Survey about new professionals

John Kostiw, a student studying Information and Library Management at University of the West of England, has created a survey for his dissertation looking at the challenges of being a new professional in the information and library world. If anyone has chance to complete it and help in his research, please follow the link below:

"... I am currently studying Information and Library Management at University of the West of England and am conducting research as part of my dissertation. I am looking for New Professionals (enrolled on a LIS course or about to do so or graduates looking for or who have gained a professional post in the last 5 years) to participate. The topic is the challenges of getting the first professional post for new professionals in the UK.

To participate, please find below a link to a short questionnaire which should take about five minutes to complete. I would be grateful for your contribution.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDZDd2ozSlFmMTdoYnU5clI0VVJHNHc6MQ

The results of this research will be discussed within the dissertation and a summary of responses will appear on my blog http://costyoureflects.blogspot.co.uk. All responses from the online questionnaire are anonymous and participants may opt-out at the end of the questionnaire if they do not wish for their responses to be used in the research.

If you have any queries or concerns, please contact me at john.kostiw@gmail.com

Thank you for taking part,

John Kostiw"

Library volunteer opportunity at Stuart Hall Library, Iniva

Stuart Hall Library, Iniva:

Volunteers for Closed Week, 3-7 September 2012, unpaid

Stuart Hall Library, part of Iniva at Rivington Place, London is a special library focusing on international visual arts.

The Library is closing for a week in September to undertake essential housekeeping work, and the Library team are looking for volunteers to help.

This is an opportunity for:

- Those with an interest in libraries

- Pre-library school applicants to acquire basic library skills

- Library professionals to maintain their skills

You will gain valuable insights into how a special Library collection is managed and organised by working on tasks including:

- Shelf tidying

- Journals and zines processing

- Basic catalogue work

- Collection care

Professional Library qualifications are not essential, but knowledge of how to use a Library and searching catalogues is required. You will need to be available for at least three days between Monday 3 and Friday 7 September, 10.30-4.30.

Lunch and travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Please email Sonia Hope, Library Manager explaining why you would like to volunteer at the Stuart Hall Library.

shope@iniva.org

Closing date: Friday 10 August.

Informal meetings to be held week beginning 13 August.

http://www.iniva.org/library/

Art Library Crawl blog

Great ongoing project called 'Art Library Crawl' created by Australian library technician/ art theory student Lea Simpson about interesting art libraries and archives around the world. Spanning three continents so far, Lea is also looking for contributors to add further articles and photos of more of these inspirational special collections.

More information and her contact details can be found on the Art Library Crawl blog:

Art Library Crawl

ARLIS Conference 2012 - Tate Prints and Drawings Room visit

I was fortunate to be able to attend Day 2 of this year's ARLIS Annual Conference "From Beijing to Bloomsbury: Art Librarianship in an Olympic Year", on Thursday 28th June. The morning began with sessions on digital futures, and in the afternoon I attended breakout sessions about art classification and its future, and about diversity in libraries. The day was very pleasantly concluded with a reception at the mysterious Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, University of London, and dinner at the marvellous Grand St. Pancras restaurant.
Before lunchtime, I went on the visit to the Tate Prints and Drawings Room, and here's my report from excursion:


