also enjoy using the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base to track my progress and visualise any gaps I need to fill for my future. This is an excellent tool as it can help add structure to any professional development you are doing which can be really useful, particularly when just starting out. I was working at CILIPS when the pandemic hit and found it challenging to suddenly be working at home constantly and to keep motivated during a time of pro- longed uncertainty. I particularly missed the opportunities for impromptu brainstorming and collaboration with colleagues. However, I also enjoyed the opportunity to adapt to new ways of doing things. Regular team Zoom catch-ups, moving our events online, coming up with a programme of online learning sessions and resources for CILIPS members, and collecting and sharing blogs documenting how the wider profession were responding to the pandemic all helped me to feel connected to others and were an opportunity for experimenting and trying out new technology.
Networked support
It was heartening to hear from members who were using the online content we put out and to be a part of showcasing the power of libraries during the pandemic through our advocacy work. Additionally, having a quick call or online meeting has
now become more normalised and I’ve tried to see this as a chance to learn from and collaborate more with people I may ordinarily only see once or twice a year. Since starting my new role, knowing that a network of other health library staff in Scotland are just a Teams call away has been reassuring and I’ve received excellent support, training, and advice from more experienced colleagues in this way. Joining the health library field during a global pandemic, I was struck even more by how crucial the skills of librarians are. Health library staff have played an essential role in making high-quality evidence accessible, for example through regular bulletins and literature searches, and in helping navigate harmful misinformation about Covid-19 in a rapidly changing context. Indeed all types of libraries have played an essential role throughout the pandemic, respond- ing to the needs of their communities and continuing to be a source of support in the most difficult of times.
Opportunities I am in quite a unique position in that I have been both a member of CILIP and a staff member. I joined as a student mem- ber in 2018 and have stayed a member since. Throughout, I’ve regularly made use of the training opportunities on offer such as the free webinars and also various con-
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ferences and events. These are a great way to learn new skills and also to find out about different aspects of the pro- fession to help you identify particular areas of interest when just starting out. As a staff member at CILIPS, I learned just how much goes in to developing resources and events and I gained a new appreciation for having these at my fingertips via membership. I also highly value the opportunity to meet like-minded people. I will always remember how much I got out of attending my first CILIPS West Branch AGM as a student. I met people working in a wide range of roles and was able to ask their advice: what’s it like working in your sector? Have you got any job hunting tips? Can I shadow you to get some experience? Since then, I’ve attended many Branch and Special Interest Group events and also helped form the CILIPS Students & New Professionals Community which aims to support people in the early stages of their career and provide a space for us to network and share our perspectives. Being involved with this has been a real highlight of my time in the profes- sion so far, it is a pleasure to meet and work with other new professionals as we start out in our careers. I believe CILIP membership really facilitates opportunities for these cross-sector relationships to form and to thrive.
Crucial connections
Keeping up these relationships and staying connected to the wider pro- fession has always felt really crucial to me. There is a potential to become professionally isolated working in your own bubble so I appreciate the chance to meet fellow members who I can chat to about shared experiences. Of course we are all working in our own niches but there are crossovers in the work we do. It is great to recognise these transferable skills and keep up your awareness of what is happening elsewhere – you may hear of an excellent resource, tool, or project you could apply to your own role. I am looking forward to what I hope will be a long career working in libraries and am thankful to all of the people I’ve met so far, from my lecturers who delivered an informative and engaging course, to supportive colleagues who’ve encouraged me to pursue areas of interest, to the Library Network staff at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and my placement supervisor who gave me such a wonderful introduction to health libraries that I didn’t want to leave. It is a privilege working as a librarian and using my skills to help others meet their information needs. I am excited to see how the profession continues to evolve and in turn how I adapt and develop along with it. IP
46 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL October-November 2021
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