Librarians with Lives podcast

I have a socially distanced chat with some former Librarians with Lives guests, to find out what they've been up to since they last appeared on the podcast, and how they've been coping with everything that 2020 has thrown at them. We also discuss Christmas plans and what we've been doing to make life a little nicer this year. We also provide some TV, book, podcast and game recommendations, and try to offer some words of comfort and wisdom. At the start of the episode there is an appeal on behalf of Evidence Aid. to find out more and donate, visit evidenceaid.org

I chat to LwL alumni Mike Jones, Mike Ewen, Clare McCluskey Dean, and Shaun Kennedy about being librarians (or not...) during lockdown in the UK. This episode was recorded on 8th April 2020.

This mini episode explores what we can do to support the COVID-19 work currently being carried out by Evidence Aid. Find out more at evidenceaid.org The transcript of this episode is available at librarianswithlives.wordpress.com #StayHome #StaySafe

This week, Librarians with Lives goes to the ILI Conference, which took place at Olympia on 15th and 16th October 2019. I chat to delegates, speakers, organisers and vendors to capture their thoughts on the conference and give listeners a sense of the overall experience. #ILI2019 #TBCL19

I chat to Hong-Anh Nguyen, Information Service Manager at The King's Fund. I don't want to give away too much because I want everyone to listen. She's fab. That's all the spoilers I'm willing to give you...

This week, Librarians with Lives goes the CILIP Conference in Manchester. I chat to delegates, speakers, organisers and vendors to capture their thoughts on the conference and give listeners a sense of the overall experience. Thank you to the 45 people I managed to grab for interviews! #CilipConf19

In this special mini-episode of LwL recorded at #CilipConf19 I chat to Patrick Sweeney from EveryLibrary about their work, their latest initiatives, and what they're doing at the conference.

Some extra bits and pieces from my chat with Hon-Anh Nguyen that didn't deserve to be on the cutting room floor...

I chat to Shaun Kennedy, Information/Knowledge Assistant at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Shaun moved to the UK after completing his library course. We discuss his background, career so far, juggling distance learning with a full-time role, frustrations around library qualifications, and the exciting things that Shaun does (that made me gasp with delight) when he's not librarianing....

I chat to Phil Bradley, until recently a consultant and trainer about working for the British Council, CD-ROMs and libraries, the coming of the internet, the impact of Twitter, playing around on the internet for a living, mental health and loss, and what it's like to be CILIP President during turbulent times...

50 episodes! To celebrate this epic milestone Mike Jones hosts an Ask Me Anything (AMA), turning the tables on LwL founder and interviewer Jo Wood by asking listeners and previous participants to submit questions on a variety of topics. This episode also features a surprise (to Jo) quiz, where she unleashed her poorly-concealed Monica from Friends competitive side...

I chat to Rebecca Hill, @soulchaserbecky Senior Library Assistant at the University of Huddersfield. She previously worked in FE at Huddersfield New College library. We chat about making the leap from FE to HE [spoiler - it's not easy], library qualifications, Vikings, the usual....

I chat to Holger Aman, @leatherboundlib now working at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia as the Coordinator, Learning and Teaching Services. When I interviewed him for the podcast back in October 2018 he was working at BPP Holborn (UK) as the Library Manager. We discuss conferences, bursaries, awards, law libraries, and boxing...

I chat to Kate Faulkner, Legal Research Librarian at the Squire Law Library, the law faculty library at the University of Cambridge. Kate worked as a freelance indexer for 12 years and is still working on the Inner Temple Bench Papers of Judge Monier-Williams for the archivist at the Honourable Society of Inner Temple. In her spare time Kate visits libraries and blogs about them here: https://librarytouristblog.com/

I chat to Ellie Downes, academic liaison librarian about Aberystwyth, ephemera, empathy, Library Twitter, Giles from Buffy (obvs), learning Welsh, doing Chartership and plotting heists.

On 10th October 2018, Jo Wood, founder of Librarians with Lives, was a guest on Paul Jeorrett's (star of Episode 44) radio show - Calon Talks books on Calon FM. This is a music free version of the show, although each track that was played is introduced. We chatted about World Mental Health Day, Libraries Week, books, podcasting, libraries, and music.

I chat to Paul Jeorrett, until very recently Chair of CILIP Cymru Wales. Paul retired from his role at Wrexham Glyndwr University at the end of 2017.

I chat to Sally Walker...

It's side-special time! Clare McCluskey Dean, @claremcdean star of Episode 3 of the podcast, is back to chat with me about two of her favourite non-librariany things: Strictly Come Dancing, and Musical Theatre.

