Working in government

• Career history: Alison, BERR
• Career history: Celia, MoD
• Career history: Daniel MoD
• Career history: Jan, FCO
• Career history: Melanie, VLA
• Career history: Veronica, DH
• DEFRA Library and Translation service
• Role of Librarians in implementing an EDRMS
• Adding Value: DFID, supporting overseas staff
• Adding value: DH support High Quality Care Review Team
• Adding Value: FCO Legal Library
• A Group Information Manager
• Head of the Army Library and Information Service (Germany)
• Information management helps us move to a more efficient use of office space
• Knowledge Management Consultant (DH)
• Adding Value: Library research
• Adding Value: MoD Electronic Library
• Adding Value: MoD, Information Literacy
• Day in a life of the MOD Library Team
• Day in the Life of an MOJ Librarian
• Adding Value: MoJ, taping confidential conversations
• Day in the life of a Research Assistant FCO
• DEFRA research repository
• Adding Value: Scottish Executive, Literature search user survey

A career with opportunities, and not just the usual ones!

• Riding inside a tank and climbing into an AS-90
• Watching fireworks with colleagues over the UN building in Geneva
• Being told by a customer that your work saves him £9,000 a year minimum
• Researching the life habits of reindeer
• Developing a briefing database for ministers
• Going down a mine

Yes, these are just a few of the opportunities government library and information professionals have had in the course of their work, work that covers the whole spectrum of information management. Most of us still start in libraries but the majority move in to other professional areas, such as records management, web sites, e-delivery projects and in knowledge management. We may manage thesauri and manage databases, do enquiry work and manage enquiries under FoI and related legislation, and we are responsible for information security and assurance.

We work all over the country, and sometimes we even get to work abroad. London is the main centre but significant numbers work in Edinburgh and Cardiff, in the north east and north west of England and in the south west. The high profile policy departments are the obvious places where we work but you will also find us in the agencies and other bodies that deliver government services, e.g. Highways Agency; in colleges, e.g. Royal Military Academy Sandhust; in technical libraries, e.g. Central Science Laboratory; and in medical libraries, e.g. Medicines and Healthcare Products and Regulatory Agency.

Training and development opportunities are excellent. In addition to what is offered by your own organisation and the usual commercial suppliers of specialist training, the Network of Government Library and Information Specialists (NGLIS) and CILIP Government Library and Information Group also run courses and visits. Professional chartership is supported, as is the involvement in professional activities at all levels. Mostly this is at grass roots level but for a small sector we are well represented at senior levels in CILIP. A number of National Councillors have spent part or all their careers in government, as have two CILIP Presidents (Ian Snowley and Peter Griffiths).

If you are interested in a particular subject area you will find something in Government, from agriculture (DEFRA) to zoology via crime, defence, economics, education, energy, foreign affairs, health, industry, science, sport, technology, and trade. Many areas of government work cut across departmental subject boundaries, London Olympics 2012 is very high profile example but more every day matters such as pensions are of interest to a number of departments.

If you want to find out more, have a look at some of our case studies:

• Day in the life
• Adding value
• Career history