SOTA300
from the late 19th century bound together
in 31 volumes and covering a vast, and
arguably quite random, selection of topics.
For example, there are pamphlets relating
to economics, politics, religion and history,
with a handful of them even concerning the
level of drunkenness in Liverpool.
Placement journal (excerpts)
4 Nov 2015
My first day on placement. l met briefly the librarians who work the Wednesday shift as well
as Steph, a volunteer who will be assisting the archivist. I got to know everybody better
during our tea break. This was a fantastic opportunity for networking because, although I
was nervous, it was very relaxed thus encouraging me to talk more.
11 Nov 2015
I was introduced to the Jackson Pamphlets since my project set by the Library is to create
for library visitors, a leaflet about these pamphlets. l was given copies of previous leaflets
to look through for inspiration.
2 Dec 2015
t did some cataloguing with Steph. This involved logging in the details of books such as
their title, author and topic onto the Library’s online catalogue using Heritage Management
Software. When logging in which topics a book covered, we could not read each and every
book, so we referred firstly to the blurb and then to the Copac database to see how other
libraries had catalogued it.
6 Jan 2016
First day back after the Christmas holiday. I assisted Steph in repladng the labels on book
spines. They had either faded or the writing on them was so small that there had been
complaints that they could not be read. I had to ensure that my writing, which is small
anyway, was big enough to read so I had to have it checked a few times.
20 Jan 2016
Nikki is hoping that I could stay on after my placement finishes so that I can see how
she transfers the data from our survey to the archive’s catalogue. The reason for creating
the survey first is so that she knows exactly what to put in the catalogue. I am willing to
stay on because there are close similarities between archiving and librarianship, such as
cataloguing and the handing of old items.
This placement has enabled me to develop
existing skills such as creativity (through
the creation of my leaflet), my ability to work
as part of a team (through me assisting the
librarians and the archivist), my customer
service skills (by dealing with enquiries
from library users), and my organisation
skills (through me needing to balance the
preparation of my leaflet with my other
tasks and responsibilities). Moreover, it has
also provided me with new skills such as
cataloguing, networking and the use of new
IT software such as Heritage Management
Software, Copac Online Database and
Microsoft Excel.
In terms of the influence this work
placement has had on my future career
choice, I definitely know now that I want
to go down the path of either archiving or
librarianship, since I have enjoyed it so
much. Consequently, I have been applying
for Librarian Graduate Schemes and library
assistant positions as well as a post as a
Library Administrative Assistant. I have also
started to look for positions on Archiving
Graduate Schemes.
Athenaeum, ‘History of the Library’ < http://
theathenaeum.org.uk/library/history-of-theathenaeum-library/> [accessed 09 May 2016]
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