With over 60 people attending the event, participants came from as far afield as Invercargill. Held every two years, this event gave library assistants the chance to network with people working in the sector, learn about the careers of frontline library and archive staff and those of library managers, hear about library and information qualifications, and visit National Libraries He Tohu and other collections.
Library assistants heard about the careers of people in the sector and about LIANZA. They learned that many of the presenters, including Te Pouhuaki National Librarian Rachel Esson, and LIANZA president, Kim Taunga, started their own careers as library assistants.
Library managers: Laurinda Thomas - Wellington City, Wendy Horne - Upper Hutt City Council, and Kareen Carter - University of Otago, talked about their own career journeys. They all began their own careers as library assistants. Their advice for building a library career: step out of your comfort zone, make the most of your opportunities, step sideways sometimes to get where you want to be, don't limit yourself, and don't be fearful - sometimes you just have to try new things.
At the 2022 event, qualification pathways were introduced and tours of the Alexander Turnbull Library special collections and He Tohu were provided.
Participants commented that they enjoyed the event:
“Hearing about the work experiences and career paths of other librarians/library assistants and also the presentation about the Treaty and visit the display.”
“It was wonderful to hear all of the presentations. I really enjoyed hearing from some of our leaders about their career journeys, and really marvelled at how REAL they were. Speaking of personal truths and just being inspiring. Hearing about study options was wonderful too and being able to speak to some of the presenters during the break to get a better insight about my own journey was really helpful too.”
“I would definitely recommend this day, in fact I already have. I would say that there is something for everyone, and if they are looking for a bit of inspiration or just want to network, this is a great opportunity.”
Thanks to the LIANZA Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui community for organising this awesome event: Jennifer Klarwill, Kareen Carter, Judith Porter, Ivy Guo, Natalie Smith, and Aaron Wanoa