MSc in Information and Library Management

Having started my new job today, I feel I need to take a break from all the (very interesting!) books I’ve been reading up on – I just can’t take in so much new information at once.

However, it seems like a good moment to reflect on my work over the last year – mainly, completing my MSc.

At the time it felt like I was just constantly working and going from one deadline to the next; lots of information flowing into my window of attention and straight back out.

Now it’s complete, I feel quite satisfied – and almost surprised! – that upon reading these further books on information science and IT, I actually understand a lot of what they say and am able to put it into context.

The dissertation was the highlight of the year for me – although at the time it was certainly often difficult, I think the satisfaction gained from producing one’s own piece of professional research is worth the struggle!

Although the research focussed on a very narrow field of interest – the information literacy impact of academic library blogging in the UK – the resonances from each of the concepts in that field meant that I was able to learn a great deal about topics as diverse as the foundational technologies, software and standards of the Internet, the culture(s) and psychology of blogging and bloggers, the meaning of Web 2.0, the links between liberal arts education and information literacy, the history of academic librarianship…

This has made me much more aware of the context in which I work, and whether I am able to directly apply my research in my current or future roles, I have a very different perspective on this profession.

Finally, the research produced some concrete evidence which is accessible to the community of academic librarian bloggers themselves, in the form of a directory of all the blogs. I feel that I have added to the work which I have studied, not just examined it clinically, while at the same time, I have been critical (in the good sense of that word) and made positive proposals for future developments.

I have just posted a short (only 7 pages!) version of the dissertation on my documents page. Please feel free to read it and leave me a comment or email me with your impressions.

Welcome to my world.

It’s almost Christmas 2008. I finished my postgraduate MSc in Information and Library Management last month, I am starting a temporary library position next month, and I’m getting ready to (hopefully) pass my driving test (first time).

Welcome to my world! You find me also in the middle of a job hunt. I am calling it a win-win situation. I have this rather good offer of an academic library post set up, and I’m looking forward to that. Plus, I have several other interviews and applications in the pipeline.

I intend to use this blog as a bit of a scratch pad for reflection on the job hunt, but also to record thoughts of books I’m reading and research into information work.

Today I finished watching a two-part video on TCP/IP, the basic building blocks of Internet communication. What struck me was how similar IT becomes to library and information work above a certain level – once you move up to the level of applications and networks, a lot of it is about databases, constructing protocols and allocating, retreiving and using the right contact addesses and so forth. Librarians’ minds work in much the same way!