Nicola Semple

For non-library folk, when they think of a library they think of their local library. Public libraries were also my focus when I applied for a place on the Library and Information Management MA at Manchester Metropolitan University – but only due to a lack of knowledge of the profession as a whole.

The year before I applied to the course, I had been ill and subsequently developed severe health anxiety. That and the fact I was turning 30 that year pushed me to reassess everything. I was already in the process of closing my Ltd company (I was a digital consultant for a number of clients) so was ready for something new, but knew that I wanted something that didn’t leave the kind of aftertaste that social media did.

Changing Career

One day, out of curiosity, I did the career planner quiz on the Prospects website:

They all felt so obvious to be honest (well, still not sure about intelligence anaylst…), but libraries and research – why hadn’t I thought of these before? I started applying for library assistant jobs, with very little luck. I had an interview for a library in Yorkshire and was unsuccessful – one reason given was that when discussing what I would do after an event held in the library, I “didn’t mention the washing up of mugs etc”…

I started to wonder if I should just forget it all, surely I shouldn’t throw away all my past experience and knowledge? I started applying for copywriting and social media roles again. I had 3 stages of interviews/tasks at a greetings card company and had an interview at BBC, but was unsuccessful in both. My heart just wasn’t in it, I was being way too picky and clearly, nothing in that profession was going to be right for me anymore.

I was drawn back onto the Prospects website and started to read up about library and archiving roles. This is when I saw a link to the Library and Information Management MA at Manchester Metropolitan University, and the Colwyn and Jean Rich scholarship. The core units of the course already felt familiar to me, as I had some level of knowledge of each. These included:

•  Information Organisations and Their Management
• Evidence Bases in Library and Information Science
• Information Organisation and Search
• E-learning and the Organisation
• Digital Rights
• Assessing Information Seeking Behaviours
• Research Methods

This and the possibility of financial support through the scholarship made it a no-brainer, and helped me to feel confident in this choice. As of 2016, the government have been offering loans for people who want to complete a Masters degree. I figured – what’s the worst that can happen? Of course, at this point I didn’t know I would be completing my postgraduate degree during a pandemic… but that’s a story for another time.

Public Libraries and Masters Degrees

During a stint in public libraries as a library assistant, I was told fairly point-blank by someone in another department that public libraries don’t really value masters degrees, and you have to “start at the bottom like everyone else, and work your way up gradually over time”. This was quite a candid conversation, and an enlightening one, so I don’t knock the person for their honesty. It helped me to understand what my next move would be. But I did have a moment where I thought, ‘what was the point in me paying £8,000 for a postgraduate degree if this was the case? Working in public libraries was the point of me doing all of this – wasn’t it?’

Moving Sideways

Luckily I gained a lot from the MA, and I also gained a real understanding of how vast the profession is with the help of CILIP. But this just made it all the more daunting. What if I moved over to academic libraries and I hated it? What then? This is where Jo Wood’s Librarians with Lives podcast really helped. The great thing about the information profession and the many sectors you can work in, the experience and knowledge you gain from one job will always be in some way relevant to another. There is so much opportunity for moving sideways, that you shouldn’t over-consider your next move, because of a move you think you may potentially (but also may not) make in 10 years time. It helps to be on track in some way, but no decision you make will cut you off from other opportunities.

What Now?

During the pandemic, misinformation became a real talking point within libraries and on social media. I knew I would be moving on from public libraries, the question was, where could I move to that I could really put into practice my skills from my previous experience and knowledge I’d gained from the MA, while also considering my role within the issue of misinformation. While mulling all of this over, a job became available at a large integrated education and skills group, which provides courses for almost every area of education that you can think of. The library team covers all of these courses, with the main focus on FE and HE. I knew that this was an opportunity I couldn’t miss, and I joined the company in June 2021.

Currently, my aim is to broaden my knowledge in every area I possibly can. My role allows me the room to learn and challenge myself every day, as long as I actively ask. So I do. I started a Level 3 course in Supporting Students with Dyslexia and hope to do courses in Autism and BSL in the future.

I truly believe you can never learn too much. You also can never know everything. Grab learning opportunities when you can (especially if it’s free for you to do). You can find events/training by searching on Linkedin and selecting ‘events’. CILIP hold events every now and then, including the CILIP conference of course. There’s the LILAC conference, which is taking place in Manchester in 2022, so if you’re going you will see me there! You can also search for events directly on Eventbrite or Google.

I have recently rejoined CILIP, and recommend you do the same. However, in my personal opinion, the cost outweighs the benefit for those working in a public library. Being a member of CILIP gives you access to their PKSB feature, which will really help in figuring out your strengths and weaknesses, which will help when going for Chartership – though depending on your place of work, Chartership may not make any difference to your role.

I will be learning and sharing a lot on here over the next few years and so welcome you to come along for the ride. I’d also love your questions or advice, so do feel free to message me over on my contact page and I will get back to you ASAP.