whilst browsing the new LIS New professionals Network I came across the follwing question in one of the forums "How far would you travel for a job opportunity?" my inital thoughts have always been that I would be reluctant to move for a job, mainly because I have to consider my husband who works in outdoor education so I can't just up sticks for a job and either a) leave him behind or b)expect him to find a new job.
Having said that my coleagues and I went to visit Northampton College's new Library and I fell in love with it! it is a great space and learning environment, but then a 5 million investment was a big help, as is the fact that they have a prinipal who understands that the library is key to a successful college. Our new Hinckley library is half the size of our current one (which is already small as libraries go) and I think we are all somewhat reserved about how the new library is going to wok out. Furthermore they seem to be really on top of what they want their Library to offer and push to make sure thier facilities are used and are user firendly.
The later in the day I was doing job searches as I like to keep an eye on what vacacnies are available, salaries and what skills are in he job description (to make sure I get plenty of the right experience during my traineeship) and came across a full time position at Northamptonshire central Library (a rare thing indeed) I seriously considered applying for the position. The biggest issue for me was that I can't drive - I have tried and failed 3 times and just need to pluck up the courage to try again - but this means relying on public transport. Up to now I have never really had a problem with using public transport, however it would mean a train + bus commute of around and hr and a half a day, which I felt was just a bit too much on top of a full days work.
Having looked around since then I realise that full time Library positions are rare and some compromises are going to have to be made. I would comfortably be able to travel and hour each way everyday without it impacting too much on my work or home life and to be quite honest I will gladly travel for that amount of time if I knew I was going into a job I loved, and additonaly its time that I can spend reading :)
Hi Sam, I just wanted to say good luck - both with the job if you decide to apply & with the driving (I passed on my 5th attempt, was a long and painful process but totally worth it!).
ReplyDeleteHi Sam,
ReplyDeleteI'm the graduate trainee at the University of Northampton just now and got to see the new library at the college last week too. I agree, it's absolutely stunning.
And I say if you can deal with the commute, go for it. Northants Central is a lovely library with a great team, and their job postings recently have been some of the few I've seen come up in the East Midlands. And who knows where it could lead?
Best of luck to you!