Summary Part 2: 3rd November – Library School

7. Which is more highly valued by employers: qualifications or experience?

• Experience is valued over qualifications – even if experience is not in libraries (@ggnewed)
• Lots of years doesn’t necessarily mean enhanced performance (@jwebbery)
• Qualifications still incorporated into interview point scoring system at workplace (@jwebbery)
• Seems like whatever you have they don’t need, whatever you don’t have they need (@richardveevers)
• Qualification gets you to interview stage but your skills and experience more important than qualification (@Readyourbook, @ostephens, @joeyanne, @halfpricechamp)
• Qualification gives you advantage  if you both have the experience – it’s very competitive (@EmmaBettyHughes, @Sonja_Kujansuu, @Library_Karen)
• Some posts don’t require or reward qualifications – but now in a job where qualification is needed (@call_me_cathy)
• Qualifications no longer required at current workplace – value experience and capabilities (@JoLibrariAnne, @shedsue)
• Can be both. Have appointed less experienced people because of greater knowledge, skills, abilities (@jwebbery)
• Even if you lack professional experience, don’t underestimate the respect that having done a graduate traineeship will get you (@sarahcchilds)
• Employers don’t ask about qualifications at interview – they ask about experience (@usernametaken10)
• The old saying ‘recruit for attitude, train for skills’ which is true even in the context of fair recruitment (@liz_jolly via @prossian)
• Not usually awarded job on basis of degree mark but can make a difference (@jwebbery)
• Qualifications are important but continuing professional CPD is essential (@JeanetteCastle)

8. What can a new graduate offer an employer that an experienced candidate cannot in an increasingly competitive job market?

• Employers may perceive them to be more enthusiastic (@sarahcchilds, @KrisWJ)
• Employers may perceive them to be more technologically proficient (@sarahcchilds)
• Employers may perceive them to be more flexible  (@sarahcchilds)
• Question things others may take for granted (@booleanberry, @ggnewed)
• New graduates might come with more current background academic knowledge on librarianship (@Sonja_Kujansuu)
• We all bring individual skills & experience to what we do. Newly qualified doesn’t mean inexperienced (@ostephens)
• New professionals are very high calibre at the moment compared to recent years (@jwebbery)

9. For those that are not “new professionals” – how do you view the course now compared to when you took it?

• Quit Aberystwyth Bachelors degree in 2009 as it felt outdated – this may have changed (@JoLibrariAnne)
• UCL (2006-2008) – mixed feelings – polarised over good and bad bits. Want more computing and theory of information etc. (@girlinthe)
• Manchester Metropolitan (1999). HR, management, web content, using library, writing website all good. Cataloguing dull(@shedsue)
• Impression is that they still lack decent computing element (@ostephens). Although @PaulaGoodale and @dgtherunner pointed put that few choose techy options that are available
• Many lack cataloguing and classification (@ggnewed)

10. For those that are not “new professionals” – do you notice any skill gaps that you think those leaving library school have?

• Sometimes wonder if there’s much focus on customer service – the job is as much about communication as about organization (@kathryntyne)

11. How do you think the fee changes will affect the future of the profession? Will people still do MAs?

• Distance and part-time learning will be more popular (@Sonja_Kujansuu)
• I’m not sure the fee changes will really have much of an effect, as students pay it back when working (@jothelibrarian)

12.  Has anyone taken part in #hacklibschool? http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/about/

• Haven’t done #hacklibschool but would love to. Given fees and need for greater edge, want to make most of being a student (@booleanberry)
• Read blog and might write Aberystwyth review after graduating (@Sonja_Kujansuu)

13.  Any tips on writing a statement or applying for library school?

• Get as many people to read it as possible (@sarahcchilds)
• Be honest and enthusiastic about your passions (@girlinthe, @booleanberry, @Jothelibrarian)
• Even if you haven’t got library experience, look for transferable skills from elsewhere (@Library_Karen)
• Be very clear about why you want to do the course and what you think you will get out of it (@PaulaGoodale)

14. Why don’t they teach practical cataloguing skills in some library schools and what is the best way to learn this if you want to go into cataloguing?

