I initially trained to be a laboratory technician. This career path ended when I had my family. Several jobs followed including worked at the local school as a teaching assistant.
During this time I was tracing my husband’s ancestors, and getting very interested in archives and records. It was suggested that I looked at a career in archive work. For this I needed a degree and I chose to study at the private Buckingham University. The advantage of this approach was I could study for a degree in two years instead of the usual three and as I was local I could apply for a bursary. I followed my history degree with a MA in Biography. Whilst studying for this the university librarian offered me work in the library.
I was thus able to apply to study for a post graduate diploma in Library & Information Studies. I continued to work at Buckingham University in a non-professional role but my role changed and I carried out research for Butterworth Heinemann publishers, ensuring accuracy of their publications and managing their archive.
To gain experience I registered with the library recruitment agencies, but not living in London meant my options were limited. My first professional post was a temporary one at the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. The role was very interesting, especially as I had a scientific background, and involved cataloguing the small library stock, managing the journals and answering queries from medical staff and the general public, using scientific databases and in-house literature.
From there I became a college librarian at my local further education college. This involved managing the library, the Learndirect centre, a staff of seven, plus a new college build. It was very good experience managing staff and dealing with the day to day running of the library.
Keen to widen my experience further, I took a three month contract at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Library at Hanslope Park to catalogue the library stock. This role also involved setting up serials (journal) management on the library management system.
I then went on to work at GlaxoSmithKline, managing the collections and answering queries from the scientific staff. My next contract was at the Open University where as a Subject Information Specialist for Humanities, I investigated suitable materials to support distance learning, updated the website, and taught students how to use various databases.
I discovered the FCO Library at Hanslope Park was without a librarian, and I was successful in my application for the job. My work involved all the tasks of a solo librarian with the addition of working alongside colleagues in London and researching various subjects. The library was subsequently taken over by FCO Services, which is a Government Trading Fund. Later they decided to relocate the library to London. Because I did not want to relocate, I became the Online Editor, managing the FCO Services Website and intranet pages. This is challenging at times as it requires changing from one content management system to another, often within a few minutes.
I am very pleased that I became an Information Professional when I did at the beginning of the internet and online database age, my various temporary positions have given me a wide knowledge base and the ability to quickly fit into new roles.