Previous Graduate Trainees

Having enjoyed my traineeship at Christ's, I am now studying for an MSc in Information Management at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Tom Guest, November 2012

I have been lucky enough to stay on at Christ's as the Library Assistant and I've also started studying part time for my MA in Library and Information Studies at UCL.

Charlotte Byrne, November 2011

I am now working as a Library Assistant in a school in North Yorkshire. In my spare time, I am studying for the MSc.(Econ) in Information and Library Studies by distance learning from Aberystwyth University.

I am about to start working as Team Librarian: Information and Local Studies at Bedfordshire Central Libraries while studying at UCL part-time.

I am currently studying for my MS in Library and Information Studies through a distance learning course at Florida State University, and I am working at the Seeley Historical Library as a Senior Library Assistant.

Carolyn Keim, 25 August 2008

Currently employed as Librarian at St Catharine's College Cambridge. I write and review on issues in librarianship for a range of publications, and am working on a book on the management of motion picture collections for the American Library Association. My blog analyzes the depiction of libraries and librarians in cinema.

Colin Higgins, November 2012

I completed my MA Information and Library Management at Loughborough in 2007 and went on to work at Kensington and Chelsea College Library. I have now moved back to the HE sector and I'm currently working as an Academic Liaison Librarian at the University of Westminster.

Eleanor Murphy, 07 January 2010

Completed MA Information and Library Management at Northumbria in September 2006 and currently working as Assistant Librarian at the Transport Research Laboratory.

The trainee year in Cambridge has been an excellent experience for me. As I had a year's public library experience, I could have applied for Masters courses last year but I am very glad I did a Traineeship first. For one thing, the post at Christ's has offered much more structured training than I had before and I have gained experience in all aspects of the running of the library. I have been encouraged to take advantage of the range of courses offered thoughout the university and to go to events with the aim of broadening my professional awareness, e.g. the London Book Fair, the LI Show and an E-Learning conference in Oxford. I feel much more prepared for the MA course next year and more confident about using this experience to apply for jobs afterwards.

I begin studying for an MA in Library and Information Studies at UCL in September 2004. I'm hoping to improve my IT skills in web design and the use of electronic resources as well as gain a good foundation in more (traditional) areas of library work like cataloguing. I particularly enjoy enquiry / research work so would ideally like to work for a government department or a large newspaper.

Towards the end of my final year at university I had the classic third year fear that, sometime in the not so distant future, I was going to have to get a Proper Job. Librarianship seemed an attractive proposition for me, and so I applied to a number of places. I was very fortunate that Christ's College offered me a position; the team at Christ's were all very friendly and welcoming, and the varied role of the job allowed me to get a feel for librarianship that was a real asset when it came to choosing courses in library school. The social life that went with being a grad trainee didn't hurt either - I have many fond (blurry) memories of pub visits after days out in London! In many ways the graduate traineeship is invaluable for those who want to get a feel for academic librarianship, with the benefit of being exposed to various other librarian 'hats' through excursions and conferences.

After Christ's I decided to take advantage of my dual-citizenship (and a good dollar-pound exchange rate) to go to library school in Canada. I did my Masters in Library and Information Science at the University of Western Ontario, which enabled me to compare my practical UK experience with a North American viewpoint. Whilst there I was seduced by the excellent public library system in Canada into taking a number of public library and youth services courses - rather different from anything I'd experienced before!

After finishing my degree, I returned to the UK to seek my fortune. So far I've spent several months on a temporary contract as an Information Librarian at Kingston University - redesigning content for subject webpages, handling reference desk queries (including minor IT) and working across various faculties - before settling in as Assistant Librarian for the Library and Museum of Freemasonry. The work is rather different to anything I've done before, being a specialist library environment with archives, but I'm finding it interesting and challenging in equal measures.