Being a fan of printmaking I was very excited to visit the Tate Prints and Drawings Room at Tate Britain, and a small group of us got to enjoy a knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour by staff member, Julia Beaumont-Joyce. The items held are essentially divided into two collections, that of the Turner Bequest of watercolours and sketchbooks, works by his contemporaries found in the Oppé collection, and other historic British works on paper; and the modern prints and drawings collection, consisting of around 16000 British and international works. These collections are spread over two rooms, and we got to see a sample of the diverse work, from the complete set of the ‘Tailor of Gloucester’ illustrations by Beatrix Potter and a range of Turner watercolours to large contemporary prints by Paula Rego and Robert Rauschenberg.
With no plan for Turner’s watercolour drawings and sketches after his death, this collection of 30,000 works went with his bequest of his main art works to the National Gallery. This was moved to their new building at Millbank, and the collection was relocated at various points through the 20th century before resettling back at Tate Britain in 1987 with the creation of the Clore wing. Turner predominantly worked on wide format card bound sketchbooks (which are not dated so is often hard to keep a timeline), and smaller pocket sketchbooks when travelling. He didn’t keep written diaries or journals so these sketchbooks are invaluable in following him in his journeys and understanding the artist further. We saw a series of Venice sketches, and examples of how he would revisit a location at various times of the day to depict the changes in light and atmosphere, and how he was famously keen on depicting modern life in his works, such as including a steamboat in a river scene.
This Clore Grade 2 listed room and its fittings does allow for close study of the works, however was not as suitable for the larger pieces in the contemporary collection or for some modern library facilities, and so a separate room is used for the prints and drawings. The Modern prints and drawings room was converted from a gallery space in 1999, and is an excellent place for studying these often large works, with wide tables, wall space for displays and the inspiration of being surrounded by rack upon rack of prints. At the time of our visit, a small display entitled ‘The Body of Drawing’ was on show.
The Modern prints collection was first developed in 1970s and was originally acquired through the ‘Institute of Contemporary Prints’ agreement in which various printmakers donated work to Pat Gilmour, who ran the Tate Print Department from 1974-77. Her passion, connections and acquisition policies helped to further develop this remarkable collection. Julia showed us some fascinating prints including Paula Rego’s Pendle Witches series, a suite of twelve etchings from 1996 based around the Lancashire witch trial of 1612, which was also produced as a book in collaboration with the poet Blake Morrison. Another collaboration entitled ‘El Negro’ by Robert Motherwell and poet Rafael Alberti consists of a beautiful volume of lithographs and poetry published in 1983 by Tyler Graphics. Tate also holds a substantial collection of around 500-600 works by these famous New York based master printers.
Julia told us the majority of visitors to the Prints and Drawings rooms tend to be split into two groups, those coming to admire Turner’s work and other watercolours, and printmaking student groups and artists coming to study the contemporary prints. A previously stricter admissions policy has been relaxed to allow for visitors of all ages, and even groups of enthusiastic four-year old schoolchildren have got to enjoy the works.

Careers in Art History day

Organised by the Association of Art Historians (AAH) Student Members Committee, the Careers in Art History day 'welcomes a wide range of speakers, who will offer informative presentations on career paths into the art world, including museums, auction houses, art education, academia, libraries and archives.'

The event will be held on 27 October 2012 at The Kenneth Clark Lecture Theatre, The Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

Booking can be completed online through the events page of the AAH website.
http://www.aah.org.uk/events

Librarian Internship at the Whitechapel Gallery

Librarian Internship at the Whitechapel Gallery:

An experienced Librarian is sought for a short internship for the Whitechapel Gallery. Their task would be to undertake further organisation of the Whitechapel Gallery’s curatorial collection of books located at the Exhibitions offices. Their main task is to devise a labeling/marking system to make the books more accessible to staff.

The person selected would work closely with the Archivist.

The hours are flexible but it is envisioned that total time would be 15 days which could be spread out over a number of weeks.

London travel & lunch costs would be paid.



It is anticipated the post would start in mid September 2012.

Contact Gary Haines, Archivist, Whitechapel Gallery
garyhaines@whitechapelgallery.org

http://www.whitechapelgallery.org

Survey about library assistants for MA dissertation

MA Library and Information Studies student Lindsay Tudor has created a survey for her dissertation about library assistants. If anyone can spare 10-15 mins to answer it and help in her research, further details and a web link follow here:


"...I am currently writing my LIS MA dissertation about library assistants:
trying to build a picture about what sort of work they do, how their
jobs are affected by budget cuts and technological advances, and what
career development opportunities are available.
I would be very grateful if any library assistants, or those working in
a job that doesn't require a library qualification, would fill out a
short survey in an attempt to find answers to some of these questions.

The survey can be found here http://tinyurl.com/6q5gjyo and should take
10-15 minutes to complete.