• Learning cataloguing skills by volunteering –  e.g. museum sector, public libraries or charities (@JoLibrariAnne, @MyWeeklyBook, @Library_Karen, @sarahcchilds)
• Started cataloguing at work before library school as knew it was part of course, it helped having that background (@KrisWJ)
• Cat & class helps me consider usability, organisation, theory, etc (@booleanberry)
• Bowman’s Essential Cataloguing is approachable as a text with lots of examples (@booleanberry, @jothelibrarian) http://t.co/1mEL8kYY
• Shadowing (@KrisWJ)
• Courses e.g. ASLIB (@ellyob)

15. What did you write your dissertation on? How did you decide topic? Any advice for people trying to come up with topic?

• Interested in doing dissertation on digitisation or portal design (@MyWeeklyBook)
• Wanted to do dissertation on information literacy in the workplace (@JoLibrariAnne)
• Interested in doing dissertation on something rare books related, but unsure how specific to make it (@Sonja_Kujansuu)
• Catalogue use of rare books as potential topic (@girlinthe)
• Ethics – had good project design and was interested in topic (@call_me_cathy)
• User generated tagging of oral history archives (@KrisWJ)
• The use of virtual reality to provide information (1993-4) -wanted to show info was more than just words. Interesting how augmented reality has moved to mobile phones (@ggnewed)
• Wrote dissertation about history and development of the project I worked on, learned a lot about qualitative research & interviewed a CBE & KBE (@ellyob)
• Advise not to work 2 jobs at the same time as trying to write dissertation! (@call_me_cathy)
• Plan ahead – especially if you will need a placement, make the contacts and form working relationships asap (@MyWeeklyBook)
• Choose something you love (@joeyanne, @PaulaGoodale, @jothelibrarian, @ellyob)
• Don’t relate to a work project if there’s any chance the project will be delayed or stop altogether (@joeyanne)
• Really enjoyed doing it.. Supervisors just let me get on with it, as I was having so much fun! (@jothelibrarian)
• Pick the right supervisor (@MyWeeklyBook, @jothelibrarian)
• Treat it like a job and get it done (@jothelibrarian)
• Try reading about topics of interest, I found ideas start to take form once you’re looking at related literature out there (@KrisWJ)
• Doesn’t necessarily need to relate to current or future job (@joeyanne)

16. Do you have any advice on making the transition to a professional position?

• Make use of university careers service (@call_me_cathy)
• Use any and all experience  you have from library jobs or anything else (@call_me_cathy)
• Networking (@call_me_cathy)

Other points:

• Suggestion to ask for study leave if you’re working (@kirsty_thomson)

Information about courses and qualifications:

• At Loughborough you get to design Information Literacy intervention
• Very little practical cataloguing and classification at Aberystwyth
• CPD route at Shefieldf you can do – ‘independent studies’ on any subject (@PaulaGoodale)
• Glasgow course accredited by CILIP and archives body
• Other points to note:
  • Some employers now view NVQs as acceptable qualifications (@Readyourbook, @BhamLibrarian,)
  • You can charter without doing information/library management qualification – called extraordinary route (@Kwiddows)
  • Think about doing other non-library qualifications e.g. Project Management (@kwiddows)

Fees

• Berlin course is €5000 http://bit.ly/vZiahk
• University course in Boras, Sweden offers digital library course – no fees http://bit.ly/AlJPa6
• High fees can make you resent bad classes (@booleanberry)
• Beware fees going up after you have accepted offer (@booleanberry, @myweeklybook)
• Fees keep going up – though perhaps market will bring them down eventually (@MyWeeklyBook)
• Non-distance learning classes and full-time classes may die out (@MyWeeklyBook)
• Several people have had to drop out of course, or weren’t able to start them in the first place because of funding problems (@MyWeeklyBook, @stormfilled, @calire, @HemBem)
• Some had had some or all of their fees paid by employers but recognised that this was an increasingly rare option. Employers  who have sponsored degrees: University of Cambridge, Oxford Libraries. Although this funding can be withdrawn (@joeyanne)
• Some had fees paid by bodies like SAAS and AHRC (@call_me_cathy, @kirsty_thomson)

Some universities believed not to charge more if it’s your second MA:

• University College London
• Sheffield
• Loughborough