Rudaí 23 #thing2: The how and why of becoming a librarian

I worked for almost ten years as a manager in a bookshop and in 2011 I was given the opportunity to return to college and embark on a new career path. For me, my love of books, reading and the sharing of information naturally mapped on to a career as a librarian and so I chose to complete the Master’s Degree in Library and Information studies in UCD.

One of the main aspects of being a librarian that appealed to me was the myriad of potential roles it offered. With the MLIS I would gain an internationally recognised qualification that would allow me to pursue a career in public, academic, school or special libraries and to undertake information roles that ranged from archivist to web developer.

I chose the UCD course because it covered all the bases in terms of preparing students for traditional library roles including courses in research methods, cataloguing and the librarian as teacher. It also focused on valuable information technology skills including HTML coding, creating and publishing digital media content and the effective evaluation of emerging technologies for library use.

I would definitely recommend librarianship as a career to others. Not only does it open up a world of opportunities in different fields, but it also offers a vast support network within a community of Irish and international librarians who are incredibly engaged, dynamic and inspiring. Continuous professional development and networking opportunities are regularly provided by professional bodies such as the Library Association of Ireland and it is a career that makes me feel connected and energised.

I currently work within public and academic library environments and there are many aspects of both roles that I love. Within public libraries I enjoy engaging with the different members of local communities and the excitement involved in moving towards a single library management system and membership for all public libraries. Within the academic environment I enjoy providing information literacy sessions to staff and students and seeing that ‘eureka’ moment of understanding appear on their faces. I also enjoy exploring emerging technologies to build virtual learning environments and to further engage users with our services.