Wednesday 17th April – SLA Europe, BIALL and CLSIG Open Day with SLA Europe speakers

SLA Europe is proud to announce that SLA Europe Board members Simon Barron, Marie Grace Cannon and Sam Wiggins will be speaking at the SLA Europe, BIALL and CLSIG Open Day. Simon, Marie and Sam have given brief tasters as to what topics they will be speaking on to help new professionals.

Simon Barron

My name is Simon Barron and I am a digital librarian. At the BIALL / CLSIG / SLA Europe graduate open day, I will talk about digital librarianship and how new professionals can succeed in this emerging field of information management.

Simon Barron

The past decades have seen an explosion in the quantity of digital information. This has a huge impact on librarianship, information management, and the people in the profession who deal with this information deluge. New professionals need to develop new skills and knowledge in order to harness new technology to solve the technical challenges facing the profession.

I’ll be talking about how I led my career in this direction – from library school to the British Library – and give some advice for how new graduates can build up the IT skills and technical understanding that they need to survive in an environment of ever-increasing digital information.

Marie Grace Cannon

My name is Marie Grace Cannon and I currently work as an Information officer at the solicitor’s firm Trowers & Hamlins LLP. I will be providing a lot of practical advice, including things I wish I knew when I was a graduate trainee, and on how to get the most out of library school.

There are a huge number of things you can do as a graduate trainee to learn more about the library and information profession, prepare yourself for studying a LIS qualification, and ultimately to improve your CV.

Marie Grace Cannon

Library school can be an intimidating prospect; as a graduate trainee I certainly didn’t know what to expect from the course, and whether one year’s full-time study would adequately prepare me for the world of work as a professional librarian. I will provide an overview of the content of the LIS course at UCL so trainees can learn what to expect, and I will also provide some practical advice that will apply to wherever you choose to study.

When the time comes to qualify, new graduates will be job hunting for their first professional positions at the same time; creating fierce competition. I will share a number of tips and things you can do to actively demonstrate your interest and commitment to the information profession and to ultimately make your job application stand out from the rest.

Sam Wiggins

I’m Sam Wiggins, and I currently work in Norton Rose LLP’s London office as an Information Officer. As part of this year’s graduate open day event, I will be talking about the importance of diversifying your skill set to meet the needs of not only your current role, but also to prepare yourself for the future.

Sam Wiggins

During the session, I will blend my experiences of working in a corporate environment as a newly qualified librarian with my experiences volunteering on a range of committees. Together, we will work to tease out the skills that can be gained from giving up a little of your time, and the effects this can have.

The library and information sector is quite unusual in having such a vast range of opportunities available to develop skills. I aim to provide you with guidance on how to make the best use of your time to focus your energy and manage your journey between academia, entry level positions and the next rung up the ladder.

 

Reminder of essential event information

Come and join us at the CILIP head office in Bloomsbury for a full day programme of speakers, tours and networking with your fellow graduate trainees. There will be visits to the Wiener Library, the library of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine during the day. Please state your preference for the visit when booking.

How to book a place: Booking is essential. Please book by Wednesday 3rd April to secure your place. Contact http://www.cilip.org.uk/contact-us/pages/map.aspx

This event is generously sponsored by Sue Hill Recruitment, TFPL and Ashgate Publishing, and Facet Publishing are offering two new titles as prizes for a draw on the day.