This week's things are a bit more open ended - how I got to where I am and where I am going next is a huge thing to try to address in a blog post, but I will try!
I wanted to work in a library since I was about 12 years old, when I would like to say I was thrilled by the magical escape and adventure that a book could give and wanted to be surrounded by them all day long. That is partly true, but mostly I was seduced by the complex system of cards and tickets at the huge circulation desk. I was fascinated by the filing that allowed staff to find me and the books I had borrowed in amongst all those little cardboard pockets.
But it was always a dream rather than a career plan. I did an English Literature degree at Cardiff University and managed not to think about a job until I found myself graduated and unemployed. Amongst others I applied for (a few in libraries and lots more not), I got an evening job in the University's Senghennydd Library, which at the time was served Maths and Education students. The post was very general - loans duties and shelving mostly. I also got a temporary post at the Welsh Office, which became National Assembly for Wales whilst I was there. This was the job that both gave me my first cataloguing experience (as well as periodicals clerking, looseleaf filing and other things), and also showed me that not all libraries are like academic ones!
A move down to the South coast led to lots more job applications and I joined Southampton Institute as was, as a journals assistant. But I still had my eye on the cataloguing work and when an opportunity came up a year later, moved over to an assistant cataloguer post.
I have progressed since then, gaining promotion to my current position of Cataloguing and Metadata Librarian, with a Library and Information Studies Masters from UCL along the way. I enjoy my current post, but am in a slightly despondent dip regarding the profile of cataloguing work in general, and always looking for ways to show how the skills can continue to be applied in the changing library environment.
As for the future, I'm not too sure. I can't really predit post-wise where I will be in a few years' time, but in the meantime am hoping to build up my skill set and expand my areas of work accordingly.
Thing 11 was a post on mentoring. This is something I have mixed feelings about. I can see there are obviously benefits if you enter into a good mentoring relationship. When I first started out in library work, I had a more experienced colleague who, looking back, was probably an informal mentor to me (not sure that she would have seen herself as a mentor, though). I really valued having someone who was approachable and that I could learn from. We have remained friends, although professional discussion has lapsed.
I don't know what point in your career you should feel that you are no longer in need of a mentor. I get the feeling that it would be difficult to find someone who considered me suitable for mentoring now, although I also don't feel that I am at the stage where I should be mentoring someone else... I suppose as you move through different career stages it is always useful to find someone who has been there before and can help you with the issues that arise. I'm not sure that in my current organization there are senior colleagues with an interest in cataloguing - perhaps I should be looking into a professional group such as the Cilip Cataloguing and Indexing Group instead and see what options lie there.
Yet again, lots more to think about. It's a good job that next week is a holiday, both for me personally and for the 23 things schedule.
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