All responses will be treated anonymously and no individuals or places
of work will be named in my dissertation or survey analysis.

Many thanks
Lindsay Tudor..."

Blogs of interest

So many blogs, so little time...

here's a couple of lovely library blogs with some useful and insightful info on being a library assistant, a library student, a graduate trainee and the many other library guises. There seems to be an awful lot of gin lovers around, is anybody else unhip like me and likes a nice sturdy pint of beer? Mmm, ale.

Apologies to other bloggers not listed here, but check out the many links through these pages.

http://siobhanbinthelibrary.blogspot.co.uk

http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/

http://butidolikecardigans.wordpress.com/

Getty Research Portal

The Getty Research Institute is launching the Getty Research Portal which will provide access to digitized texts in the field of art and architectural history and will be free to access online. It is due to be launched on 31st May 2012.

See this article from artdaily.org for more information:

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=55320

Landscape libraries

Interesting project based at the National Library of Wales around artist Kyffin Williams, combining art librarianship, art history and all kinds of mad digital stuff ...

http://landscapelibrariesdigitalpaint.wordpress.com/

LIS careers

There are various recent things of interest around online which may be of use for those considering a career in the library and information sector, and for new professionals in the field:

#UKLibChat will be on Twitter tomorrow(Tuesday 15th May 2012) from 6.30-8.30pm to discuss LIS careers:

http://uklibchat.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/agenda-15th-may-careers/

Also, presentations from CILIP's New Professionals Day, which was held on Friday 11th May, can be found here and may be of interest to those who were unable to attend:

http://www.cilip.org.uk/npid2012/pages/presentations.aspx

Find us on Facebook - Arlis STC

New Arlis STC Facebook page created, with more content to be added soon!

Follow us on Twitter - @ArlisSTC

The Students & Trainees Committee are now on Twitter! Follow us on @ArlisSTC

An Introduction to Art and Design Reference Resources event in Leeds

Just a reminder it's not too late to sign up for the popular An Introduction to Art and Design Reference Resources event to be held in Leeds on Tuesday 1st May 2012. There are still spaces and the event promises to be an info-filled and interesting day. Please visit the ARLIS/ UK & Ireland website for a booking form. http://www.arlis.org.uk/

An Introduction to Art and Design Reference Resources event in Leeds - May 1st 2012

The Students & Trainees Committee is pleased to announce it will be holding the popular event 'An Introduction to Art and Design Reference Resources' at the Art Library, Leeds Central Library on Tuesday 1st May 2012. The workshop is for those new to the world of art librarianship, or those wishing to update their skills in art and design enquiry work. The day features presentations from leading art librarians, who will provide up-to-date information on the key print and electronic resources and strategies for effective research enquiry work.

There is a significant practical element to the day, including hands-on computer training, allowing delegates to put into practice the skills and knowledge acquired on the day. A behind-the-scenes tour of the Art Library Leeds Central Library is included. It is a great chance to meet fellow colleagues, trainees or students and will be the Committee's first event held in Leeds.

Highlights of the day, which follow a similar programme to the recent event held in London are:

Enquiry work in an art and design museum - Bernadette Archer, National Art Library
Visual Resources Enquiry Work in an Academic Environment - Victoria Brown, Oxford University
Enquiry referral work: specialist sources & practical session - Yamuna Ravindran
Supporting students with Dyslexia in art and design enquiry work - Andrew Callen, Salford University

The costs are:

ARLIS members £77

ARLIS students/unwaged £38

Non-ARLIS members £97

Non-ARLIS students/unwaged £48

Please see the ARLIS website or the ARLIS News-sheet for further details and to find a booking form, and complete and return the form by 27th April to book a place.
We hope to see you there!

http://www.arlis.org.uk/

Delegate review of 'Taking the Plunge'

Thank you to Jen Smith, M.Sc. Electronic and Digital Library Management student at the University of Sheffield, for writing the following report of our recent event 'Taking the Plunge':

On a drizzly Saturday morning, a group of working and would-be librarians gathered in The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square to test the waters at “Taking the Plunge: Art Librarianship as a Career Option”. We heard from a diverse range of people at all stages of their careers, and while everyone agreed that the job market isn't as vibrant as it could be, there's no shortage of options for (pre)professional development.

