How I became a librarian...

I have had a few people email and tweet me lately about how I became a librarian and any advice for someone looking to get into the profession so I thought that I would do a little blog post to sum it up instead of regurgitating information all the time. (This post is going to be quite different to the usual posts around here)

(photo by kharied)

Firstly, I will start by explaining that you need a degree to be a librarian. This can either be a bachelor degree or a postgraduate degree. I went down the postgraduate degree route because when I went to uni to study English I had no idea what I wanted to be. I knew that I liked literature but I didn't want to remain in academia. I had experience of working within the community, doing out reach reading groups with The Reader Organisation, so I knew the power of outreach work. I knew that I wanted to do a job that would help people and I loved the ideology of public libraries - free access to information for all. I researched into teaching at first, did some work experience in a school and found out that I hated it. So I registered for my MA course and started it in September 2009. During my course I had to undertake a 3 week work placement and this is how I got offered my first job - through working hard & impressing the managers in those 3 weeks with my enthusiasm, they asked me to come back to cover sickness and holidays and then the vacancy for my job came up, so I applied and luckily got it. I have been very lucky - I know many of my course mates haven't been as fortunate and it seems that librarianship is increasingly becoming a profession that is hard to get into (especially in the face of budget cuts after the recession). 

This presentation below by the wonderful Ned Potter aka The Wikiman sums up the library and information profession more succinctly than I can :

If you want to work in libraries

View more presentations from Ned Potter

Here are a few of my tips though for someone wanting to get into the library and information sector:

• Get work experience. You can get experience through volunteering or by arranging a work placement through Uni if you're still studying. You can get a job shelving books in your Uni library or apply for a graduate trainee librarian position - they are a very good way of getting experience after getting an undergraduate degree. 
• Network. If you are 100% committed to the library profession, it may be a good idea to join your national association (in the UK, it's CILIP). They usually do discounted rates for students or the unemployed. When applying for jobs, this shows that you are seriously dedicated to the profession. They will also keep you informed of the latest news in the sector and help you network. I am on the CILIP north-west regional branch committee and that has been a really great experience to meet other professionals all at different stages of their careers and in different library sectors. Also, twitter is a hotbed of networking librarians. I use twitter to keep me informed & up to date with library news but also to learn about what colleagues in other libraries are doing. Also join LISNPN (a network for new professionals) where you can get great advice on how to start your library career. 

(photo by Thomas Hawk - this is actually a 'gentleman's bar' called The Library, but it's still true! We are gorgeous)

• Research. Get to really understand what the profession is about, what it's doing at the moment and what the future of it is. It isn't all about books. In fact, there are some librarians out there who don't touch a book at all during their work day. The future of libraries is most certainly in IT. If you have a quaint image of a librarian reading books all day, this is not a job for you. Read librarians blogs because they will give you a real insight into the working life of a librarian. Read this blog post too, because Ned says everything pretty much that I wanted to say and more. 

Cause you read it in a big book.

Shoes - Topshop
Dress - Miss Selfridge
Cardigan - Dorothy Perkins
Heart shape brooch - handmade

Shoes - Clarks
Dress - Dorothy Perkins
Cardi - Red Herring
Necklace - Primark

I am better now! I am so glad, being ill was very boring. I had 2 days bed rest and then was itching to get out and about. I went into Manchester on Saturday (and wore outfit number 2) to drop my engagement ring off to be resized, but when I came back I felt so worn out. Wasn't quite 100%. Today I think I am pretty much back to normal but I still haven't been for my usual Sunday run. I think I will visit the gym tomorrow after work and ease myself back into it. I can't believe how much I've missed the gym and running while I've been ill!

While I was ill I pretty much just listened to 6 music and slept on the settee. I have to say I will miss 6 music when I go back into work tomorrow. I love the Lauren Laverne show, she got me through all of my assignments for my MA. I am hoping she may get me through my dissertation too. I would go into the library early and work right through her show until 1, then break for lunch. I was mega productive in those 3 hours! (Maybe the huge flask of coffee helped too...)

