Isabelle Bridoux-Kenyon, University of Glasgow

Category: Meet our Members

This is a guest blog by Isabelle Bridoux-Kenyon as part of our focus on members:

By writing this blog post, far be it from me to pretend that I am an example to follow but my story is one that might inspire people hesitating to enter the profession and prove that it is possible to stay curious about the profession whatever your library job is. I had no idea I would end up working in the library I once visited when I was studying for my tourism degree in 2004. When I first visited the University of Glasgow Library I was an Erasmus exchange student at the University in Dumfries and I was in awe of the physical collections which are still very impressive today.

In 2014 I decided to change career and try my luck at getting a job as Library Assistant at the University of Glasgow when I realised that working in a library made sense to me: I love the atmosphere, having access to a wealth of knowledge, doing research, learning and creating bibliographies was my forte at university! My previous work experiences in the tourism industry gave me enough opportunities to develop many transferable skills which are useful to a Library Assistant working at the front desk: customer skills, communication skills, teamwork, organisation, adaptability and problem solving.

I now work within the Acquisitions & Access department of the University of Glasgow Library. I provide support in the processes involved in the acquisition, development and delivery of the library’s print and electronic resources. Among other things I am proud to contribute to the administration of reading lists. I also receipt print books and journals, and deal with enquiries from university staff and students relating to resources, such as access issues to e-resources.

Since I started working in this library, my knowledge of the profession has grown exponentially. Thankfully, I also realised that I made the right move, being able to appreciate the value the library and its staff have in the academic and wider community. What is even more exciting is that outside the academic library world, a whole lot of other library and information worlds exist, each bringing their own share of benefits to the community. I am still fairly new to these worlds so my CILIP membership is definitely coming in handy to fill any knowledge gap.

I joined CILIP in 2016 and since then I have not stopped learning about the profession and I love being able to undertake my own research and challenge myself.  Working towards Certification pushed me to develop my professional skills and knowledge. I have also joined a special interest groups committee (Academic and Research Libraries Group in Scotland) which enables me to meet friendly professionals. Being part of the committee allows me to contribute to the profession, which is very motivating. It also makes me feel much more involved in the profession and enables me to perceive matters differently, outside my job environment. Being a member of CILIP certainly helps me develop my passion for the profession.