Our first speaker was Richard Daniels, Senior Archivist at the University of the Arts, London. Although he summed up his job as “looking after older stuff and getting it out for younger people”, the rest of his presentation proved to be a little more complicated than that.

Next, Natasha Held, Learning Resources Manager and Librarian at Christie's Education London shared with us the challenges and rewards of working as a nearly-solo librarian in a private institution. Held interacts with global stakeholders on a regular basis: Christie’s in both London and New York, the University of Glasgow (their accrediting body), the tutors, and—of course—the students.

Sarah Maule took us on a whirlwind tour of her career from volunteer cataloguer at Sheffield Hallam University to Library Services Manager at Ravensbourne, a London design college. In addition to a string of library jobs, a SCONUL placement, and an M.A. in LIS, Maule also used social media to keep herself up-to-date and to network. Maule cited Twitter as her most helpful career tool, and she encouraged us all to develop our online presences to make sure that our prospective employers find us interesting when they Google us.

Sarah Currant, Reader Services Librarian at the British Film Institute, also studied in Sheffield, and her path to the BFI had twists and turns of its own. Currant announced the end of the paid membership scheme for the BFI, proudly declaring, “We’re free, which is the dream of all libraries”.
From the other side of the employment table, Donald Lickley brought us a wealth of experience from Sue Hill Recruitment. He reiterated Sarah Maule’s exhortation to use social media to our advantage. Lickley also reviewed the standard rules of CV preparation (identify your skills, list your accomplishments in reverse chronological order, use bullet points, and proofread, proofread, proofread before submission!).

Joseph Ripp, Librarian at the National Portrait Gallery, rounded out the day’s structured sessions with practical advice for applications and interviews. The applicant’s work doesn’t end with securing an interview: it’s essential not only to keep yourself informed about the industry as a whole, but also to research the institution you want to work for so you can make intelligent, enthusiastic responses to their questions and demonstrate that you’re the ideal candidate.

One of the highlights of the day was Elspeth Hector’s tour of the library of the National Gallery. After letting us leaf through treasures such as the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and the original card catalogue, which was constructed by cutting out pages from the first list of Sir Charles Eastlake, Hector led us to the elegantly designed slide library and told us the sad tale of its impending demise.
Budget cuts and hiring restrictions across the sector can be disheartening, but as Ripp said at the beginning of his presentation, with “a bit of luck and a lot of applications”, we’ll find the right jobs.

March 3rd 2012: 'Taking the Plunge: Art librarianship as a Career Option'

Many thanks to all the speakers and those who helped at this event, which was held at the National Gallery, London. Here are a few photos from the day, courtesy of Katie.

John Campbell Trust bursaries

The John Campbell Trust is a charitable trust whose purpose is to help in the education and development of information professionals by providing grants, scholarships, bursaries and awards.
Three bursaries are currently available, which can be very benefical to aid studying and for attending conferences. Further details can be found on the CILIP website, including how to apply:

http://www.cilip.org.uk/about-us/medalsandawards/john-campbell-trust/Pages/default.aspx

Forthcoming STC event: 'Taking the Plunge: Art Librarianship as a Career Option'

'Taking the Plunge: Art Librarianship as a Career Option' will be held this year on Saturday 3rd March at the National Gallery's Educational rooms in London.

This workshop aims to introduce those interested in a career in art librarianship to the diversity of the sector, the kind of work and roles involved, as well as the current job market and how to enter the profession.

This year's event is full to the brim with speakers working in a variety of art and design libraries, who will talk about their experiences in art librarianship, their job roles and career paths. There is a session on enhancing your CV, and a tour of the fantastic National Gallery Library.
This event is aimed at students, trainees, library assistants and anyone interested in a career in art and design librarianship.

