of Library & Information Management MSc.

Jacinta Prunty – MU, Head of History.

Elizabeth Mullins – UCD, Director of the MA in Archives and Records Management programme.

1:00 – 2:00 LUNCH (tea/coffee and sandwiches will be provided)

2:00 – 2:10 Sharon Healy “From the Archive to the Web: Dilemmas with Digital Scholarly Editions”

2:10 – 2:20 Michael Kurzmeier “Smart tools, smart users?”

2:20 – 2:30 Lucy McKenna “MLIS to PhD – Making the move from Information Studies to Computer Science”

2:30 – 2:35 Questions

2:35 – 2:45 Tamsin Reilly “Balancing studies with working in an academic library”

2:45 – 2:55 Colleen Ballard “It’s Not About the Book: Expectations and Realisations”

2:55 – 3:05 Emma Doran “Finding Your Feet In The Professional World: First Steps Away From The MLIS”

3:05 – 3:10 Questions

3:10 – 3:20 COMFORT BREAK

3:20 – 4:20

Practitioners Panel “What kind of information professional will you be?”

Lorna Dodd – Library Association of Ireland (LAI)

Jayne Finlay – CILIP Ireland

Siobhan McGuinness – SLA Europe

Sarah Foley – British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL)

Pearl Quinn – Archives Records Association, Ireland (ARA,I)

TBC – Information and Records Management Society (IRMS)

4:20 – 4:30 Closing Remarks

END

Join conference participants at a nearby venue for more networking

ABSTRACTS

Jesse Waters “To be or not to be an information professional? Be”

To be or not to be an information professional, that is the question. But not a question that I have to ponder for very long. I have been working in academic libraries, be it voluntarily, part-time or full-time, since 2013. While it has been difficult to secure full-time employment in the profession since graduating from UCD in 2015, I find librarianship to be very rewarding. Despite external perceptions, it can be a very social and enjoyable line of work that offers a variety of interesting challenges and opportunities. Challenging in that you encounter a diverse range of people, need to learn new skills consistently, and rarely get the same query twice. But opportunistic also for the same reason that you are constantly learning new skills, whether by working with others or getting involved in projects. In this presentation I will talk about what made me want to join the profession, and what makes me want to make a career as an information professional. I will also touch on opportunities and challenges that have arose for me to date.

Jesse Waters is a library assistant at Trinity College Dublin, a 2015 graduate of the MLIS from UCD, and has five years experience working in academic libraries. He has worked in six libraries across five institutions to date including Trinity College Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, University College Dublin, the University of Limerick, and the Limerick School of Art and Design. His professional interests include CPD, user experience, information literacy, and student engagement. He tweets @jessewaters061

Gillian McCarthy “To be an information professional”

The promotion of library and information sciences is a key issue in whether a person decides “To be or not to be an information professional”. I noticed that a large majority of my peers (myself included) did not become aware of the possibility of being information professionals until during or after our undergraduate degrees, if not much later in life. It was not mentioned during career guidance classes or recruitment drives at either second or third level education.
Despite the fact that library science and archival graduates possess the top skills employers report seeking, such as communication skills, I.T skills and problem-solving abilities, it is not a career path that is widely marketed to prospective students.
Therefore, I want to present a recruitment poster which promotes and identifies the skills required to be an information professional, along with the potential careers that can be obtained with a library qualification in both the public and private sector.
To take inspiration from the conference’s Hamlet theme, the poster will be titled “To Be an information professional” with a (friendly, non-gendered) skull sitting atop a stack of books which state job titles along their spines. Beside the skull will be a checklist of abilities required for these positions. I hope the poster will provide an alternate view to the stereotype of the shushing librarian while also raising the profile of our capabilities to other recruiters at job fairs.

Gillian McCarthy is currently studying for her MLIS qualification in UCD having previously graduated from UCC with a BA in English and History. She is particularly interested in how public and academic libraries engage with their communities through outreach services.

Alice Morrissey “Practising While Learning: My Perspective ”

This presentation will examine my perspective of studying for the MLIS while beginning work in a library without any previous library experience.
Entering the field without knowing what to expect and trying to fill the gap in your knowledge can be daunting. With this presentation, I hope to highlight how this gap can be bridged by learning on the job concurrently with studying. There are many advantages to having this experience, both from the student perspective and from a staff perspective, including but not limited to knowledge of library resources, time management, and real-world applications of theory. I will consider what I have learned while training on the job, and how that compares to what I am being taught in the MLIS.

