I'm not Superwoman!

I didn't end up taking the contract work with Bremer TAFE - I had a trial run and worked out that it was not possible for me to work from home as the little "spare" time I have when my daughter is asleep is when I do my studies so I couldn't really put them on the back burner. It was hard to say no. I don't believe I'm the only person in the LIS world that has difficulty in saying "no." The fear of missed opportunities and disappointing employers that may cross your path again later in life plays hard on my mind when deciding to say "no." But alas, I'm sure other things will come up and I'm still heading in the right direction as far as my career goals are concerned.

Talking of opportunities, I mentioned in my last post all the secondments I participated in. You will note that most of them were at QUT and my paper "Multi-skill me..." discussed my experiences with secondments with QUT. I have to say that QUT Library was an excellent employer in giving opportunities to its staff to move into different positions through secondment opportunities. I gained so much experience during my time there that has lead me to this point in life. Also having the opportunity to participate in "big picture" planning through the Library Planning Forum also assisted me in seeing the "behind the scenes" of library planning which has also added to my experiences.

For those working for employers that offer secondments and support staff in gaining new skills and experiences, make the most of it as it doesn't occur everywhere.

Complete Circle!

As regular readers of this blog know, I have recently started working casually at the Ipswich Library and Information Service. This week sees me take on some casual contract work with Bremer Institute of TAFE Library working from home. Interesting comments made by a colleague when I mentioned I was doing some work from home. They questioned the occupational health and safety aspects of it and also whether there was any loading/reimbursement for the use of my own electricity etc. Interesting points that I had not ever thought about. Perhaps blog readers out there might like to comment on that!!

Eleven years ago I was working with the same employers although, at the time, I was also completing my Associate Diploma of Applied Science (Library Technician Studies) at Southbank Institute of TAFE. Funny how life sometimes does a complete circle, although I'm happy to say that I'm now far more experienced and a lot more confident then I was eleven years ago. And am also happy to note that some of the staff that I worked with back then are still with these employers and still remember me - although I don't think I made that much of an impression back then!! 8-)

I would also like to note that it is due to participating in many secondments that has enabled me to be successful in gaining these positions. Had it not been for the valuable experience and skills that I gained through my secondments, I'm sure that I would not have been as lucky!!

And just for the record, here are the secondments I've done:

• Reference Librarian (Creative Industries) - QUT Kelvin Grove Library
• Library Systems Officer - QUT Kelvin Grove Library
• Monographs Assistant - QUT Kelvin Grove Library
• Library Assistant - CSIRO Centre for Advanced Technologies Library