I really enjoyed my year working as a graduate trainee at Christ's College library. I hadn't experienced anything like it before as I'd only worked in my local public library previously. It was a very good insight into how a small college library works and how libraries operate in general. I was given quite a lot of responsibility from the start which was completely new to me but an invaluable experience. It was great to be in contact with the graduate trainees at the other college libraries as well, especially when applying for MA courses and AHRB funding. It was good to be able to talk to other people who were going through the same thing. Overall, my trainee year set me up nicely to go on and do my library qualification and convinced me that I did want to be a librarian.

After my year at Christ's College I went to the University of Sheffield to do an MA in Librarianship. This was a tough and demanding course but I learnt a lot from it. I also worked part time at the university library partly to support myself financially and partly to get more library experience. However, while I was doing the course I decided I would actually like to get into the public sector.

Once I finished my course I got a job as a Reader Services Librarian at Sale library (part of Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council). This was an exciting time to be working at the library as it was moving from temporary accommodation back into a refurbished building so I had a major part to play in helping move and set up the new library. My job at Sale library had numerous elements including answering reference enquiries, selecting new book stock, planning outreach activities and reader development.

My contract at Sale library was only temporary to cover maternity leave so I am now just about to start a new job as a Librarian at Macclesfield library (part of Cheshire County Council). I have also started working towards my Chartership this year so there is always plenty to do! I am really enjoying working in public libraries at the moment as there is a huge variety in the people you serve and the duties you carry out so it is where I see myself for the immediate future.

Philip is currently studying for a distance learning MSc in Information and Library Studies from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, whilst working as a library assistant at the Modern and Medieval Languages Faculty Library in Cambridge. In his spare time he tries, with occasional success, to live a gentlemanly, erudite and entirely scandal-free life.

Philip Keates, November 2012

After an enjoyable and educational traineeship, I have (for the time being!) returned to the other side of the issue desk to undertake my ESRC-funded MA in Psycholinguistics at the University of York. I am continuing the blog I started during the Cam23 2.0 programme, where I am documenting my experiences as a research student, including comments on libraries and the information profession from time to time.

Bridget is currently studying for the MSc (Econ) Library and Information Studies with the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Catrin is now working in the Electronic Journals department of Cambridge University Library.

Sandra Since leaving Classics in 2007, my career has moved in a different direction. I am now a primary school teacher and I also work in adult education, developing and delivering literacy, English language and refugee programmes. However, my time as a trainee will not be forgotten. The research and ICT skills I learned as a trainee are invaluable tools in the classroom, both as an aid to teaching and learning and sometimes even as lesson content for technologically savvy pupils!

Now working as Information and Learner Support Assistant at the university Language Centre in Cambridge, while studying on the Aberystwyth degree course by distance-learning. I work mainly with audio-visual materials for the French collection, and as a learner support assistant help independent learners of French and German in planning their studies.

After leaving the Classical Faculty Library at the end of August 2005 I took up a place at University College London to study for the MA in Library and Information Studies. The course was hard work, but interesting and enjoyable (for the most part!). I submitted my dissertation at the beginning of September 2006 and began job-hunting for my first professional post. I have been lucky enough to end up back in Cambridge, working at Gonville & Caius College Library in the role of Assistant Librarian (Cataloguing).

I really enjoyed my year at Corpus, but began to realise towards the end that librarianship wasn't for me after all. My line of work has taken a slight jump, and I now find myself at the other end of the book spectrum, working as an editorial assistant for a company based just outside Cambridge. Many of the skills I learnt at Corpus have proved readily transferable to the world of publishing, and I have no doubt my time as a trainee will remain a useful grounding for my future career. And even if it doesn't, I still had a great year!

Alex is about to begin his PhD in the history of the book at the University of Pennsylvania.