The first outfit above is what I wore for a christening today. The little brooch is the result of my handy work while I was off ill (in between sleeping and listening to 6 music, I also crocheted hearts a fair bit). I used my Dad's glue gun to glue a brooch back on to it and I love it! I will try to get a close up of the heart. I also bought some hair slide backs so I could make them into hair clips. Watch this space for them!

P.S. I've had a little spring clean on my blog too, I like simple layouts and I think this is very fresh & clean for spring.

Love hearts & tonsillitis

shoes - next
dress - h&m
cardigan - dorothy perkins
brooch - can't remember!

I am currently off work with tonsillitis. I am 22 and have NEVER had tonsillitis before in my life! It started off on Tuesday just as a little niggling cold and now has progressed to full blown tonsillitis. I'm now on some antibiotics and generally feeling a bit sorry for myself (I want someone to bring me some ice cream please!). Yesterday was glorious though and the dogs loved frolicking in the garden. How cute are Pepe & Nina? (Pepe is the grey one and Nina is the smaller, darker one). The spring sunshine made me get out my pretty yellow flower brooch for a splash of colour in my otherwise dull work outfit. I also taught myself how to crochet hearts thanks to Attic 24's pattern and I think I may spend this afternoon in bed crocheting some more. After a little nap. I really hope that I feel better soon because I haven't been for a run or to the gym since the weekend! Anyway, I hope you are all okay and enjoying the sunshine (although I still don't think it's warm enough to go bare legged yet ha)

Bravissimo

Who doesn't love lingerie? I have always been disappointed with the high streets offer of lingerie though - always rubbish selection of sizes and back sizes WAY too big! I am quite a petite lady and have always pretty much wore a 32DD/30E. I was invited for a fitting at the Bravissimo store in Liverpool and the lovely fitter, Steph, actually fitted me as a 28F. They don't do fittings using measuring tapes, simply by looking and trying on lots of different sizes. I think this is a good way because different brands have different sizing trends. I have bought a few bras from Bravissimo before but the last bra I bought from there was over a year ago and I think since starting running I have lost some weight from my back and chest, hence why I went down to a 28F. I've wore my bra a few times now and I can definitely tell the different! I was always tightening the straps and pulling them off my shoulders but I haven't had to do this once with this bra and it definitely gives me a better shape. The colour of it is so so gorgeous too and making me feel very springlike.

Whilst I was there I also tried on a t-shirt from their new clothing range, Pepperberry, so that I could see how my bra fitted with a scoop neck t-shirt. The clothing range is great for who sometimes have to buy a size bigger just so they have space for their boobs, but then the rest of the clothes are baggy. (Don't you HATE that?) I tried this one on but sadly it was too big for me in the size 8 curvy. However I think their shirts and blouses are a great idea - no more boob flashing while wearing shirts!

I think that my next purchase from Bravissimo will be a new sports bra (quite a few people have asked me for my recommendations for sports bras!) - I hear that shock absorber ones are the creme de la creme of sports bras. I currently have 2 M&S ones which have served me quite well on a budget but I have noticed that the straps aren't quite tight enough and therefore there's a bit too much jiggling about... Need to keep them strapped in a bit better! 

Hummingbird bakery cake days

On Friday the new Hummingbird Bakery book arrived through my letterbox and I was so excited to make some cakes from it. Yes, there are lots of cupcakes in it, but there are also many more layer cake, loaf cake, muffin and tray bake recipes to try. Oh and cheesecakes, so many delicious cheesecake recipes! Scott is very eager for me to make the chocolate lime cheesecake. It was my Grandad's birthday so it gave me the perfect excuse to make a layer cake AND cupcakes. I chose the maple & pecan cake and the beetroot chocolate cupcakes. I've made a beetroot chocolate cake before and it was delicious but this recipe had an added teaspoon of cinnamon which just brought out the flavour of the beetroot perfectly. So moist and delicious! I loved the maple & pecan layer cake too although some people said it was too sweet and not flavourful enough. Perhaps a teaspoon of vanilla extract next time will improve it. My only niggle with the recipes is that the quantities for the cupcake recipes seem slightly OTT. It says the recipes make 12-16 cupcakes but I ended up with 18 rather large cupcakes. The icing was even more off! I iced the 18 cupcakes (very generously) and still had enough left to ice about 8 more I bet. It seemed very wasteful to me to waste so much. Next time I may just halve the recipe and skimp slightly on the icing on the cupcakes (better for the waistline and your teeth). Have you bought the new Hummingbird Recipe book yet or tried any recipes out of it?