Alice Morrissey is a current full-time MLIS student in UCD. Alongside her studies she works part-time at the service desk in the James Joyce Library. She has a B.A. in History from Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests relate to the changing nature of reference services provided by academic libraries. Twitter: @AliceMorrissey9

Anita Cooper “Translation: learning the language to communicate relevant skills”

This presentation will demonstrate how I was able to translate and communicate my experiences and skills from a career in investment accounting/reporting into a new role as an information professional. There are similar skills between the two fields which needed reflection and translation in order to effectively relate their relevance. Also, I will show a way to approach a job spec, evaluate required skills, and translate previous experience from a different sector (eg. financial, retail) to a library/information role.

Anita Cooper (@anitaocooper) graduated from Dublin Business School in 2016 with the MSc in Information and Library Management. She is currently working in her first professional post as an Assistant Librarian, Early Printed Books and Special Collections/Bibliographic Data Management, Trinity College Dublin cataloguing 19th century children’s books. Before qualifying as an information professional, Anita had a long career in the investment services sector in Ireland and Canada.

Sharon Healy “From the Archive to the Web: Dilemmas with Digital Scholarly Editions”

Two longstanding activities associated with humanities computing/digital humanities (DH) are digital archiving and digital scholarly editing. Both activities can be traced to the pre-Web era and gained prominence from the mid-1990s due to advances in digitisation technologies, combined with the development of the Web in the public domain. While they have characteristics in common such as the digitisation of texts/documents and the provision of access to the digital surrogates in an online environment, it is worth noting that they are not the same thing.

Sahle defines scholarly editions as the “critical representation of historic documents” (23), with a digital scholarly edition (DSE) being a scholarly edition that is “guided by a digital paradigm in [its] theory, method and practice” (28). Characteristics of a DSE include the digitisation, transcription, and encoding of texts/documents for presentation in the HTML environment, with added contextualisation through hyperlink annotations and/or multimedia. While the tasks involved in producing a DSE seem relatively straightforward, nonetheless, DSE projects often run the risk of not being completed on time or within budget. For instance, problems arise from underestimating the length of time it will take to complete a task, a failure (at the start) to configure the parameters and constraints of the proposed web platform to be used, and a major dilemma is Scope Creep. Thus, the aim of this presentation is to provide some useful tips for early career information professionals on how to avoid some of the pitfalls in producing a quality DSE within time-frame and budget.
Bibliography

Sahle, Patrick. “What is a Scholarly Digital Edition?” Digital Scholarly Editing: Theories and Practices, edited by Matthew James Driscoll and Elena Pierazzo. Open Book Publishers, 2016, pp. 19- 43. Open Access

Sharon Healy is a PhD candidate in Digital Humanities at Maynooth University and is a recipient of the John and Pat Hume Doctoral Scholarship. Her research focuses on bridging the gap between the creation of web archives and the use of web archived materials for current and future research in the humanities and social sciences.

Michael Kurzmeier “Smart tools, smart users?”

There is a plethora of digital tools available for all kinds of needs – and of course they all claim to be the best there is. But when and how can you use them to actually get added value to your work? Rather than showing you my favorite apps, my presentation is going to show how to identify criteria that tell enabling digital tools from restricting ones. As diverse as our research is, we share common needs when it comes to referencing, writing and generally not loosing our work. Also when teaching, we need to find a way to communicate digital literacy beyond buzzwords and hype. My presentation is going to be based on my own experiences from B.A. to PhD level and illustrate a set of criteria for productive use of digital tools in research. It keeps a focus on information management
and emphasizes the importance of open interfaces and user agency.

Michael Kurzmeier is a PhD candidate in Digital Humanities supervised by Susan Schreibman. His thesis investigates questions of preservation and presentation of digital cultural heritage. The age of digital communication as also the age of massive data collection driven by very different intentions. As those archives serve as memory agents for current and future ways to remember and portrait the past, it is necessary to understand the challenges and opportunities that an increasing digitization of memory brings. Michael received his BA European Literature from Marburg and MA American Studies from Tübingen University. He has worked for DARIAH and has a strong interest in open source hard- and software as well as previous experience as an IT Manager. @mkrzmr

Lucy McKenna “MLIS to PhD – Making the move from Information Studies to Computer Science”

Is a PhD for me? Is there a role for Information Professionals in Computer Science? Why should libraries be interested in the Semantic Web? This presentation will focus on answering these three questions based on the speaker’s personal experience of becoming a PhD student.

