Studying Librarianship at the University of Sheffield by Jamie Yu

Studying at the University of Sheffield

Jamie is from Hong Kong and is studying MA Librarianship

February 2019, I was still in my undergraduate studies. February 2020, I am halfway through the Librarianship programme at the University of Sheffield, getting ready for the next semester. Everything happened so quickly. Sometimes I feel like I am still the Linguistics student who analysed word particles, corrected people’s grammar, made the same grammar mistakes myself and got away by saying that language is descriptive, not prescriptive. But sometimes it also feels like that was a long time ago. I am now a Librarianship student. I love it and my teachers and coursemates never fail to remind me that I am one of them. Everyone in the course is passionate about libraries in one way or another. It feels magical that you get to talk about the gorgeous architecture of a library, the cuteness in the children’s section, the bold selections in materials, the cutting edge technology and the here-we-go-again library politics all the time without anyone involved in the conversation being bored or feeling neglected at all.

An image of the stunning design of the Children Section of the Oslo Main Library by Jamie Yu

The contents of the courses were something completely new to me, given that I have no background working in a library or studying anything related to library and information studies. Nevertheless, the courses in the Librarianship Programme at the University of Sheffield were all intriguing and cultivating. The courses in the first semester (Libraries, Information and Society, Management for Information and Library Services, Information Literacy and Information Organisation) cover comprehensively the background knowledge and skills required of a library and information professional, the ethics and challenges, the management issues, the approaches to teaching and promoting information literacy and the concepts and practices of organising resources. While each course has its own characteristics, each was also enriched by the unique teaching approaches of its teachers. Some teachers had a strong urge to encourage students to engage in class and were enthusiastic about solving problems together. Some teachers liked to prepare in-class activities for students to reflect and discuss the application of theories in their own life contexts. What I particularly enjoyed about the courses was that each course was taught by more than one teaching individuals. It was inspiring to learn from different perspectives the course content and interpretations of the course materials by different teachers. Besides, it clearly showed that the communication among the teachers was very effective. By cooperating with their colleagues, the teachers demonstrated what role models of professionals should be like. This itself is a valuable lesson for us. I also love the diverse cultural backgrounds of my coursemates. I am truly learning from them just as much as I learn from my teachers. My coursemates are from all around the world, having different life and work experience to contribute in class. I did not take long to realise that not only work experience is meaningful in the discussion of the library profession. Personal life experience in solving ethical problems, learning, working as a team and organising resources are all invaluable resources in helping students understand the concepts and practices of library and information professionals. Despite having just a little working experience, I felt that I was always included in the class. I also felt the support given for me to contribute to the class with my own ethnical background and culture. I experienced how the country of the UK values diversity and inclusion, and how the people in this country take ethical issues seriously. In this cultural context, I developed a broader interest in and deeper understanding of the ethical framework of library professionals in the UK. The visits to academic and public libraries, archives and museums arranged by our teachers greatly supported my interest in exploring challenges and issues in adhering to a British standard of professionalism. All these exposures have made me believe that I made the right choice filing that programme application in April 2019, moving to the UK, and studying at the University of Sheffield. That being said, these exposures are also very useful in preparing for students’ career development. There were lots of opportunities to know the industry first-handed from guest lecturers or site visits and question and answer sessions with the senior managers. Knowing what the industry demands is helpful for us to equip ourselves with the proper skills and knowledge and be a well-fitted candidate for the institution we want to work for. The broad exposure to the non-library working environment has also expanded our expectation of where we can apply the skills we learn in school. I personally have always had an interest in working in a museum or archive context. The relevant course activities inspired me to further develop my skills in cataloguing, digitisation, making management decisions and building digital library/ database. I believe that the courses provided in the next semester, including “Archives and Records Management” and “Digital Multimedia Libraries”, would equip me with up-to-date knowledge of and practical skills in designing online platforms/ libraries, which I believe is essential in the future of the library and information industry. Again I must say I am happy about my decision to study here at the University of Sheffield. With the skills that I acquired and anticipated to acquire in this year, I am hopeful that I shall, after gaining more relevant work experience upon graduation, bring expertise to the library and information industry or other collection managing institutions in the future. I look forward to knowing what I will be doing in February 2021 and the months and years after.

Yu Sze Mei Jamie MA Librarianship

If you wish to email Jamie to ask more about the course, you can do so here.