I chat to Lynsey Sampson @minaturepynz, Information Services Assistant at Strathclyde University Library. Lynsey previously worked in public libraries and a mental health service. We discuss CPD, getting bursaries, attending conferences, and visiting libraries abroad. Lynsey's answer for the dream library job question is excellent and entirely unexpected... #GetOuttaMyPub

I chat to Phil Gorman, @philbgorman Technical Services Librarian at the House of Commons Library about working in law libraries, implementing Library Management Systems, the pain of combining a full-time job with studying for a library qualification, drifting in and out of CPD activities, and whether Chartership is really worth the bother...

I chat to 50 delegates, speakers, vendors and organisers at #ILI2018 and #TBCL2018 at Olympia, London on 16th & 17th October 2018 about the event, their experiences, what they enjoyed and what they'll be taking away from the conference and bootcamp.

Ahead of #ILI2018, I chat to Hal Kirkwood and Natasha Chowdory about their sessions, their advice for conference delegates, tips for speakers, and what they're looking forward to at the event. Natasha's session is on Day 1 of the conference at 12:15pm and Hal's is at 2:15pm.

I chat to Martin Hamilton, Futurist at JISC and one of the keynote speakers #ILI2018 about his session (reasonably spoiler-free), big ideas, the future of information storage, social media, space exploration, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, advice for speaking at conferences and what he's looking forward to, aside from his own presentation!

LwL has teamed up with Information Today and ILI: The Library Innovation Conference to bring you a special set of podcasts to introduce the event, celebrate 20 years of ILI, and speak to some of the key players involved. LwL at #ILI2018 Episode 1 features Kat Allen, Brian Kelly, Alison McNab and Helen Lippell. Kat, Brian and Alison have been involved with ILI for many years and they are ideally placed to introduce the conference, reflect on the changes and innovations that they've seen over the years, highlight their must-sees, and offer advice to delegates. Helen is in charge of the Taxonomy Bootcamp, which runs alongside ILI. #TBCL18 @tbc_London This episode is a great introduction to the event for new and returning delegates and speakers. It also amplifies ILI to those who can't attend the conference but want to follow along on social media.

I chat to Angus MacDonald, web and digital manager at CILIP, who is also a qualified information professional. He worked briefly in libraries before moving into roles at a start-up and an advertising agency. We discuss developments at CILIP, engaging with members, and whether Mad Men accurately portrays what it's like to work in advertising...

I chat to Leah Rosenblum Emary, who has worked in various types of libraries in California, Brussels, and Berlin but has found a happy niche in UK academic libraries for the past 5 years. She currently works as liaison librarian for the School of Media and Communications at the University of Sunderland. http://library.sunderland.ac.uk/

I chat to Kate Grigsby, former FE and prison librarian, now working at the University of Sheffield. Kate is part of the Information Literacy Group (ILG)

I chat to Emily AKA Minnie Birch who has previously worked in public libraries and now works in a prison library, which she combines with her music career.

I chat to Ian Anstice AKA Public Libraries News about his day job(s) and lengthy career in public libraries, his 'other' job running PLN, sponsorship, marketing, speaking at conferences and much more besides.

I chat to Natasha Chowdory @InfoPro_Tasha who has worked in workplace and charity information settings and will shortly be staring a new role as a Clinical Evidence Based Information Specialist at CEBIS, based at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. We discuss Sweet Valley High, books, films, diversity and much much more...

This week, Librarians with Lives goes the CILIP Conference in Brighton. I chat to delegates, capture their thoughts on the conference and give listeners a sense of the overall experience. Thank you to the 40 people I managed to grab for interviews! #CilipConf18

Librarians with Lives is off to #CilipConf18! This is a little introductory episode outlining what I'll be doing there, along with a bit of reflection about what it all means. There will be a full-length conference special next week.

I chat to Matt Budd, Library Assistant in a LIS for social workers at a Non-Departmental Public Body in London. Matt works with your eponymous (perhaps infamous) LwL host, so we discuss what it's like to work in a high-achieving two-person team, as well as his background and career story.

This week I chat to Ann and Emma from ZSL London Zoo Library @ZSLLibrary. The ZSL Library is one of the oldest and largest zoological libraries in the world and their collections are absolutely fascinating. Stuart from the ZSL press team sat in on the interview and it was organised by them with assistance from Emma, so he's the male voice you can hear and the person we occasionally refer to during the episode. We do cover Ann and Emma's career journeys and CPD, but the focus of the episode is on the library itself. Full disclosure: I've been a ZSL member for years and have an almost nerdy fascination with both London and Whipsnade Zoos, which *may* become apparent as you listen to the episode...

I chat to Louise Burkett...