Firstly, I will discuss the experience of becoming a PhD student. This will include advice on deciding whether a PhD is for you, and a discussion of my experiences so far in my research journey.

Secondly, I will present on the process of transitioning from Information Studies to Computer Science. This will include a discussion of the challenges I faced, how I overcame these challenges, and why I believe Information Professionals have a lot to contribute to the Computer Science domain.

Finally, I will offer a little snapshot of my research which focuses on designing user interfaces for Information Professionals with the aim of increasing their engagement with the Semantic Web and Linked Data.

Lucy McKenna (@LucyMaryMcKenna) graduated from UCD with an MLIS in 2015. In 2016 she began a PhD in Computer Science with the ADAPT Centre in Trinity College Dublin. The focus of her research is on engaging Information Professionals with Linked Data.

Tamsin Reilly “Balancing studies with working in an academic library”

In this presentation I draw on my own experience as a distance learner with the University of Ulster and as a member of staff at University of Bath Library to reflect on the advantages and difficulties of combining work and study. I explore how studying for a postgraduate qualification in Library and Information Management and working in an academic library have, in my case, been mutually beneficial. Both my work experience thus far, and also the culture of support and encouragement for staff development in my current workplace, have had a positive impact on my studies, while my course of study at UU and my fellow students have stimulated my enthusiasm, contributing to the progression of my career. I look at how studying alongside a cohort working in a variety of libraries has ensured that I have good knowledge and understanding of the wider library landscape and am not limited to the sector in which I work, thereby helping to further my development in the library profession. I also examine some of the difficulties inherent in undertaking a qualification that combines both study and work; not least in terms of striking the right life-work balance.

Tamsin Reilly has worked as a Library Assistant in Stranmillis University College and Queen’s University Belfast, as a Senior Library Assistant in University of Bath, and she is currently an Information Librarian at the University of Bath and is studying for a qualification in Library and Information Management with the University of Ulster where she is about to embark on her fourth module as a distance learner.

Colleen Ballard “It’s Not About the Book: Expectations and Realisations”

Reflection is a key component of modules within MLIS. This presentation is a verbal reflection on what I imagined MLIS was, a realisation of the reality, and how I adapted to this. The role of information professional had escaped me as I contemplated studying MLIS, and the significance of this position, as is taught, as a primary role in librarianship was initially disappointing. I had envisioned a focus on books, forgetting that time and methods of study move on with society’s needs and uses. I reflect on my feelings and prospects, how I reassessed my perspective and enabled an element of acceptance for what I had not expected. Yet, I also found ways to incorporate subjects that interested me into my assignments, holding on to my passion for literature and ephemera. I acknowledge that there is room, potential and opportunity for persons whose preference is “not to be” an information professional as I currently interpret the role, in library services, but who wish to contemplate niche areas or roles that retain their specialised interests, whilst facilitating a useful contribution to the field and hopefully, personal fulfilment.

Graduating in 2017 in B.A. Joint Honours in English and New Media, and recipient of the award for First Place in Arts, Humanities and Social Science from the University of Limerick, Colleen Ballard is currently a student of MLIS at UCD. She enjoys the research and writing aspects of academic assignments. Her interests include books, ephemera and cultural heritage.

Emma Doran “Finding Your Feet In The Professional World: First Steps Away From The MLIS”

Finding your feet in the professional world is no easy task, this is especially true for new & developing library and information professionals looking to branch out and establish themselves in careers after completing their studies. My presentation aims to explore and share some of the advice I received from successful Information Professionals currently working in the field, steps I took and valuable lessons I learned along the way as a new librarian hoping to establish myself and my career in the profession.

Emma Doran is a Special Collections & Archives Library Assistant at Maynooth University and a 2016 graduate of the MLIS at University College Dublin. She published her first poster and placed first in the 2017 LAI/CILIP Conference. Emma is also a committee member of the Information Professionals Network and the Chairperson of the LAI Career Development Group. Her twitter handle is @tumbling_tomes and she welcomes new connections on LInkedIn.