Where to from here?

Further study
Wilma was enrolled in the Charles Sturt Library and Information Services (LIS) degree programme. Sandra was unsure about studying in a professional LIS course and thought she might take up a degree in the area of training and development at a later stage. John had little interest in doing any further formal study, 'I suspect that if I do study it will because of peer group pressure'.

Aspirations and career moves
John identified the personal limitation of not being tough enough to carry the sort of load attached to higher-level positions. However, he also said that he would find it challenging and might consider applying if something became available in the new structure; the decision to do so would depend on whether he met the criteria. He had expressed interest in being involved in a team building exercise at the sectional head level. In the short term, John believed that only one head of the combined acquisitions and bibliographic searching section was required and he expressed interest in that position because he would be challenged to extend the self management approach. He had thought about other jobs which might arise out of the restructuring but had to wait and see. John also expressed an interest in moving into the personnel area and thought he would be willing to drop a salary level to do so. Basically, John saw himself as remaining at the University of Melbourne Library as long as that was of mutual benefit to himself and to the administration. He had to consider whether he had reached his level of competency, 'is this where I'm best for me and best for the organisation and best for the people around me' or 'whether I'm willing to be challenged and go on'.

Wilma had an impending career move which she saw as challenging. She was returning to the public libraries sector to be in charge of a small branch library where she would be responsible for service delivery. Getting the position had motivated Wilma to complete the professional LIS qualification after which she thought she would be well placed to apply for a librarian's position in the district library.

Sandra did not see herself as returning to the job of serials manager. She thought she needed to move on and was being supported to do so by the divisional head who had organised for her to work in the training and development area.

For the position
Wilma believed there was a lot of development needed for the interlibrary loans position: an increase in the number of permanent staff was required; and the logical combining of the document delivery (intercampus) and interlibrary loans services which would allow for a more uniform delivery of services to academics, 'lecturers are filling out so many different forms ... we could have just one form and one department handling everything'. She also thought it logical that the library join ABN which would impact on the work of the position.

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