Oh and yesterday I did a guest post for the amazing collaborative blog, Where are my knees? 5 of my fave bloggers have got together in a bid to motivate and inspire each other to lose weight, tone up and generally get healthier. I was honoured to be asked to be their first guest poster about running and how to start it. The response has been hugely flattering too! It motivated me on a very hard 6k run this morning and now I am aching slightly but I know it's all worth it.

Library books

I decided to share with you all a few books I currently have on loan from the library. I've actually found myself borrowing more non-fiction lately. I think this is partly because non-fiction books tend to be quite expensive and I never really buy them and also because they've been helping me with new hobbies. 

I've borrowed a few running books, they're good because they include training plans and information about how to deal with injuries. They're also good for reference when you're like 'Uh it's raining, will that effect my running?' or wondering whether you need to take a drink of water with you or something (answers: wear a baseball cap when running in the rain and take a drink of water if you're going to be running for over an hour). Now, I know these can all be 'googled' but really, how reliable are yahoo answers or runners forums? I prefer to have a book written by a respected sports professional to advise me than an amateur. 

This book is Great House by Nicole Krauss. I love History of Love by her so when I noticed this new release on the advanced list, I had to put a hold on it. I'm going to start reading it as soon as I finish Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (taking me way too long to read but is great!). Great House has also just been put on the Orange Prize longlist which makes me want to read it even more before the shortlist and winners are announced. 

This book keeps popping up on my Amazon recommendations so when I noticed it on the library shelves I had to borrow it! I've made one recipe out of it so far, peanut butter maple cookies, but there are so many more that I want to try. Every single recipe has a gorgeous photograph with it. (I can't bear recipe books that don't have a photo for every recipe! I always end up just trying the recipes that have photos to them). I may actually end up purchasing this book myself or asking for it for a birthday present. I'm a sucker for a pretty recipe book.

What do you all have on loan from your library? I am very lucky and can borrow up to 20 items from my library which means I currently have £307 worth of books on loan! Imagine if I had bought all of them! My 'financial advisor' would have a heart attack. Half of them are books that I will only read once or maybe not even enjoy and then just return. Libraries are a great no risk way to try a new author. They are environmentally friendly because one paper copy can be lent by hundred of people! It also saves space on your bookshelves which can get easily cluttered by books you buy, read once and leave to collect dust. They can help you save money by not buying any books. When I list these reasons, it honestly astounds me that so many people don't use libraries! 

It's a Friday so why not plan to spend your Saturday morning visiting your library? Check out a new recipe book and spend the weekend baking, read the newspaper for free, curl up in the corner with a book, borrow a book to help you with your Uni assignment or take out a DVD for a Saturday movie night.

PS. I know today has been hailed as a 'blogger day of silence', but I don't really agree with it. How is remaining silent going to help the cause? Instead, I would rather urge you all to donate some money to the Red Cross via this website. 

Leaf tea shop & bar

I mentioned the other day that I visited Leaf for the first time at the weekend. Leaf is a tea shop and bar that has been established in Liverpool for a long time now but this was my first visit as since the move to Bold Street, it is easier to get to. (I know, it wasn't that far away, but it was out of my normal way so I never went although was sorely tempted by their pudding club lots of times.)

I always saw Leaf as a rival to Brew Tea bar, but since going I see that although their business model is the same (homegrown business, focusing on tea rather than coffee, using loose leaf tea) they are both very different and cater for different needs! Leaf is the kind of place I would go if I wanted a relaxing meal and a wide variety of dishes with a cuppa on the side, but Brew is the place that I would go for a proper good cup of tea (or smootea or steamer or earl grey latte) with maybe a slice of cake on the side. Brew is closer to the coffee shop model whilst Leaf is more of an up market cafe.

