Post contributed by Piotr Czosnyka, Medical Library (@PiotrCzosnyka)
It was exciting and a bit scary to be asked
to speak to the members of the Cambridge Library Group (CLG) about why I choose
to apply to University College of London (UCL) to peruse a MA in Library and
Information Science. Public speaking is never a walk in the park, no matter how
many times I done it. It is an opportunity to further or develop skills, and
this is partly what CLG is about. It is a platform that amplifies the voice of
information professionals. On a selfish note, participating in CLG events gives
me yet another iron on the fire, maintaining my personal career development. It
is also essential to highlight the changing role of a librarian into an
informational professional. So, debunking the delusion that many still have in
our society that a room full of books is a library, nothing can be further from
the truth. An empty room with a librarian is a library.
It’s not just about ME (as the ego is not
your amigo), because here in Cambridge we work as a community in a rich
landscape and it is not often that we get to meet our colleagues in an informal
capacity. What do I mean? Working with someone who was a stranger before simply
for the joy that that the labour brings is a good way to get to know somebody.
Therefore, after the work is done you have a pro bono feature of knowing a new
person. Working alongside my esteemed
colleagues Katherine and Matthias was a gas and a hoot, because we are
different, we all did slightly different courses. Hence we aimed to present a
balanced set of arguments for why you may wish to choose to attend Information
School. This decision is not to be taken lightly, the financial burden alone is
enough to put anyone off, because of the context of austerity, brexit, economic
uncertainty, the digital divide, and did I mention the Chinese and American
trade war? Times are hard, everybody is feeling the pinch.
I choose to attend UCL, because my core
values of promoting literacy, knowledge, civil rights matched up with that of
the institution, and I believe that in the information age of the 21st
century information professionals are responsible in providing equal access at
the point of entry to knowledge and thus power. UCL was founded on the ideas of
meritocracy and the philosophy of Jeremy Bentham. To advance as a civilized
species we need librarians, information professionals, but remember this: how
you wish to call us is not as important as what we do. Simples.
Thank you to the committee and the chair of
CLG.
