INTRODUCTION
This is my 500 words reflection on how my fieldwork placement at Australian Catholic University Library Melbourne Branch and the way it has influenced my appreciation of myself and as an information professional.
DESCRIPTION
At the beginning of semester, I had to organise two fieldwork placements of fifty hours each. This is my journal of my first fieldwork placement at the Australian Catholic University Library Melbourne Campus.
ANALYSIS
At first, I wondered why I have to do fieldwork placement. I already got a degree in Librarianship at Charles Sturt University and had worked at the Queensland University of Technology Law Library. Then I started to think about the advantages of doing it for my professional development.
The advantages where
- Networking
- Have a more up to date reference
- To update my knowledge
- Learn new skills
On the first day, I was a little bit apprehensive about what was going to happen and if I would be able to do the work. The reason for this is that I have been away from libraries for a long time looking after my mother. Thirty minutes after I started my apprehension disappeared and this was due to the support of the campus librarian and my industry supervisor.
I was sorry that I did not start my fieldwork placement at the beginning of the semester so that I could have experienced more of the Liaison Librarian information literacy sessions. I would also have liked to spend time in the research secretariat to see how information professionals can help researchers.
Working at the Australian Catholic University Library allowed me to realize that I have not lost my library knowledge or library skills even though I have not work for sometime. Also, it allowed me to realise even though I only worked at Queensland University of Technology Law Library at night-time, I did gain some very valuable skills that were helpful in this fieldwork placement. Skills were:
- Team work
- Customers Service
- Bibliographic checking
- Trustworthy
- On time
- Shelving
Working at Australian Catholic University Library I was able to draw on my own skills, knowledge especially when I was working on the service desk. By observing my supervisor and other ACU staff, I was able to gain new knowledge such as how she managed student’s requests and the way she was able to draw out the necessary information. From my supervisor I also gained knowledge of what it is to be a liaison librarian in the academic environment.
Another benefit from doing this fieldwork placement was that I did not only use my own skills but I gained new ones that will help me in my own professional development. The new skills were:
- Using Aleph – Lending, ordering; cataloguing
- Online program to record service desk statistics
- Learn about the new catalogue rules – Resource Description and Access (RDA)
CONCLUSION
With the negative attitude at the beginning of this fieldwork placement I am so pleased that I did it because it has allow me to grow so much as a information professional. The Placement allowed me to draw out my own capabilities and to gain new skills and knowledge. However, due to poor planning on my part I did miss out in watching the information literacy sessions and have some time with the research secretariat.
Jennifer Diggens 