We went to Leaf on a Saturday lunch time so it was very busy but we managed to nab a seat downstairs. We ordered the english breakfast, homemade hummus, lady grey tea and assam breakfast tea. Scott is a bit of a tea connoisseur and wasn't that impressed with the tea blends. Most of them were just fruity teas and there wasn't much scope in the range of black or green loose leaf teas. Still, my cuppa lady grey was very nice. The hummus I had was amazing! I got SO much of it, I couldn't eat it all. It was flavoured with lemon & coriander too and tasted really fresh. I prefer homemade hummus over shop bought so loved this. Scott's English breakfast didn't look like anything too special really but he enjoyed it. The service wasn't amazing and we overheard the couple next to us moan that the service is always slow at the weekend and that they'd been told they'd have a half an hour wait for just some sandwiches!

I think I will go back to Leaf for a nice lunch but if I want a really nice cup of tea, I will always go to Brew. They have vintage fashion fairs at Leaf too and lots of other events and it's a really nice venue for it. You can see some more photos of the new Leaf on Bold Street here.

Weekend casual

Shoes - Topshop

Skirt - Vintage

T-shirt - h&m

Cardigan - Zara

Just a short post today! I've been busy in work and then at the gym and now I'm watching choccywoccydoodah and craving an amazing piece of chocolate cake. This is what I wore on Saturday to go for a nice lunch in Liverpool with Scott. We visited a new(ish...new to us!) place called 'Leaf', there are photos of it to come!

Spring is nearly here! I've got daffodils on my windows and I'm growing some basil too so I can make some homemade pesto, yum! I went for my long run yesterday and the sun was so so warm on my face, it was lovely. I definitely feel so much better after a bit of sunshine, I even feel better about my outfits. I hate winter really. I love the idea of it: hot chocolate with marshamallows, snuggles, snowball fights; but the reality is much different to that. Spring, summer & autumn are all my favourites. Winter can go and get lost!

Sweet potato pancakes

For Shrove Tuesday I had these sweet potato pancakes for breakfast. They were so yummy! They used mashed sweet potato to give them most of their body so you can almost convince yourself they're one of your five a day. They are flavoured with my favourite spices, ginger & nutmeg (although I added my ultimate favourite, cinnamon, to them too). I suppose they are almost pumpkin pie flavoured pancakes. The recipe is courtesy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in The Guardian.

180g plain flour 
3 tsp baking powder 
½ tsp grated nutmeg 
½ tsp ground ginger 
¼ tsp salt 
300g cooked sweet potato, mashed 
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
60g butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus a little more for frying
Butter, honey and toasted walnuts (optional; bake a handful or two of shelled nuts at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for six to eight minutes), for serving

Sift the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger and salt into a bowl. Beat together the sweet potato, eggs and butter in a separate bowl, then fold in the flour mixture, stirring just until combined – the batter will be quite stiff. Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a small knob of butter. Rub off any excess with a wad of kitchen paper. Drop the mixture into the pan in large tablespoonfuls, pressing them down gently with the back of the spoon to form a nice round. Fry for about four minutes a side, until browned on both sides. Serve spread with butter, trickled with honey and with the toasted walnuts scattered on top, if you're using them.

Alphaville

shoes - topshop
skirt - h&m
t-shirt - zara
cardigan - red herring

On Wednesday I was feeling really down in the morning. I went for a run but I just felt terrible - tired legs, running nose, absolutely no stamina at all. It was the second bad run on the go - I was getting worried about losing track of my training. I was in dire need of being cheered up before going into work for my late shift at 1! So I had a quick browse on some blogs and Anna had posted about this wonderful lookbook, Alphaville, from an indie New Zealand designer, Papercup. It was love at first sight! The boufanted hair, the scalloped hemlines and of course that colour combination of red & yellow. 

Lookbook by Papercup via Muchlove Anna

So I bounced back from my bad run, showered and dolled myself up in my best red & yellow ensemble. It has kept me quite cheery through a bad day actually. The colour yellow always cheers me up. 

