Dunn & Wilson scholarship project 2001

A comparison of education and training opportunities for library technicians in the UK, USA, NZ and Australia.

Kerrie Blyth

Funded by the 2001 Dunn & Wilson Scholarship, with sponsorship from LJ Cullen Bookbinders NSW, and Apollo-Moon Bookbinders Victoria.

Keywords

Education and training opportunities; library technicians; UK; USA; NZ; Australia.

January 2003

After my travels last year I have returned home with a new understanding and appreciation of how lucky we are to live and work where we do. My time overseas gave me an insight into how the para-professional staff working in libraries in the UK are trained and now I have moved on to researching the same field in Australia, New Zealand and USA. Through the use of e-lists and contacts I have made previously, I have found many people willingly offering their assistance which is making my task a most enjoyable one. I am focusing on distributing a questionnaire as widely as possible to gather data from library technicians and seeking assistance from course co-ordinators in a number of training institutions in these countries.

I have posted the questionnaire on Libtec and I would ask if you have a few spare minutes to complete and return it to me.

My time during the next few months will be spent compiling the information in readiness for September. I am looking forward to meeting you all in Brisbane.

Kerrie Blyth

5 April 2002

As the 2001 winner of the Dunn & Wilson Scholarship I am currently working on the two objectives that were outlined in my project proposal.

1. investigating the courses of study on offer to para-professional library staff in UK, USA and NZ and then comparing these with the current education and training opportunities in Australia.
2. Establishing and promoting solid international networks for library technicians around the world to expedite the sharing of ideas, opportunities, skills, education and training.

For the next few months I will be preparing my itinerary for touring the UK in September/October where I will be on a mission to find out as much as I can regarding how their para-professional staff are educated and trained. At this stage I have eight organizations to visit ranging from Universities to private providers of training and I expect to add some more to this list. I intend to interview staff and students and cover topics such as qualifications, training (flexible, on-line, workplace and class-based), resources and technology available and how the students view their employment prospects. Unfortunately I will not be able to visit the USA or NZ and will need to rely upon e-mail to continue my investigations of their courses. I can't see that this will present any problems for my project though.

To assist with my second objective I hope to be attending a meeting of the Library Associations "Affiliated Members" (they are the equivalent of our LibTec section) where I will have the opportunity to tell them about the many advantages of being an ALIATec and the opportunities open to us. This meeting will also give me a chance to discuss and launch my proposal for establishing a web page for para-professional staff. I would organize and administer this website and am asking interested participants to put forward their name, city of residence, state/county and country. Participation is for the purpose of having contacts around the world to assist anyone traveling or seeking information in another area or country. The level of assistance you offer is entirely up to the individual - it may be to simply offer advice on travel options within your own city or an offer to guide someone through your own workplace should they be visiting. Communication will be only between yourself and the person who has made contact via your email link. I think that simply to make a commitment to provide whatever assistance you wish, is all that will be required to make this network successful. I look forward to answering any questions or receiving suggestions as to the content of the site. Please e-mail me at kerrie.blyth@tafe.tas.edu.au.nospam (please remove '.nospam' from address).

11 September 2002

After three weeks of travelling I feel a bit like I have been on the move for ages and home seems a distant but happy memory, but as each day passes I learn more little lessons in life.

My time so far has been spent in Scotland and Northern England where I have had five interviews and visited many village, town and city libraries. Everywhere I have been people have gone out of their way to help me which has made the trip so far, a fantastic experience.

I was delighted to meet my sponsors, the managing director and his staff at Riley Dunn & Wilson in Falkirk, Scotland. Jeff and Ian made sure I had a full tour of the organisation and then over lunch we discussed among other things, the roles and responsibilities of library technicians.

Jeff has a great deal of respect for our profession in Australia and it is wonderful that we have such support from him and from John Westwood (Apollo-Moon) and Malcolm Mear (LJ Cullen) in Australia. As I move closer to London I shall continue to send some 'Postcards from...' to the Libtec list. Thanks for your e-mails and although I don't have a lot of internet time to reply, I do appreciate your messages.

Kerrie Blyth