LIANZA Te Whakakitenga aa Kaimai Library Assistants' Day
LIANZA Te Whakakitenga aa Kaimai celebrated our second annual library assistants’ Day in October at Tauranga Library. The event was a chance for library assistants from across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty to get together, share stories and ideas, and find out more about the wider library profession.
Our day was jam-packed with talks, tours, brainstorming and group discussions. We kicked off with an icebreaker, before splitting into groups to discuss two topics: firstly, how we all came to work in libraries, and secondly, what we would tell people starting out in a library career.
We found that we often come across similar questions and problems no matter the size of our library. Our jobs are becoming more about digital literacy, but there are still misconceptions from patrons about the library as a quiet place for books.
After a brief morning tea, three people shared their library journeys. First up was Michelle Bradbury from Tauranga Library, who talked about her struggles to get her qualification and become an information librarian in the Heritage and Research team. The second speaker was Georgie from Rotorua Library Te Aka Maui, who shared with us an awesome Powerpoint and her journey to working in the library sector. Lastly, Danielle Small spoke about what led her to become a Senior Customer Support at Rotorua Library Te Aka Maui. These talks gave us an in-depth view of where our jobs could take us; it may be difficult, and we may have some setbacks, but if we keep trying then we can reach our dreams. They showed how a library role can be achieved through a wide range of pathways and experiences.
Next, we discussed the challenges that we face as librarians. It was interesting to see, regardless of the area or the size of the library, we all face similar issues around safety and security, misconceptions about libraries and the digital divide in patrons’ knowledge of technology.
Michelle Anderson from Tauranga City Libraries and Kim Heke from Rotorua Library Te Aka Maui gave everybody a quick overview of what LIANZA is, how it can help with professional development, and how people can join. After lunch, we enjoyed an overview of the history of the Tauranga Library site with Bernie Johnson, one of Tauranga’s librarians. We then split into two groups for a tour of the library. We saw first-hand some of the advantages and challenges of working in the space, as well as how it differs from our own libraries. The highlight of the tour was the fire-proof archives room. The archive holds a surprising array of fascinating objects, including a 16th century bible.
After the tour, we had Skype calls with Pam Bidwell from Open Polytechnic and Jennifer Campbellmeier from Victoria University. Both talked about the courses that are available for those who are wanting to gain qualifications in the Library profession. Our last activity for the day was to split into groups once more and share a time where we felt like we’d made a difference in our work.
Library Assistants’ Day proved to be a fun opportunity for us to share ideas with other library assistants in the same boat and get inspired about our future in libraries.