Pansy print

Last week I had to work in the other library across the river, which I don't mind doing except for one thing: it is bad for my bank balance. It is located in a shopping centre and I have to walk through the shopping centre before and after work. After a bad day and you feel like you need rewarding it is BAD! Last week I ended up coming home with this beauty from Dorothy Perkins. I was also there yesterday but managed to have some restraint. I am glad I don't work there all the time. Although I might moan there isn't much to do near my library on my lunch break, at least it keeps my bank balance looking okay. This dress really reminds me of that Kate Moss red pansy print dress from one of her summer collections, only minus the ruffles which I think makes it more wearable really. It says it is a tunic and maybe it is for someone above average height but for a shortie like me it makes a great dress.

Gluten free brownies

Last week I made some gluten free brownies and they were very yummy! I haven't really experimented with much gluten free baking because I haven't had the need to, but a colleague of mine is gluten intolerant so I sometimes feel bad taking in all my baked goods that she cannot eat. So, I decided to try substituting plain flour with rice flour in the hummingbird bakery brownies to see how it goes. And, it actually went rather well! 

 

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate, chopped
175g butter
325g caster sugar
130g rice flour or plain flour
3 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 170c, Gas Mark 3. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir occassionally until thoroughly melted.

Hmm delicious melted butter & chocolate mix!

2. Remove from the heat. Pour into a larger bowl with the sugar in, and beat together. Add the sifted flour in and stir together. 

This is what the rice flour looks like, I bought it from Tesco in the world food section. 

3. Finally, beat in the eggs until thick and smooth. (I added in 100g white chocolate chopped up at this stage, you can add nuts as well if you like or keep them completely plain)

4. Pour into a greased and lined baking tray (33cmx23cm preferably, if you have a smaller one just adjust the cooking time and you'll end up with a thicker brownie). 

5. Bake for about 30-40 minutes (this depends on the size of the tray you're using like I said, just play it by ear). They should be flaky ontop but still soft in the centre. Leave to cool totally before attempting to turn them out, otherwise they will crack and fall apart! 

2 outfits of the week

Shoes - Topshop

Dress - New Look

Shirt - Dorothy Perkins

I'm on a roll with my outfit posts now! Hurray for longer days. It's been so light when I'm waking up and coming home. I even managed to go for an outdoors run after work on Thursday(!!). I could see the daffodils and crocus' coming up too, spring is just around the corner. My New Look dress has made a reappearance already, but I just love it too much not to wear it. Definitely £33 well spent. I wore it with a red shirt underneath it this time, felt quite school girl-ish but also smart. When it gets warmer I will probably just wear it with nothing underneath and a cardigan 

Shoes - M&S

Skirt - Zara

T-shirt - H&M

Cardigan - M&S

Necklace - Essbeevee

I managed to find my green cardigan this week too underneath a big pile of clothes in the airing cupboard! Oops! I don't think I've wore it since Christmas because it's been sat there. But now that it's nearly spring it felt right to get it out again. I wore this for work on Wednesday and it felt quite casual really because the t-shirt is quite baggy and plain, but I felt comfortable and the heels smartened it up. 

Recent beauty buys

Now, I am by no means a 'beauty blogger'. I don't really know all the ins and outs of MAC pigments or which primer is the best out of 53 different ones on the market. I just buy make up and use it until it needs replacing (shocking concept I know!). However, I recently treated myself to a few beauty buys (mostly in duty free) and thought I would share them all with you.

On my flight out to Spain I treated myself to this OPI nail varnish. It is part of the Spanish collection and is called 'No Spain, no gain' and to be honest it is the name that convinced me to buy it! I love the colour too though, a lovely deep purpley pink. I like pink nail varnish but sometimes it can seem *too* girly and childish for me so this is quite a sophisticated pink and I really like it. Amazing coverage as usual from OPI too. They sell the whole collection on ASOS too. I love the names of the OPI colours! Sadly there were no Valencia themed names otherwise I would have snapped that one up.

As we were flying back on Valentines Day and Scott had euros left over he managed to sneak off and buy me this! It's Nina by Nina Ricci. It's a really lovely smell, I'm no perfume analyser though but according to CheapSmells it smells like this: 
Top Notes: Calabrese Lemon and Lime Caipirinha. 
Middle Notes: Red Toffee Apple, Vanilla Infusion, Moonflower and Peony Petals.
Base Notes: Apple Tree Wood, Cotton Musk and White Cedar.
It's really delicious and different to any of my other perfumes!

