Starting my Career Journey: ( This blog was published on Elizabeth Hutchinson's website, Blog page).
I have been working in libraries for over 25 years across five London Boroughs, spanning various sectors including public, medical, and school. After completing my first degree I began my career as an Archivist in Sri Lanka. Upon relocating to the UK, I initially anticipated starting from scratch. However, fuelled by my passion for books and libraries, I redirected my focus and pursued an MA in Library and Information Management. This decision enabled me to qualify as a librarian, leading to various positions ranging from Library Assistant to Librarian, and Library Service Manager.
All those years haven't been without their challenges, such as redundancies and the reduction of libraries. However, I have learned a great deal from these experiences. Working with various partnerships and projects has presented valuable learning opportunities about myself, interacting with others, serving the community, promoting literacy, and understanding the evolving role of librarians. I still firmly believe that not only the experiences but the continuous CPD are invaluable and have consistently enriched my career journey and shaped me as a librarian.
Becoming a School Librarian:
years I have spent in this role have brought a deeper sense of impact and meaning into my career. Initially, I started to enjoy working and try my best to put all my effort into delivering the best service to develop a culture of reading and reading for pleasure with reader development initiatives.
Continue with CPD:
Recognising the crucial need to advocate for the essential role of librarians in students reading and learning, I needed to educate/inform school staff about the importance of librarians’ role within the educational setting. To equip myself with the necessary knowledge and skills for this task, I remained committed to my continuous professional development(CPD). Actively pursuing courses and maintaining memberships with esteemed organisations such as CILIP( Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), SLA( School Library Association), and other professional organisations has been crucial to my journey. Notably, I also joined Elizabeth Hutchinson’s membership, further enriching my professional.
Elizabeth Hutchinson’s Engaging and Empowering School Libraries Membership:
Being a member of Elizabeth’s Engaging and Empowering School Libraries membership has given me a deeper understanding of school librarianship and how we can play a significant role in the school setting as a librarian. It extends far beyond the traditional focus on delivering reading for pleasure, to illuminating the profound impact librarians play in shaping student education and learning experiences. I have gained insights into innovative strategies and approaches that have made me more effective in communicating and working collaboratively with teaching staff/ department to support students’ learning. It has taken my knowledge and understanding of the school libraries to the next level and beyond.
The weekly updates to read, listen to, or watch about school libraries have helped me consistently build up my industry awareness and stay up-to-date with the latest developments within the school libraries.
Meanwhile, the training sessions and discussions have been invaluable in building my inner confidence and communication skills. Armed with the latest knowledge and a deep understanding of the school library system from the resources provided, the workshops – especially Inquiry Learning Skills – provided me with a great space to learn about how best to open conversations with teaching staff/faculties regarding reshaping the school library/reading environment. I was able to apply these key learnings and experiences to a few classes in our school.
It was also really encouraging to see how great an emphasis Elizabeth placed on providing only the most thorough training and updates to her members; which included deep insights on interesting trends and their convergence with the education sector, including artificial intelligence. The confidence provided by the above workshops allowed me to open up conversations with teaching staff to discuss the impact these trends could have on teaching and learning, and how best we can apply these to positively impact student learning.