My graduate trainee year at Corpus Christi College was the best possible preparation for a career in librarianship, and I would recommend the traineeships, particularly in Cambridge, to anyone thinking about working in a library or information environment. During my time at Corpus I helped out with the day to day running of the undergraduate library, but was able to develop an understanding in many other aspects of library work. I was encouraged to attend as many courses and visits to other libraries as I could, and take advantage of the Parker Library and Cambridge Conservation Consortium, both at Corpus. Half-way through the year the undergraduate library moved to a new site, and being closely involved in the preparation and moving of the library was a very interesting and valuable experience.

After my trainee year I stayed on at Corpus as a library assistant and went on to complete an MA in Library and Information Management at Loughborough University part-time. I now work at the Reader Services Desk at the University Library in Cambridge.

Liam Austin, November 2012

My traineeship at Emmanuel was interesting and informative. I am now studying for an MA in Library and Information Studies at UCL. I don't have a definite plan after that, other than to get a full time job in a library and see where it takes me.

I'm doing an Information and Library Studies MSc Econ at Aberystwyth, full time- which it really is!! My modules are interesting and causing me to think about things that i hadn't encountered before. My time at Emmanuel was fruitful and gave me lots of ideas about particular areas of librarianship to consider. I'm looking forward to the rest of my degree and moving forward in my career.

Emily plans to begin the full-time MA course in Library and Information Studies at UCL from September.

After finishing his graduate traineeship at Emmanuel College, Raymond completed his MA in Librarianship at the University of Sheffield and he now works as a 'Knowledge Management Coordinator' at CUREE (Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education).

I completed my year as a graduate trainee in 2007. I then returned to Emmanuel library to catalogue the "Hackett Collection" (mainly French poetry) using the skills that I had gained from the trainee year. However I then decided that professionally I wanted to try something different and I have since relocated to Madrid where I am teaching English.

Currently working in the Pensions Section of Cambridgeshire County Council. He starts as a trainee accountant with Peters Elworthy and Moore in August 2007.

Currently studying for the MA/Msc in Information and Library Management at Loughborough.

My time spent working at Emmanuel College Library was a wonderful experience and as a first taster of librarianship it encouraged me to study the profession further. Being able to learn the basics of what goes on behind a college library, with a really supportive and helpful team, allowed me to gain valuable, transferable skills. It also gave me those skills such as cataloguing and classification, which are essential to the profession. I was able to work in many different areas such as acquisitions, journals, enquiries and processing. During my year at Emmanuel I worked with a team of trainees, constructing this website, and the whole process was a useful experience in creativeness, logistics and diplomacy! The level of computer literacy we attained has been really beneficial, both in relation to my course and my CV! The training available to me was essential to my professional development, and the visits we attended opened my eyes to the wide variety of librarianship available.

I have found the experience as a whole has prepared me well for the Master's course I am currently undertaking. Studying the MA in Librarianship at Sheffield has opened up different areas of work and is allowing me to develop and hone new skills.

After completing a really interesting trainee year at Murray Edwards, I am now studying full-time for my MA in Library and Information Studies at UCL. My trainee year has allowed me to develop a diverse and wide-ranging set of skills, which I am certain will be invaluable when I start to apply for professional posts. Throughout my trainee year at Murray Edwards, I kept a record of my activities and experiences on my blog, which is here for anyone who would like a more detailed insight into life as a graduate trainee in Cambridge.

Jen Yellin, March 2012

I will be studying full time for the Masters in Library and Information Studies at UCL from September 2010. I really loved my trainee year at Murray Edwards. The day-to-day work is a really good way of learning about how a library is run and the outside visits and training give a wider perspective on various types of library work.

Elizabeth Allen, November 2010

I am currently working as Deputy Librarian at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and I am due to start an MSc (Econ) in Library and Information Studies at Aberystwyth University in the near future. I enjoyed my traineeship immensely, and would recommend it to those interested in pursuing a career in academic librarianship. The comprehensive training that I received at Murray Edwards College was extremely valuable when applying for library school and other library jobs.