Highlights include:

Librarianship in a private academic institution: Natasha Held, Christie’s Education

Working with Special Collections: Richard Daniels, University of Arts, London

Starting out: the lowdown from a recent graduate: Sarah Maule, Ravensbourne

Film collections: Sarah Currant, British Film Institute Library

Museum/Gallery Librarianship: Joseph Ripp, National Portrait Gallery, London

Booking is now open and will be closing on 20th February, and early booking is advisable as this is a popular event. A full programme, further details and booking forms can be found on the ARLIS website:

http://www.arlis.org.uk/events.php?link=2

National Libraries Day: February 4th, 2012

A national day to celebrate libraries was launched last year in May, and takes place across the UK on February 4th, 2012. As mentioned on the official website, "it will be the finale to a week of events that will celebrate libraries and librarians, and highlight the importance of reading". Hooray!
There is lots more information on how to get involved and what events are happening on the website:

http://nationallibrariesday.org.uk/

ARLIS/ UK & Ireland Conference Student Bursary

ARLIS Conference Student Bursary

Applications are invited for a single fully-funded place* at the annual conference for a full-time or part-time student working for a first degree or post-graduate qualification in librarianship and information studies.
This year's conference will be held in London:

From Beijing to Bloomsbury:
Art Librarianship in an Olympic Year

Woburn House Conference Centre, Bloomsbury, London
Wednesday 27th -29th June 2012

The conference themes are wide ranging, from cultural aspects and visual representations of the Olympics through to collaboration and our digitised future. The British Library, the many historic libraries of the University of London, the Wellcome Trust and the new University of the Arts Central St Martin’s campus are all nearby. Visiting these, and other important institutions will be part of the ARLIS UK experience. For more details, see our website: www.arlis.org.uk


To apply for the award, please submit the following by Friday 30th March 2012

1. A completed application form (see: www.arlis.org.uk or from the address below);
2. A résumé listing educational background, employment history and professional activities.

It is not a prerequisite of the award that the applicants are members of ARLIS.

*N.B. The award does not include travel costs and the winner must confirm in writing that he/she is able to meet the requirement of conference attendance. The recipient will be expected to submit a post-conference report to the ARLIS/UK & Ireland Council

The decisions of the Council and the Grants Panel shall be final, and no correspondence regarding these shall be entered into. The Council reserves the right to make no award if no suitable application is received.

Application papers should be returned to: Business Manager, ARLIS/UK & Ireland, The National Art Library, V&A, Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London, SW7 2RL. Tel: 020 7942 2317 Email: arlis@vam.ac.uk

ARLIS/ UK & Ireland Annual Conference International Delegate award

ARLIS/UK & Ireland Annual Conference

From Beijing to Bloomsbury:
Art Librarianship in an Olympic Year
2012

Applications are invited for a single fully-funded place* for delegates from outside the UK and Ireland to attend the ARLIS/UK & Ireland Annual Conference


International Delegate Award
Woburn House Conference Centre
Bloomsbury, London
27th - 29th June 2012


To apply for the award, please submit the following by Monday 9 April 2012:

1. A completed application form (see: www.arlis.org.uk or from the address below).
2. A résumé listing educational background, employment history and professional activities.

The winner must confirm in writing that he/she is able to meet the requirement of conference attendance. The recipient will be expected to submit a post-conference report to the ARLIS/UK & Ireland Council. The decisions of the Council of ARLIS/UK & Ireland and its Grants Panel shall be final, and no correspondence regarding these shall be entered into. The Council of ARLIS/UK & Ireland reserves the right to make no award if no suitable application is received.

*NB The award includes full board but does not include travel costs.


Application papers should be returned to the Business Manager at the address below by the Deadline Friday 9th April 2012.

For further information on the Annual Conference 2012 please check
the ARLIS/UK & Ireland website - www.arlis.org.uk
or contact:
The Business Manager, ARLIS/UK & Ireland,
National Art Library, Victoria & Albert Museum,
London, SW7 2RL, United Kingdom
Email: arlis@vam.ac.uk