If you think that people in Britain want to achieve fame and fortune by treading the boards or having a number-one hit single then think again. A recent survey from YouGov found that 54% of people would like to be librarians.
Of course, part of the attraction is spending time with all the books your heart could possibly desire – but there’s a lot more to it than that.
Biddy Casselden, who completed her own master’s in librarianship and information management at Northumbria University, and has since both taught on and led the programme, says it is important for career progression. “Most of my students are working, usually in a library environment, but are stuck at a certain level because they don’t have a professional qualification,” she says. “This is their route for career advancement.”
Once delivered on campus, the course is now offered via distance learning, allowing library professionals to develop their careers by studying for a professionally recognised qualification in their spare time.
Georgina Cronin was working as a senior library assistant when she enrolled on the master’s course at Northumbria, and although balancing work and study was a challenge, she also found it immediately beneficial.
“The idea of implementing my studies directly into my work appealed to me,” she says. “And doing the dissertation research element of the course really set me up for my current role: it’s the first job I’ve had that specifically asked for a postgraduate qualification, so my years of studying were vital.”
Lizzie Caperon, who also studied at Northumbria and is now a learning adviser at the University of Leeds, says a lot of what she learned on the course has applications outside librarianship: “It has made me more employable in many different ways, and able to work in a variety of fields, not just in a library.”
Frances Johnson, admissions tutor for the MA in library and information management at Manchester Metropolitan University, agrees. “Our focus is on library principles and practices, but we recognise their application to enable our students to find successful employment in related areas such as archive work, electronic publishing, digital libraries, records management and research,” she says. “We have increased the range of options to help students develop specialisms, but those which relate to literature and its readers and communities remain as popular as ever. Despite public library cuts, this ethos remains strong with many graduates.”
Postgraduate qualifications in librarianship are also updated regularly to reflect ongoing changes in the field.
“The library sector is pretty dynamic,” says Casselden. “People working in the public sphere need special skills: working with volunteers, for example. This change isn’t going to go away, so we need to make sure we’re equipping professionals with the necessary skills.”
‘I was always firm in terms of never missing a deadline’
Amy Warner has just graduated from Northumbria University, and is associate director of e-strategy and technical services at Royal Holloway.
I already had a job I enjoyed, at a fairly senior professional level, and I didn’t want to give it up, but I had a feeling I would need a master’s accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals to go further. This also meant I could take a course that complemented my work – and still pay my mortgage!
In the first year, I was fairly successful balancing my job and study, and my employers were supportive in terms of giving me study leave. As time went on, I found the balance harder to achieve, but I was always very firm in terms of never missing a deadline or asking for an extension. My sense was that if I missed one deadline, it would have a bit of a domino effect! This made it harder at the time, but it ensured I completed the course within the allotted two years.
I was hoping the course would help cement the experience I had learned on the job at Royal Holloway and at The National Archives with more theoretical knowledge and that’s exactly what it did. I found I was doing studying things on my course that directly related to, and informed, my own work – and it’s nice that I am now officially “professionally qualified”.