Helen Murphy, November 2009

In August 2007 I left Cambridge for rainy Warwick, where I now work as an Archive Assistant. I love my new job, especially working with the public. The record office has some really interesting documents, and I have learnt so much in the short time I have been here. However, my time as a library trainee provided me with valuable transferable skills, such as time management, IT and communication, which demonstrates that it is a worthwhile experience even if you decide not to continue down the path towards librarianship. During my time at New Hall I worked on several projects, which included work in the college archives to index back issues of the New Hall Review and the Dolphin, and re-boxing the papers of the college's founder, Dame Rosemary Murray. On the library side, I carried out a user survey to evaluate students' awareness of electronic resources, and I helped to catalogue Dame Rosemary's personal collection of books, which were much more challenging than the usual academic texts!

I am currently in the process of applying for a Masters degree in Archive and Records Management, as I hope to become a qualified archivist, and I am looking forward to the challenge of further study.

Katy Makin, November 2008

Anna Thompson lives with her husband in Doha Qatar, where he teaches history in the International Affairs Department at Qatar University. She keeps very busy chasing after a very energetic two-year-old, and hopes to re-enter the library profession once her children are in school.

Anna Thompson, November 2012

(No information provided)

Nicola went on to complete her MA in Librarianship at Sheffield University, and has been working as a systems librarian at Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln since the autumn of 2006. She thoroughly enjoys her job and is now working towards Chartership.

I thoroughly enjoyed my year at New Hall, and found it to be a worthwhile and rewarding experience which provided a great introduction to libraries, their importance and how they function. My time at New Hall allowed me to gain both the practical knowledge I needed in terms of cataloguing, classification and collection management, and allowed me to develop my skills in the use of web resources and in constructing web pages and writing html code. Although I had no previous experience of working in a library I did not find that to be a disadvantage as the traineeship teaches all the basic skills and knowledge and I found that my lack of previous experience did not hinder my development or enjoyment of my post in any way. The other major advantage of the traineeship is that there are six other trainees in Cambridge to offer support and advice and also to go for a drink with at the end of a busy day.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the year for me was working with the other trainees on the creation of the CATALOG website. As the trainees all work in different libraries it was a great learning experience and an opportunity for us all to pool our knowledge and resources to achieve such a worthwhile outcome, and one which I hope will be used by librarians, trainees and prospective trainees for years to come. I was also fortunate to be at New Hall during its 50th anniversary and assisted the Librarian in creating a display of images of the first sixteen students at New Hall. I also came over all David Bailey later on in the trainee year when I was let loose with the New Hall digital camera to take photographs of the Women's Art Collection which were to be used in a display celebrating the college's 50th anniversary. Not strictly library related but something fun nonetheless. I had the opportunity during my year at New Hall of cataloguing a large collection of Women's Studies books that were donated to the College. This was something I particularly enjoyed, as a large part of my undergraduate degree and dissertation were in the area of Women's Studies.

After leaving New Hall I found a job as a Library Assistant at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. I was based in the Law and Social Sciences Faculty but also worked for the regional sections of Africa and Japan/Korea. The position at SOAS involved cataloguing, classification, dealing with enquiries, issue desk work and much more. I began a part-time course in Library and Information Studies at City University, London in September 2005. The course is largely taught VLE with attendance for part-time students one day a week. I'm also doing an elective module in Web Applications Development next term so it might actually refresh all the web design stuff I've forgotten! The course has been very time consuming and at times hard work. Although I have enjoyed it I will be glad when my life no longer revolves around writing essays and reports!

However, it's all change for me again as in December I am leaving SOAS and moving back to Scotland to take up a position as Librarian for the areas of Caithness and Sutherland; completing the remainder of my library course via distance learning. It's certainly going to be a challenging role as I've never worked in public libraries before and will be promoting services, meeting communities and forging partnerships with local providers. I'm also intending to start working towards my Chartership once I've completed my library course.

Roxanne Macleod, December 2006.