I chat to Cassandra Gilbert-Ward, Assistant Librarian at the National Art Library which is at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Cassandra has had a varied career so far and has previous worked in prison, publishing house and academic libraries. We also discuss mental health, and work-life balance.

I chat to David Clover, Head of User Engagement - Library and Learning Services at the University of East London.

I chat to Jane Secker, @jsecker, Senior Lecturer Educational Development at City University. Jane is Chair of the CILIP Information Literacy Group and co-runs the UK Copyright Literacy group.

I chat to Tom Roper, Clinical Librarian for Brighton and Sussex NHS Library and Knowledge Service. Tom has worked in a number of sectors - public, special, academic and health libraries to name a few - and is very pleased that his episode is being released on 1st May as the date appeals to both his trade unionist and folk music interests.

In Episode 26 of the Librarians with Lives podcast I chat to Kathryn Parry, Development Manager for CILIP Cymru Wales. Kathryn is the organiser of the CILIP Cymru Wales Conference, which is taking place on 9th & 10th May in Aberystwyth. She is also a distance learner at Aberystwyth University. We discuss public libraries, access to information, twins, information literacy, and organising conferences.

I chat to Caitlin McCulloch @scaredycait, trainee academic liaison librarian at the University of Reading about graduate traineeships, early career moves, Sweet Valley High, and quite possibly the greatest dream library job ever...

I chat to Jenny Foster who has previously worked in public libraries and further education but has spent the last six years working in various facilities and customer service roles for university libraries. Most recently she has found herself at Edge Hill working to deliver a front line service across not just the library but student services and careers. We also discuss mental health and the importance of work-life balance.

I chat to Harry Wright, who, at time of recording was a Library Assistant in a public library in Oxford but will shortly be starting a new role at Friends House, London. We discuss graduate traineeships, moving between sectors, and outreach work.

I chat to Jen Bayjoo, (@epicbayj) Research Services Advisor in the Research Services Team at Leeds Beckett University. We discuss working in a university library but not as a liaison librarian, the infuriating inherent whiteness of the information profession, and deciding against Chartership.

I chat to Lucas Maxwell @lucasjmaxwell school librarian at Glenthorne High School and UK School Librarian of the Year 2017.  SPOILER: This episode will make you want to work in a school library. Links: BookRiot: https://bookriot.com/author/lucas-maxwell/ Booktrust: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/ Glenthorne High School Library: http://glenthornelrc.blogspot.co.uk/ The music in this episode is by Tom Peach.

This week I chat to Elle Codling, Rhiannon Williams and Hannah Smith, who are all current library trainees about graduate traineeships, pathways into the information profession, how they're enjoying their first library experiences, and their future plans. They also offer advice to people applying for traineeships. The Cambridge Trainees' blog: http://www.catalog.group.cam.ac.uk/ The Oxford Trainees' website: http://blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtrainees/ Elle's blog: https://bookishfish.wordpress.com The music in this episode is an original composition by Tom Peach, called Spandex Ballet.

This week I chat to Jo Cornish, Development Officer (Employers) at CILIP. We chat about her previous life in public libraries, outreach work with local charities, managing staff, qualifications, fellowship and baseball.

This week I chat to Michael Jones Assistant Library Manager at a 6th form college. We spent quite a bit of time discussing mechanisms for informal networking at conferences during the episode and its great to see that this is being taken more seriously by conference organisers.  We could have chatted about films for ages (sound the Wittertainment klaxon) but we were very well-behaved and managed to focus on Michael's journey to becoming a qualified information professional. I knew a little bit anecdotally about working in a 6th form college library, but Michael's insights into the high points and challenges are fascinating. We also chatted about his role as Chair of ARLG Southern.

This week I chat to Alisa Howlett, an award-winning information professional, currently working as the Coordinator for Evidence-Based Practice at the University of Southern Queensland. We chatted about weekly library lessons at school, being a recovering perfectionist, having an affinity for library work from a reasonably young age but not actually making a career decision until later, working in aviation library settings, deviations into archives and policy work before finding a home in academic libraries, evidence-based practice and data analysis and interpretation, taking a sabbatical, similarities and differences between CILIP in the UK and ALIA in Australia, speaking at conferences, taking a travelling sabbatical, and emotional and work-related burnout.

This week I chat to Nick Poole, Chief Executive of CILIP. We discuss the acquisition of and access to knowledge and information, routes into the information profession, efforts to diversity and celebrate the workforce, living and working in the information age, "Librarian on Librarian Violence", being part of CILIP, professional ethics, and celebrating achievements without fear of ridicule. Nick also offers advice to both new and mid-career professionals, we chat about networking and speaking at conferences, and the dreaded Imposter Syndrome rears its ugly head yet again...