University ahoy

Image from chakpak.com

This week I attended university for my induction sessions, which are two weeks in advance of the lectures starting. My first impressions included thinking the campus was like a town in itself; a concrete jungle that is very easy to get lost in (I wandered around for half an hour trying to find the building I was supposed to get to. It was a good thing I arrived three quarters of an hour early).

I learnt about the faculty of environment and technology, which has around 7,000 students, more than the place I studied my undergrad degree at had in total. We were informed of assessment regulations, how to use the library, and other things that escape my memory. The most interesting, and relevant, part of the two days was the subject specific session for people studying librarianship, or indeed, information management. I was a little disappointed to be informed the timetable still hasn't been completed and isn't ready to be published. Also, only one tutor has uploaded any preparation tasks for the first lecture (and being ever the keener, I have completed these, including week two's task which was accidentally done before week one's task. Some might call this being 'proactive'). This makes me wonder at the enthusiasm, organisation and cooperation of staff.

In a mingling session, AKA 'networking' session, many people drew in breath when they discovered I was studying full-time as well as working part-time and said things like "won't that be difficult?" Most probably, yes, and I am well aware, thank you very much. If anything, their comments have made me want to prove it can actually  be done and I, strangely, don't fear this prospect as I did once before.

One of the essays we have to read in preparation for the lectures is called Libraries in the Modern World by Brophy explaining how libraries have changed over the centuries and how they are now under threat due to development in technology, which they are for some reason unable to adapt to. Brophy lists many alternative and better ways to access information - bookshops, social networking, mobile communications, print on demand and e-commerce - all of which people prefer to "librarians [who] have not developed the skills to understand [technology], exploit it or create it" (18). This is all assuming that technology is, indeed, the future.

[In other news, I have a new job, which is very exciting and will pay me enough to support myself and is a job that I really really wanted and worked extremely hard for.]