29 November 2007
Meet three library & information professionals at an early stage in their careers
Karen Poole (Assistant Librarian, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain)
Poole provides a ‘non-clinical’ enquiry service to pharmacists, trainees and Society staff, as well as offering training on how to find pharmaceutical information. As a qualified professional she uses her skills to support pharmacists in practice and with their continuing professional development.
Formerly a careers assistant in a university careers service, she realised that she enjoyed helping students locate information. She worked as a graduate trainee for a year before gaining her MSc in Information Science in 2003.
Career high Being awarded the Travelling Librarian Award 2007, visiting health and pharmacy libraries and information centres in Washington DC, Boston and Memphis.
Career low None really; the closest is a temporary job in Sydney which involved a lot of data entry – but it did help fund six months travelling around Australia.
What next? Staying in health information, concentrating on enquiry work and training.
Dave Puplett (Project and Communications Officer, London School of Economics)
Puplett is working on a project to develop solutions to the problem of identifying different versions of files kept in digital repositories. In the process he’s met a lot of people in higher education information, which has helped him with his application to CILIP for professional Chartership.
He’s particularly proud of some of the events he’s organized with CPD25, the continuing professional development programme operated by the M25 Consortium of academic libraries in London.
Career high Being offered his current post at the LSE, helping drive to drive forward open access to research.
Career low Being told by a student that he had ‘no idea what it was like to do a degree’, despite having an MA.
What next? Dozens of possible routes, once his present contract ends.
Melissa Wyatt (Library and Information Manager, Royal Town Planning Institute)
Wyatt has spent the last three to four years developing the Institute’s information service, looking after its publications, its enquiry service and its collections of books and journals. She has a wealth of knowledge on spatial planning, housing and environmental protection.
She always wanted to work in museums or libraries because she was curious about the history of architecture, art & design and music.
Career high Becoming a Chartered Library & Information Professional after developing the RTPI’s library services.
Career low Having to fund her own way through university by working part time.
What next? Ideally, becoming an information manager in a museum or an arts librarian, working with the community and encouraging young adults to embrace cultural and artistic pursuits.
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About marktaylor
I'm Mark Taylor and I've worked at CILIP since March 2006.
I work on two high-profile awards - the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards and the CILIP / LiS Libraries Change Lives Award.
I'm interested in e-marketing - using social networking sites for professional purposes, blogs, and enriching web content using video and audio.
When not working at CILIP I can often be spotted riding my fold-up bike through north London.