I'm currently on the MSc Information Management course at Sheffield University. The course is more technical and management-oriented than a traditional Librarianship masters, which is both challenging and exciting as I am learning new skills. My work on the New Hall website has helped me on the course, particularly now as I am looking at e-publishing. I believe the practical experience of the traineeship will be beneficial to my job applications

New Hall is a very friendly college with a relaxed atmosphere and as a Graduate Trainee Librarian you are made to feel very welcome and an integral part of college life. I enjoyed the variety of the work; in one day you can be doing anything from opening a box of new books and locating books written by alumnae, to helping a student insert footnotes into her essay and refilling the photocopier. As a Graduate Trainee you have to be flexible, be prepared to talk to lots of people and to turn your hand to anything. I feel that this is the best way to learn about all aspects of library work.

The year was an excellent and thorough grounding to the MA in Librarianship I completed the following year. The constant interaction with academic staff, students and support staff within the college has greatly helped in my current position as an Assistant Subject Librarian in a university library.

I was trainee at New Hall for 1998-99, and found the experience to be very interesting and worthwhile. My background was not completely standard for a graduate trainee, as I had in fact graduated some 5 years earlier and had been working as a secretary/PA in London and Essex in the intervening years. I moved into librarianship as a change in career - something that I could do on a professional level rather than always being at someone else's beck and call, but which would still utilise the organisational and administrative skills that I had developed.

The trainee year was a very valuable one, allowing me to 'try on' librarianship before making the commitment to take the professional qualification. The experiences offered by New Hall were very varied, and although a large part of my job was working through the tail end of the retrocon project, I also worked on other projects and was able to attend professional development meetings. Sharing news and gossip with the other library trainees around Cambridge was also extremely useful and we supported each other through applications for Masters courses etc. Since qualifying I've held a variety of posts, my first full time post was as library assistant at University College in Oxford, very similar to New Hall in many ways, and I also had an evening job as Supervisor in the Radcliffe Science Library, the science section of the Bodleian. Whilst at Oxford I gained my Chartership. I moved back to Cambridge in April 2002, to work as senior library assistant at the Marshall Library of Economics. In January 2003 I moved to Durham to take up a new post as Undergraduate Librarian. This entailed organising library inductions for new undergraduates (some 4,000 pa), and gathering in reading lists from academic staff and ensuring these were checked and the required texts were ordered. I also developed online courses in DUO (Blackboard #41;, delivered practical workshops on searching OPAC and using journals and e)journals, and was involved in producing documentation and publicity materials.

I took a leap into a new sector in 2004, when I became Head of Library Services at Newcastle College, which is now the largest FE College in the country. I manage a team of 21 staff and operate three site libraries, as well as virtual services.

Alexandra Talbot, December 2008

I had studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Selwyn College, Cambridge before my year as Graduate Trainee Librarian at New Hall. One of my tasks at New Hall was to complete the retrospective cataloguing of books in Spanish, Russian and other languages. I was also trained in a wide range of duties in academic librarianship. The following year I took the MA in Library and Archive Studies at UCL, including an optional course in Electronic Publishing. This led to my first job in the Information Centre of the National Autistic Society, where I edited the charity's public website. I later moved to the RNIB's Research Library, a special library of print and digital resources for professionals and researchers in the field of sight loss. Working in a small team, I had particular responsibility for digital resources but also worked on acquisitions and cataloguing, collection development, enquiry services and editing a specialist current awareness service. Since 2004 I have been working on the other side of the library enquiry desk as a postgraduate student of anthropology.

Eona Bell, December 2008

I joined New Hall as Graduate Trainee in 1996, with a history degree, a Postgraduate qualification in Historical Research and IT, and a short work placement at Leicester University Library under my belt.

I found that my year at New Hall was an extremely valuable introduction to the world of libraries. Every effort was made to get me out and about to meet other information professionals, and to see how other libraries operated. Cambridge provides a great variety of college and specialist libraries on your doorstep, which is a huge benefit. It really does give you a massive head start when doing an information qualification to have that practical experience and broad view. The fact that I moved from a history degree to becoming an Engineering Librarian at Coventry University, shows that with a good solid foundation you can go on to unexpected places.

