3 Weeks in
I am now 3 weeks into my new post as cataloguer at Royal Holloway. No, not the prison.
It’s been a struggle, mainly because for 4 weeks I’ve had a nasty chest infection that made me feel constantly under the weather. A few antibiotics later, I am feeling OK.
The actual work has been good; it’s similar to what I did in my previous role, just with more cataloguing.
I say “cataloguing”, but things have changed a lot since I was a graduate trainee, producing original catalogue records in the Civil Service. This is mainly an editorial role, you might say, checking and often correcting records from bibliographic utilities and the Library of Congress.
The whole shelf-ready debate seems very pertinent here, since it’s a (purportedly) big money-saver in these credit-crunchy times. Part of my role is figuring out how best to actually implement this kind of efficiency and make sure the workflows deliver both savings and value.
Then there are the local quirks to deal with, which will get more interesting when we have collection development projects running over Summer.
So, I’m settling in, enjoying the challenge of getting to grips with all this, and learning about the institution as a whole (it’s got an interesting history).
I’ve started thinking about Chartership – looks like it will take about a year, all told. Of the many CILIP Chartership blogs I found, most seem to have gone dead – perhaps since their owners have chartered? – so there’s not much in the way of buzz and excitement to be found there. Still, perhaps if I sign up and get my mentor things will take off.
