From Specialist to Special

Michelle McLean and Andrew Finegan are both right.

Andrew, in his post about the freedom that comes with choosing very carefully where he will work next, Librarian Idol: Sabbatical :

…something that I’ve come to realise now is exactly how valuable my time is. And, for now, I want to keep that time for myself. Yes, it’s a financially-expensive option, but so many professionals these days complain about being time-poor. The question no longer seems to be a case of “How much money will you give me for my time”, but rather “How will I be spending my time with you as an employer?” and “Is there something I’d rather be doing with my time?” Time spent being bored or unhappy is time wasted, and nobody benefits from that.

Michelle, in her post about why she wants to go back to work full time and find a  more influential position and the impact this may have on her family, Connecting Librarian: Professional and Family Considerations :

…now I find I want to do more with my profession….I want to do more as a librarian, see if I can make more of an impact on our profession and in a library service and I can’t do that as well as I would like, working part-time at a lower middle-management level position. So that means going back to full-time work and all the impacts that would have on me and my family…

….I know I can make a difference in my profession and I know there will be differences at home, I just hope that we can all adapt to it as we have done in other situations before.

.

I’m leaning toward Andrew, with the greatest of respect for Michelle and the choices that are right for her.

I have a thesis to write that is not getting written. A kid who needs hours of extra help right now to get a solid foundation for High School in six months. A  job that requires more than the 30 hours that I am paid for – if it is to sparkle and make the difference that it is there to make. A husband who I rarely get time to be with because we have the domestic  responsibility baton-passing relay-race  down to a fine art. A six year old who is wonderfully independent and undemanding who I want to cuddle more. And me – I used to play the flute and garden and cycle and hang out with real-life friends.

Something had to give.

Fortunately, it did so in the best possible way. A series of fortunate events.

Event one: February-  Christine Mackenzie explaining that one of the reasons that Yarra Plenty Regional Library manages to move so nimbly and experiment with new technology is that their governance structure is an independent body that only runs the library, nothing else. Just like Casey Cardinia Library Corporation that is implementing a drupal website and the  Horowhenua Library Trust that gave the world Koha and Kete.

Event two: March  - Josh Byrne describing, at the local public librarians’ conference, the Environmentally Sustainable Design features that will be in the new Cottlesloe/Peppermint Grove/Mosman Park library. The three councils have approved a “state of the art” building that will be an educational showpiece . It includes a thermal maze, in-ground heat exchange, double glazing and efficient use of natural lighting. There is also energy and water-efficient fixtures and fittings such as dimmable lighting control and waterless urinals, rainwater harvesting, onsite treatment and reuse of wastewater, solar panels and stormwater treatment.

Event three: April . Visiting Darien Library in Connecticut and listening to the staff talk about how they made the transition in January from their old building to their new building built on Environmentally Sustainable Design principles….and the opportunity it gave them to re-think and improve how they served their community. They were very smart in their  re-organization of the non-fiction and the children’s sections -  looking at user needs rather than librarian’s needs

Event four: Realising that when I had spare time during my trip overseas I was voluntarily visiting innovative public libraries, rather than seeking out academic libraries…

By about half way through my trip, I had resolved that on my return to Perth, I would approach the Manager of Library Services at Peppermint Grove and let her know that I was interested in working in the library that seemed to have the right governance structure, resources and an exciting new opportunity to rethink services.

But I didn’t.

Chickened out.

Fortunately this library had an IT librarian who wanted to jobshare. I applied when the job was advertised a couple of months ago and I start there part time (two days a week) in the middle of August. I get to do Youth Services (Teens) as well. I will be a “Special Services Librarian”.

My kids think that my Murdoch job is waaaay cool (me too) and will miss the extra money (me too) , but they look forward to an unending supply of the latest fiction (me too) and a mum who is more available to them (ummmm…).

Working two days a week also gives me time to now say “yes” to people who ask me to do freelancing. Once my study is out of the way, and the new library is open, and I have taken that family holiday, and spent a bit more time in the garden…….