As Subject Librarian for the Engineering department my job is about supporting both students and staff in a variety of ways. Collection management means traditional paper resources but is increasingly dominated by digital materials, and now with every book request we are checking to see if a digital copy is also available. Enquiry work and one-to-one tutorials have always been part of the job, however increasingly my time is being taken up with information skills support. The amount of teaching that I do is expanding all the time as producing students with solid transferable information skills becomes ever more important. Liaison in general is a crucial part of my job whether with staff and students of the Engineering department, with colleagues in the library or staff in support departments across the University and overseas, with the wider HE community and with outside suppliers. I also contribute to Library wide projects and initiatives, and am involved in disability support as well as the Library Web Group with manages the Library Web presence.

Kirsty Kift, December 2008

I was graduate trainee at New Hall from September 1995 to September 1996 before going on to study for an MA in Library and Information Studies at UCL. My year at New Hall gave me valuable experience in all areas of the library's work and I was always encouraged to attend relevant exhibitions and open days at other libraries. I am sure that this played a key part in getting a place (and funding) at UCL and in my subsequent career. Since graduating from UCL I have had a brief stint working at the Barbican Library in London. I have been working in the House of Commons Library since summer 1998, the majority of that time as one of the librarians in the Home Affairs section. I am now an Officer of the House, and a researcher in the Home Affairs section, specialising in sport and the voluntary sector, but also covering a wide range of Home Office, DCMS and Ministry of Justice subjects.

John Woodhouse, December 2008

I was a graduate trainee at New Hall from February to August 1995. This was a career change for me, as I had previously been working as a research chemist but wanted to change direction into information work. Working at New Hall gave me the chance to see whether this was something that would suit me. The library catalogue was undergoing a retrospective conversion from card to computer at the time, and the Librarian tasked me with the French section-not an obvious choice for a chemist but I had just spent a year working in France so my French was pretty good.

I also got to see how the library was managed on a day to day basis. Working in Cambridge gave me a fantastic opportunity to see several other libraries as well. I think one of the most important lessons I learned at New Hall was the importance of networking, getting out there and talking to other librarians, ensuring that there was a community of colleagues to draw upon. This is something that is so important for people in information work, as so often the public image of a librarian is of Someone who sits alone, gathering dust, surrounded by books. The reality today is that a librarian is someone who needs to be energetic and outgoing, able to help users navigate their way through a vast and bewildering network of diverse resources.

While at New Hall, I applied for various SCONUL traineeships and successfully landed a job in the library of the University of York, which gave me the chance to experience a variety of activities such as serials management, cataloguing and issue desk work. This was followed by a year in Sheffield, where I took the MSc Information Management course. My dissertation saw a return to chemistry as it concentrated on "Similarity Searching in 3-Dimensional Chemical Databases."

Like many information workers, my first post after the MSc was a temporary one, at the library of a major pharmaceutical company in Essex, where I managed the inter-library loans system for 8 months. During this time I applied for a job at a management consultancy firm as a Knowledge Manager, working with the pharmaceuticals practice. This appealed to me on several levels: it fitted with my background, it involved working closely with quite a small user base, and (perversely) it was something I just hadn't ever thought I would do, so I gave it a go. This is a role I stayed in for five years, moving up to take global responsibility for defining the knowledge management strategy for the pharmaceutical practice. The users had very specific needs as they were usually working at client sites, dealing with demanding clients. Satisfying their research needs and also ensuring that the "pull" side of knowledge management happened - i.e., that key documents were retained from engagements and that lessons learned were captured and disseminated - was far from easy. The lessons I learned at New Hall around networking were key in this environment.

My current role is a move away from information work, as I am on internal secondment to a group that produces industry analysis. This involves a certain amount of research and report-writing, and networking is even more crucial.