Mentor

I have decided to get a mentor (sounds like I just went out and purchased one!) but seriously I though that since I am a new graduate I would like to be guided by someone who I respect and who I see as being knowledgeable and experienced in the library field and I have to say I am honoured to have the mentor that I have. I feel that I have open two way communication between my mentor and myself but most importantly the benefit of having a mentor is the guidance I am given. After each meeting I reflect on what was discussed and reflect on what advice I was given and sometimes I go and follow the advice (like starting this blog to develop my writing skills) and sometimes I log it in my journal to ruminate for another day. The other side is that of the mentor which also benefits form the partnership in that they are forced to reflect on how they felt and the situations they faced as a graduate and turn that into guidance and not forgetting their problem solving abilities on varying situations.

I came upon the concept of a mentor through my place of employment which I took up straight away. The process is quiet formal whereby forms are filled out in regards to what we both expect to happen through this process and we also set up a kind of a “terms and conditions” which we both agree on such as “what is discussed is between the two of us and cannot be discussed else where” amongst other things. The guidelines run along the same sort of guidelines that ALIA set out in there Mentoring Program.

I have found it so far a positive and enriching experience and I would recommend,  if you are given the opportunity as a new graduate, to take it up.

Blogging

It was suggested to me today that if I wanted to get into writing, say for example journal articles, then one tool that I could use to get my writing skills up to scratch is to blog. Not just once in awhile but everyday, even if it was only a couple of lines. So here I am =^]

I do want to write a journal article on Facebook and libraries in particular how they can be used in academic libraries. I say academic because I work in an academic library but I would be open to hear if anyone in any other sector library uses Facebook in their library.

Graduation

Looking like the cat who swilled the King Island cream

Me feeling rather proud of myself

I’ve just come back from Darwin where amongst other things I finally graduated from university as a librarian. I found (now this may sound daft) that I have closure on that part of my life. I have been qualified since May 08 and working as a librarian at a university since then but I felt that something wasn’t quite “right”. It’s funny how a ceremony can make you feel this way, for me make me feel as if I am a bona fide librarian. Then again when I think about it, the word ‘rites of passage’ is embedded in my mind. Maybe its not so daft after all, when you look at it we as a race have had ceremonies for all facets of lives throughout history and maybe it’s just innate.

Hello world!

Hi Everyone and welcome to my blog which I thought I’d put together to document my entry into my dream job…that of a Librarian! As well as any other superfluous information which enters my head which needs venting!

I am an academic librarian and have been working as a librarian since May 2008. So I am very green!

My hometown is Brisbane, when I was in grade 11/12 nearly every Sunday I would go to the State Library to “study” and end up going a browsing the art books. It was around this time I thought to myself that I would LOVE to be a librarian and hang around all of those books. The other side of it is I love trying to find information, its a challenge that I find interesting (sounds a bit geekie but who cares). 

 

I actually only just recieved my qualification in May 2008 and I graduate in October 2008 (well the ceremony is in October) in Darwin so I’m dragging my family from Perth to Darwin to watch me graduate. Well I’m not exactly dragging them they are all willing participants, in any case who would say no to a holiday!