When I completed my four-year degree in Fine Art, I didn’t think about where it would lead. My motivation has always been creativity – it didn’t matter what, or how – the habit of producing, designing and presenting meaningful work is intrinsic. I’ve always been interested in books, they direct my work at every juncture, but they carry my history too. I have vivid memories of sitting on the floor in empty houses as child; we moved around a lot, but books were a way of having friends wherever I went. When I saw an opening for a library job in my local academy, I saw an opportunity to share my passion for books and creativity with the next generation.

My apprenticeship in Library, Information and Archive Services began in January 2023. I’m currently completing my apprenticeship at Thomas Deacon Academy, one of the largest academies in the Midlands, where I and my team serve 2,000+ students and teachers. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was merging real-life experience with theory on the trot, and it was a steep learning curve. Everything was new – communicating with kids and assisting teachers by day, and immersing myself in archival practices and library history by night. It was exciting, exhausting, and has changed my ideas forever regarding libraries; particularly ones in the education sector.

It isn’t anything like people imagine, and in truth, the perspective of school libraries in the eyes of the public was a shock to me. We operate under the umbrella of the school and are there to serve, but we stand firm as an entirely individual institution of free learning, and free reading. Despite the purpose of schools being to educate, breaking through the politics around censorship and raising our voice to maintain our values as a library has been a difficult but valuable venture that I’m proud to be a part of.

An apprenticeship is a fantastic way to get to grips with the profession you’re in – to really understand it. I think this is incredibly important for working in a library. Once you understand why the library exists, why they need to be protected, it ensures your capability to stay motivated. My boss has worked in the library sector for a long time, and I was in the perfect position to glean as much information as I could because of my apprenticeship – the assignments pushed me to ask questions, to discuss with my tutor about how the targets were applied in a school setting.

I would advise anyone who is looking to begin a career in the library and information sector to consider an apprenticeship, if there’s one available! You’ll hopefully learn as much about yourself as you study the theory. It’s integral to our service to be aware of our role in the school environment, and this helps us to stand firm in our values and abilities.

Combining the physical job of working at a school with the theory of the apprenticeship was daunting at first! My role as a school librarian in the first few months was building up a good muscle memory – what to do when spontaneous classes appear, how to host inductions, guiding children through online learning and teaching children from ages 5-18 how to self-study – and once I’d got the hang of my methods at work, I could apply my learning from my apprenticeship study. The combination has produced a positive outcome and with the help of a fantastic boss and a tutor who was dialled in to the demands of a school library job meant that I received top quality teaching. I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done!

The biggest surprise was the scope of creativity, and my engagement with library ethics, which absolutely gripped me from the start! As I previously mentioned, the act of making is a huge motivator for me. I was able to create daily as a librarian, making displays, discovering new ways to reach our huge audience, even hosting a creative writing group for a season.

The aspect of library ethics I particularly loved was discovering the beginning of public libraries in Britain – to enrich the lives of people who were unable to buy books. People were able to learn how to read books, to pay a small fee and have access to all the books available. We have become more sophisticated through online databases and internet searching, but the core value of libraries remains.

When calls were made for books to be removed from the school board, or when I heard of other school libraries facing scrutiny for ‘inappropriate’ materials, or school libraries being shut down entirely, it only pushed me further to advocate for free reading.

We host a multitude of programs in our library to assist users in becoming more literate, and in turn, more autonomous in their studies, and it has only showed me the intrinsic nature of schools and libraries being together – that mutual respect of each others’ institutions is necessary to create and enriching learning environment for the students.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was around communication styles with our students! I assist users of all ages. The apprenticeship shows me the theory, but at TDA I have to put it into practice. It was through finding solutions in my public speaking ability, and the measures I take to embody the library values in my work to the students that helped to cement everything I was learning.

I have a few tips for other apprentices or those thinking about taking an apprenticeship. Read Information Professional! And if you’re interestedin working in school libraries, reading articles from the School Library Association. It was a comfort to see other librarians’ experiences after a challenging moment at school, and it may help to consolidate what you’re learning with real stories from others like you.

To all school librarians, your work is so crucial. Everything you do, you’re doing it for your students, and on days where nobody sees what you’re doing, just know that the one child who finds solace in the library will think of you for years after they’ve left school. I know I’ll never forget the librarians in my life that made it possible for me to find my passions, and I know you’re doing the same for children across the country. We’re in this together!