If you’d asked me this morning what I would have in common with a librarian working in a specialist geoscience library, I would have had a hard time identifying any similarities between the roles. After an hour virtual study visit with Lucy Hawthorne of the Mineral Resources Tasmania Library I can now see that there are many overlaps between the two roles.
The Mineral Resources Tasmania (MRT) Geoscience Library is both a specialist library and a branch of the state government library. It collects and preserves resources in the fields of:
- Earth Sciences
- Mineral Resources
- Land Management
- Infrastructure Development
- Mining History (limited).
The library is split into a core samples library which contains rock samples and a print and digital resources library containing reference materials and mining and geological reports.
Initially I thought that this role would be the equivalent to a doctor comparing themselves to a hairdresser, however common themes began to emerge.
- Both roles require resourcing to support professional practitioners in their work- In my role I work to resource the curriculum for teachers, sourcing materials to help them in their teaching of students. Secondary to this I provide information and literature resources to students to support their learning and interest in information and stories. Lucy provides resources and information to a range of professionals including geologists, developers and mining companies to assist them in carrying out their work. She is also able to support members of the public in sourcing materials relating to specific areas of geological interest, much like I do with my students.
- Both roles require a strong collection development policy (CDP)- In the school library, collections must be kept up to date and relevant to student interests and curriculum requirements. The collection is only as good as what can be accessed by the students and teachers. This involves weeding or clearing out the distractions from the core purpose. In my case, it was removing out of date non-fiction resources, unused fiction titles and most controversially removing some of the low quality picture books (namely the paw patrol mini library). These resources distracted the users from the main purpose of the library- to engage with quality, interesting and up to date resources. Lucy talked about the need to remain clear and goal orientated when considering the merit of any resource included in the geoscience library. She was very driven to ensure all resources were specifically Tasmanian focused and goes to great lengths to research new additions to the library including locally produced resources. This includes when items are donated, which did ring true for my own experience in the school library.
- Consulting library users in the recommendation of new resources- A big part of my role is to ensure that teachers and students get what they need and want, always in consultation with the CDP. If a requested resource is of high quality, supportive of our goals and values and positively contributes to the collection then it usually gets added. It’s also important to be a detective and find out what events, units of study, inquiry projects and curriculum focuses are next on the horizon. This ensures that when teachers and students are looking for a resource I will have a good supply to offer them. Lucy talked about how she consults the users to determine the resources they will need. She also keeps updated with which projects are coming up, so she can ensure the resources are at hand. She also has developed a culture of staff requesting resources which she is usually able to fulfil.
- Newsletters and promotion- Throughout my time in the school library I have used newsletters as a way to communicate events, resources and opportunities to teachers. This was not something that had happened previously, but has worked for me. Lucy also uses newsletters to inform all MRT staff of new acquisitions, interesting and curious resources and other useful information. We have both noted these newsletters as being popular and a great way to engage and connect and have received positive feedback from patrons/teachers.
- The lone librarian- As common in many schools, the librarian is usually working in isolation. I am the sole librarian at my campus, but do have a colleague in the senior campus to consult when required. Lucy mentioned a similar scenario. When she commenced there wasn’t even a librarian to do a hand over, and she needed to reach out to state government library staff to show her the ropes in using the library operating system. She is a master of all tasks and needs to ensure good time management as the job is quite autonomous and requires self-direction. This all rang true for me in my school library role.
- “Librarian Super Power”- Lucy talked about the magic in her role coming from those moments when she can find the hardest to find resources. She talked about resource location as if it were like treasure hunting. I feel the same way about my role. I feel the most rewarding part of what I do is helping people. I love to go above and beyond, providing the required resources, plus more in order to show teachers and students things they may not have previously considered. To uncover gems, finding new resources to make learning interesting, engaging and relevant.
This study visit opened my eyes to the similarities we all have and I look forward to examining further comparisons as this study visit week continues.