The Albert Sloman Library

Library staff

Contents:

Here's an insight to just some of the lovely people you'll get the chance to meet and work with in the Albert Sloman Library.

Clare French - Sub-Librarian

I worked at UCL for my pre-library school year and then studied for a diploma in librarianship at North London Polytechnic.  I started at the Albert Sloman Library in 1989 (a month before Sandy!) as a Senior library assistant in the Cataloguing department.  I've been a Principal library assistant, an Assistant librarian and now Sub-librarian all in the cataloguing department.  I've been responsible for the Arts, Social sciences and the Sciences at various times, despite having a degree in Theology.  I've created web pages, managed the library database, online resources and catalogued incunabula.

Emma Wisher - Assistant Librarian (Humanities)

I went to library school at the University of Sheffield, in 1999-2000, having been a graduate trainee at the J.B. Morrell Library at the University of York in 1998-1999. I did my dissertation on reader development pages on public library websites, for no other reason than that it sounded interesting. This is my first (and so far, only) job after library school. I was hoping to get a subject librarian post at an academic library, and when I saw the post advertised at Essex, it seemed ideal, as my first degree is in English and Related Literature. I have subject responsibilities for History, Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, US Studies and the library at the East 15 Acting School. As well as looking after the collections in those areas, liaising with the departments and carrying out subject related user education sessions, I have gradually accumulated other responsibilities. These include liaising with partner institutions at Southend, Ipswich, Colchester and Writtle, looking after the Enquiry desk service, acting as secretary to Library Committee and taking part in recruitment and selection of new Library staff.

Mary Pelowski - Assistant Librarian (User Services)

I've been working in libraries since I left uni in 1979.  Started in Cannon Street Library in the City (this was where I met my husband-to-be Paul) and when that closed down a year later (not connected with my starting to work there) I worked in the Guildhall Library and then at the Barbican Centre Library.  The Centre hadn't yet opened to the public so it was a rather strange library, the sort everyone dreams about, without any users!  Got promotion to SLA in the Music Library and specialised in music librarianship for my MA.  That got me the job at Colchester Institute as the Music Librarian in 1988.  Working with music was just brilliant & at the Barbican I got to test damaged and faulty records and cassettes and at the Institute I listened to music while I catalogued what a life!  I then dabbled in System Librarianship for a year and for a whole month flexed my muscles as The Librarian of the Institute (between one retiring and the next one starting) before coming to the university.

User Services is a catch all.  You can make it as big as you like as long as you have got the team structure right.  It's all about people, library staff and library users and this makes it fluid, unpredictable, challenging and exciting.  I actually like dealing with awkward people!  Increasingly it is also about answering emails and satisfying the demands of the Auditors but all jobs have the boring and routine side.

Sandy Macmillen - Assistant Librarian (Social Sciences)

I went to UCL Library School a few decades ago (1986/87 actually) ...

My first job after Library school was here at Essex - senior library assistant in cataloguing (I arrived with Clare French), & then principal library assistant in charge of interlibrary loans.  In 1992 I  went to Egypt and spent a few years as VSO Librarian at Assiut University (Sohaj branch) attempting to train local staff in basic library procedures.  On return to UK I spent 5 years at the British Museum Dept. of Ethnography, in charge of their serials collection (on anthropology & archaeology).  But the delights of Colchester drew me back again and I returned as Humanities Librarian (Emma's job) for a year, and then Social Sciences Librarian since 2000.  It's mainly cataloguing/checking, selecting books for purchase from reviews/catalogues, checking reading lists & ordering stuff, liaising with departments, keeping the relevant web pages & library guides up to date, & teaching students in social science departments how to use the library.  I also help with special collections, and look after the shelving/seating space needs of the Library.

Esther Wilkinson - Assistant Librarian (Humanities)

After working in the AlbertSloman Library for a year as Student Assistant, I completed the one-year MA course in Information and Library Studies at Loughborough University.  Quite by chance I then ended up back at the University of Essex - this time in the post of Assistant Librarian! Although I studied German originally, I am now the subject specialist for Philosophy, Art History, Language and Linguistics and Russian/East European Studies, so getting a grip on all of these subject areas when I first took up the post was quite a challenge.  My job involves liaising with the academic staff in my subject areas and providing library induction sessions for their students, selecting books and other resources and overseeing the cataloguing/classification of material in these subject areas, checking reading lists, dealing with both general and subject-specific enquiries, keeping library guides and the relevant web pages up to date, and ordering and cataloguing materials from our Russian and other Eastern European book suppliers...amongst other things!

In addition to my subject responsibilities I organise library tours for new students and visits for external groups, and during the summer vacation period I co-ordinate our annual stocktake. I am now also learning Spanish here at the University, mainly so that I can assist with the cataloguing of a large collection of Spanish and Catalan literature which was donated to the Library a couple of years ago.

Sandra DeRoy - Principal Library Assistant (Inter-Library Loans)

I am a Principal Library Assistant and I work in interlibrary loans as well as supervising the circulation desk.  I've been at the library (this time round) since October 2002, but I worked here previously for two years after I graduated from Essex University with a degree in History and Literature.  I did not go to library school; instead I trained as a primary school teacher but decided that this was not for me and returned to the library, where I have been learning 'on the job' so to speak.

I have previously worked in a Building Society and for a well known supermarket but I prefer what I do now.  'Interlibrary loans' is a small but very friendly department.  The work is interesting and varied and we get to email people all over the world.  My favourite part of the job is trying to find obscure publications; it's a bit like being a detective!

Claire Cannings - Principal Library Assistant

I went to library school at Loughborough where I gained my MA in Information and Library Management.  This post is my first professional post since leaving there.  However, this isn't my first library job - I worked on a casual basis for Dorset County Libraries for five years para-professionally, so I've got experience of working in smaller libraries with a totally different user group and overall aim.  With my job here, I'm mostly based in the Cataloguing department and try to do as much cataloguing as possible although increasingly I am doing more overseeing of cataloguing, especially in the areas of Economics and Accounting.  I am also responsible for checking the cataloguing of XDs (photocopies of articles) and theses. 

Additionally, I am jointly in charge of the processing of reading lists and the maintenance of the reading list database and I have various other duties such as catalogue maintenance, arranging trips for the Student Assistants(!), providing tours for students and new members of library staff and more.  My job also involves a considerable amount of supervisory duties, mostly at the Circulation desk during evenings and weekends, but also supervising shelving a couple of days a week.  Finally, I'm also a member of the enquiry desk team.

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