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Introducing the CILIP NW Committee by Kathryn, Student Representative



Name: Kathryn (@kakafrin)
Briefly describe your role on the CILIP NW Committee: I am one of the Student Representatives, acting as a channel of communication between the students on the Library and Information Management MA at Manchester Metropolitan and CILIP NW. My aim is to find out how CILIP NW can help library students and inform the students how CILIP can benefit them.
Work: Library Assistant at a large NHS Trust
Brief summary of work role/responsibilities: 
As one of the six Library Assistants across the Trust’s three library sites I am responsible for a lot of the front-desk and patron-facing interaction within the library. I complete the day-to-day roles of issuing, returning, reservation fulfillment, inter-library loans, and general queries as well as assisting with reclassification and wedding of the stock and helping to administer OpenAthens accounts for the whole of the North of England. I also regularly update our 1300+ followers on Twitter and actively compile a repository of local publications on a blog each week.
Other CILIP member networks you belong to:
None at the moment! Though this is something I will pursue once I complete my MA and am no longer a student.
How has your career developed up to now?
I fell into my current role, which is my first library role, by accident. I had just moved back from Vancouver, where I lived for a year, and applied for the job on a whim with no prior experience. I’d always fancied working in a library but didn’t know where to begin (in hindsight, I could have gained voluntary experience had this application not been successful!) Thankfully, my manager appreciated the customer service experience I had previously gained, as well as my time spent as a copywriter and studying at Undergraduate level, and took a chance on me. Soon after beginning the role I was introduced to the idea of completing the CILIP accredited MA at Manchester Metropolitan and it seemed too good an opportunity not to go for it!
What’s been your best professional moment? 
Being a member of two regional committees. As well as Student Representative for CILIP NW I am also the Secretary on the LIHNN Coordinating Committee. Both roles have given me invaluable experience in networking, contributing to decision-making discussions, and minute-taking.
I also organised a small event for a few Academic Librarians from the University of Salford library. I arranged for speakers to present to them, as well as showing them around two health libraries, and ensured they left with a completely different view of what health libraries do!
What drives you on? 
Helping people. It’s so satisfying either showing people how to retrieve the information they need, or providing it for them if they can’t find time away from their clinical duties to do so. And the fact that the people we help are saving lives every day just adds to that satisfaction!
Do you have any career advice or top tips? 
Get as much experience as possible. Library people are so friendly, welcoming, and genuinely eager to introduce new people to the world of libraries. Complete placements, shadowing opportunities, attend conferences, and make the most out of any connections you make and networking opportunities you have.
And, most importantly, be friendly and enthusiastic throughout each of these opportunities. The library world is surprisingly close-knit (especially within specialties) and everyone knows everyone, so it pays to be enthusiastic!
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 
I enjoy reading and writing fantasy, baking, and spending time with my niece, nephews, fiancé, and my two cats Evie and Viola.
What would be your Desert Island read? 
This is an absolutely impossible question! But I’ll go with a new all-time favourite: Uprooted by Naomi Novik.


Evie and Viola

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