And finally, I treated myself to Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara. My sister uses this and I used it once and was amazed by it! To be honest, I'm not much of a mascara person. I have quite dark & full eyelashes anyway but I have found myself wearing this everyday. It lasts ages and doesn't smudge horribley when I take my make up off like some mascaras did (namely Benefit's bad gal. Urgh, hated that!). It gives really great volume and curl too. 

Aaaand that's pretty much all my beauty purchases for the next few months sorted! Ha! Have you bought anything nice lately? Do you find yourself splurging on make up or just buying a few select things that you need? P.S. Happy weekend everyone! 

Keep on running

So, I have mentioned in passing about my running and have had a few questions about how it's all going so I thought I ought to do a wee post about it.

I bought my first pair of running shoes about 3 years ago now. I could run about 1 mile but then gave up and went back to swimming because that's what I was good at. (I was quite a good swimmer when I was younger, swam in galas for my school and had quite a few badges). I got bored of running and always just said 'I'm a swimmer, not a runner!'. But why couldn't I be both?

Scott always enjoyed running and has ran in 2 half marathons. When he and his brother were thinking about signing up for the Manchester great north run 10k I thought, why not! The goal will motivate me. And it really has! I think I am the kind of person who always needs a deadline to motivate me otherwise I lose track easily. I also like setting myself targets so this run seemed like a good way to ease myself into running.

(Completely unflattering photo of me in my running gear... 
I have nike trainers, karimor runnings leggings and an asics t-shirt. Basically Sports Direct's best bargain finds for running)

And so, on the 15th May 2011 I shall be running 10k through the streets of Manchester. At the moment my training is going rather well! I have good runs and I have bad runs, but I think everyone does. Today I ran 6km in 35 minutes and I am really hoping that I can get my 10km in under 1 hour. I started just by running/jogging a short route around the block and getting faster and faster at that. Then when I felt more comfortable I extended the route. I think this is the way to go about building up to further distances.

All running clothes are ugly. It is impossible to look stylish when running but I don't care. I am not one of those girls you see at the gym with loads of make up on and barely break into a sweat. To get to run 10k I need to push my body to it's boundaries!

I'm a novice runner and don't claim to be an expert but here are some tips for people who may want to begin:

• Buy a sports bra and decent running shoes! I see so many girls in the gym wearing strappy tops and strappy bras with their boobs on show jiggling about and I think 'yeah, that might look nice to all the men now but in 30 years time when your boobs are down to your knees you'll regret it!'. Also a surprising number of people think it's okay to run in converse? That will do so much damage to your knees and feet if you start to run long distances in them!
• Do a bit of research. I got lots of books out of the library, read blogs and bought magazines. It's definitely helped me understand how I can reach my target of 10k and how not to try to push myself. 
• Remember everyone was a beginner once! You might think 'oh I don't wanna go for a run, other runners might see me and laugh'. I do still feel a slight bit embarrassed/competitive when I see another runner on my runs, but they were all beginners once so understand what it's like. Plus, humans were practically made to run so they're not gonna tell you you're doing it wrong!
• Don't go for a run with your fitter other half. Haha! I went for a run once with Scott and by the 2nd kilometre I had such a bad stitch and felt fit to die because I had pushed myself a bit too far! He was running behind me so I felt that I had to run faster than usual. He had reassured me that I didn't have to and he would overtake if he wanted to go faster but it still felt weird. I like running because it's something I get to do alone and at my own pace. It's me time. Some people like running with others, I guess it's all personal choice. 

And finally, here are some lovely bloggers who keep inspiring me to run!

Kate from Earth Vs. 

Muirrean from Bangs and a bun (She also has a really good post dispelling the many excuses we use to not run here)

Laura from Keeping Healthy

Becky from BeckyBlog

And also a honourable mention goes to my dear friend Emma, who doesn't have a blog but I know she sometimes reads this. She has ran in numerous half marathons and has just entered herself for the Liverpool marathon in October! What a girl. To think back to those days in high school PE where we were always the lazy ones at the back of the class...

Do any of you run? If you're thinking about it, definitely read some of the blogs above and hopefully be inspired.