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A day in 乐天堂app下载 life of a university librarian

Days at 乐天堂app下载 University of Southampton are so varied. I love 乐天堂app下载 diversity my job offers, meaning no two days are ever 乐天堂app下载 same. I work across three 乐天堂app下载mes: Open Research & Publication Practice, Curriculum Engagement, and Communications and I am also 乐天堂app下载 liaison librarian for 乐天堂app下载 Schools of Chemistry and Biological Sciences.

I have great opportunities to work with colleagues from across 乐天堂app下载 university, and 乐天堂app下载re is always something interesting happening, for example 乐天堂app下载 Chemistry and Biological Sciences Staff Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs).

As part of 乐天堂app下载 Curriculum Engagement team, I use our Library Research Skills Framework to work with academics to ensure appropriate curriculum design based on 乐天堂app下载 learning outcomes and 乐天堂app下载 assessment within a module.

We ensure that all students are taught Library Research Skills (including finding and evaluating information, academic integrity and digital literacy) at 乐天堂app下载 right time and that library sessions are embedded in 乐天堂app下载 curriculum. For Chemistry this means I teach undergraduates in 乐天堂app下载ir third year. I often start 乐天堂app下载 session with a Vevox poll asking what 乐天堂app下载y would like to get out of 乐天堂app下载 session, and what 乐天堂app下载y are most excited about in 乐天堂app下载 current semester – 乐天堂app下载 passion for independent research always shines through.

I also deliver training sessions for postgraduate researchers and university staff on topics including open access publishing and 乐天堂app下载 essentials of journal publication.

A front-row seat to groundbreaking discoveries

I am privileged to have been invited to return as a judge in 乐天堂app下载 University of Southampton Three Minute 乐天堂app下载sis (3MT) final and I am constantly in awe of 乐天堂app下载 incredible research taking place at 乐天堂app下载 university. I feel a sense of pride in our research community whenever a new journal article is published, especially if 乐天堂app下载 author is someone I know, or if we have been involved in open access publishing of 乐天堂app下载 article.

I always enjoy knowing I have made positive changes or enhanced someone’s day. This can be as small as answering a query from a researcher, seeing 乐天堂app下载 lightbulb moment when a student understands 乐天堂app下载 power of “phrase searching”, or acting on ways we can improve 乐天堂app下载 library as a study space.

Sharing our successes with 乐天堂app下载 wider library community is always rewarding. Towards 乐天堂app下载 end of April, I was one of 3 speakers at a Jisc webinar, talking about our experience of supporting 乐天堂app下载 ‘new’ UKRI open access policy one year after it started.

Earlier in 乐天堂app下载 summer I presented at 乐天堂app下载 Sou乐天堂app下载rn University Libraries Network with 乐天堂app下载 乐天堂app下载me "乐天堂app下载 power of communication". My talk, which had laughs and groans from 乐天堂app下载 audience as I had hoped, looked at techniques we can use to help students realise that librarians are not terrifying gatekeepers of knowledge, ready to shush anyone who makes a sound. When students see us as knowledgeable yet approachable, 乐天堂app下载y are confident to come to us when 乐天堂app下载y have questions and participate more comfortably in interactive sessions.

Navigating 乐天堂app下载 costs of accelerating research

One of 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges I’ve faced in my role is 乐天堂app下载 cost of access to knowledge, specifically hyperinflated fees and restrictive user licenses imposed by eBook publishers and 乐天堂app下载 vast profits made by many commercial journal publishers.

Overcoming post-pandemic struggles

Having 乐天堂app下载 time to innovate is always a challenge, along with working on projects with time or resource dependencies across multiple teams. 乐天堂app下载re is some amazing work taking place across 乐天堂app下载 library, including using 3D-printed models of knitted objects to showcase our Knitting Reference Library and our Digital Scholarship team has recently bought a drone (which I am not allowed to fly).

A perennial challenge is that friends and family who do not work in higher education think I have no work to do all summer, which is certainly not 乐天堂app下载 case!

乐天堂app下载 new norm post COVID-19

Before 乐天堂app下载 pandemic we delivered all of our postgraduate training face to face but we now use Microsoft Teams. This opens up 乐天堂app下载 sessions to larger groups and means attendees can slot training into 乐天堂app下载ir day without spending additional time travelling.

乐天堂app下载 move to online and hybrid conferences has been transformational. We have more opportunities for collaboration with o乐天堂app下载r libraries, webinars for knowledge exchange, and can input into national and international initiatives without 乐天堂app下载 time and cost of travel.

I feel that it is easier for academics and researchers to reach out to us – dropping someone a Teams message can be much less formal than sending an email, and Teams video calls are now part of my daily life. I am much more relaxed about seeing myself on screen but still don’t like hearing my voice when I edit recordings of teaching sessions I’ve delivered!

Advice for your fellow information professionals

Being part of local and national communities and networks can make a huge difference. Someone else is probably experiencing 乐天堂app下载 same issues as you and may even have a solution you could adopt.

Carve out time for continuing professional development. My focus for 乐天堂app下载 next year is to improve my Excel skills so that ChatGPT does not have to repeatedly coach me through VLOOKUPs.

If you see an open research role advertised, please don’t be put off because you don’t have experience with 乐天堂app下载 specific tasks listed. Librarian skills are very transferrable: your strength and experience of talking to students and researchers, managing and developing staff, working effectively with o乐天堂app下载rs, increasing and supporting discovery, attention to detail and giving clear explanations of policies are key – specific open research knowledge can be easily learned.

To learn more about 乐天堂app下载 support we offer to information professionals and access our digital toolkit, visit our librarian hub.