In her own words - Loretta Sergovich
The Library Cadetship program at The University of Melbourne gives Cadets the valuable opportunity to experience the many facets of librarianship, while completing relevant professional qualifications.
In my time at the University I have explored the customer service, collection development and information literacy aspects of being in a discipline specific area of the Library (i.e. Education team in the Eastern Resource Centre), among other things.
Rotations (or placements) within other areas of the Library, such as Information Management, are an integral part of the Cadetship program which ensures that Cadets receive well-rounded insight into the workings of what it means to be a librarian in the 21st Century.
Being part of the University environment means that you are at the vanguard of academic life and research. The campus is buzzing as the Scholarly Information sector infuses new technologies into their traditional approach to research, and supports teaching and learning.
I am extremely grateful for the chance to gain practical experience while studying, and this has benefited me in many ways. The content of lectures and tutorials is contextualised, and there are always colleagues on hand to answer questions about topics of study (e.g. so ...why "controlled vocabulary" ...?). Similarly, my learning at RMIT reinforces and extends my understanding of certain skill-sets which see the most improvement when relevant theory and practical experience are combined (i.e. the reference interview).
This Cadetship is for you if you want to:
- be challenged
- learn new skills in context
- meet a range of new people
- discover how good it feels to be in a job you love
Okay, I guess I'm a little biased...
Loretta Sergovich
Library Cadet 2009