Professional Profiles
We interview LIS professionals – finding out how they got to where they are and any advice they have for students or new professionals.
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Career Pathways with Ania Biazik, Library Manager at Thames-Coromandel District Council
Thank you Ania for taking the time to answer our Q&A about yourself and your career! We’re so pleased to have you join us for this edition of Library Life. Why don’t you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? I was born and grew up in Poland, my hometown is Częstochowa, and I studied in Katowice (Silesia, Poland). I came to New Zealand in late 2004 for my one-year OE: to learn English and explore the world; and that one year extended to another and another… It’s been an amazing seventeen years in Aotearoa! Perhaps, one fun fact about Ania, which I haven’t shared widely, is that I supported a music group “Button Hackers” with one song. READ MORE > |
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Career Pathways with Mark Crookson, Programme Director, Documentary Heritage. National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa. Why don’t you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? I grew up in a various places across Te Waipounamu (Christchurch, Blenheim, Invercargill, Dunedin) but I call Dunedin home. I’m still lured there by cold still winter days, solitary walks on the Ōtepoti’s many beautiful beaches, and the sense of faded grandeur that is hard to find elsewhere in NZ. But I also find myself rolling my rrrrrrs when I hang out with my old Invercargill friends. Both were great places to grow up. READ MORE > |
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Career Pathways with Barbara McPhee - former Parliamentary Librarian Deputy Chief Executive
Barbara said her farewells on a list-serv back in January,saying, “Over my 17 years in the parliamentary environment, I’ve had some amazing experiences and worked with some truly wonderful people both in my role as research manager and then more recently as Parliamentary Librarian DCE. In that time, we've worked through organisational restructures and a major review of the Parliamentary Library collections ensuring that our resources are relevant, manageable and accessible for members of Parliament and their staff. More recently we've had to relocate parliamentary library staff while earthquake strengthening is undertaken on the parliamentary precinct, and we've launched a new service portal where clients can seamlessly lodge and track requests. All fascinating stuff! But now it’s time for me to move on. So I'm looking forward to a new environment, some new opportunities and challenges.” READ MORE > |
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Career Pathways with Aimee Pieterse – Team Leader, Maniototo Community Library
Kia ora Aimee and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up; can you tell us about your current role? What is your job title and what do you do day-to-day? Can you also tell us what qualifications you have? I am the Team Leader at the Maniototo Community Library in Ranfurly, Central Otago. The Maniototo Library is a small rural library serving a community of approximately 1,600 people. In my role, I manage the day-to-day operations of the library from Monday to Thursday and have a library assistant who covers Fridays. READ MORE > |
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Career Pathways with Annette Beattie – Library Services Manager, Wairarapa Councils.
Kia ora Annette and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up; can you tell us about your current role? What is your job title and what do you do day-to-day? Can you also tell us what qualifications you have? I work across two Wairarapa councils – South Wairarapa District (SWDC) and Carterton District (CDC). I’m in a new role as the Library Services Manager with the directive of bringing strategic direction, and operational coherence and consistency to the libraries’ service. Day-to-day, I work across four branches and two council offices. We currently have a team of 14 permanent staff and a pool of casuals. I have a BA in Geography, PostGrad Diploma in Librarianship, PostGrad Diploma in Business, Prince2 Practitioner certification and Agile Professional certification and industry qualifications in business analysis, facilitation, and strategic negotiation. READ MORE > |
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Career Pathways with Philippa Robinson – Research Library and Archives Manager at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
Kia ora Philippa and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up, can you tell us about your current role? What is your job title and what do you do day-to-day? Can you also tell us what qualifications you have?
I am the Research Library and Archives Manager of the EH McCormick Research Library at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. We are part of the larger curatorial and learning department. We manage all publications, serials, art archives, artists files and research for the gallery staff as well as the public. READ MORE > |
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Career Pathways with Sasha Eastwood-Bennitt – Library and Resource Manager at Manchester Street School.
Kia ora Sasha and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up, can you tell us about your current role? What is your job title and what do you do day-to-day? Can you also tell us what experience you have?
Thank you for the opportunity to share my journey to a job where I get to spend my days sharing my love of reading with others. I have been the Library and Resource Manager at Manchester Street School in the Manawatū rural town of Feilding since 2008. READ MORE > |
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Peter Murgatroyd – Special library manager, Counties Manukau Health.
Kia ora Peter and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up, can you tell us about your current role? What do you do day-to-day? My current role is Library and Knowledge Services Manager at Counties Manukau Health. I manage a team of six comprising three information specialists, a knowledge broker, a library assistant and an elearning administrator. We support evidence-based care and evidence-informed decision making by providing library and research services for the staff at Counties Manukau District Health Board. READ MORE > |
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Sana Saleem, Subject Librarian (Pacific) at Unitec Institute of Technology - Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka.
Kia ora Sana and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up; can you tell us about your current role? What is your job title and what do you do day-to-day? Can you also tell us what qualifications you have? I am the Subject Librarian (Pacific) at Unitec Institute of Technology - Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka. Within my role, I am also responsible for these subject areas as a Subject Librarian for Languages (Bridgepoint), Performing and Screen Arts (Creative Industries) and Interloans librarian. READ MORE > |
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Troy Tuhou, Team Leader, Library Executive, Auckland University of Technology.
Kia ora Troy and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up; can you tell us about your current role? What is your job title and what do you do day-to-day? Can you also tell us what qualifications you have? Kia ora koutou katoa, I am currently the Team Leader for the AUT South Campus Library Community Engagement team. My role is varied and includes managing the day- to- day operations at South Campus Library including care and maintenance of the collection, facilities, furniture and equipment. I also manage the South Campus team and consider myself to be an enabler, ensuring that they have the resources and equipment to do their job, but also helping them to develop their skills. READ MORE > |
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Adrienne Hannan, Children’s and Youth Services Coordinator at Wellington City Libraries.
Kia ora Adrienne and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up, can you tell us about your current role? What is your job title and what do you do day-to-day? Can you also tell us what qualifications you have? I’m the Children’s and Youth Services Coordinator at Wellington City Libraries. I cover all the operational (and often strategic) aspects of our programmes, events, and services for 0 – 18 year olds and their families. My role covers service design, training and professional development, marketing and communication, resourcing, and relationship management. READ MORE > |
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Linda Palmer, University Librarian at Massey University.
Kia ora Linda, and thanks for sharing your career pathway with our readers. First up; can you tell us what qualifications you have? I studied for a Bachelor of Arts here at Massey University (1986) and I’m a Teachers’ College drop-out. There must be a lot of crossover between teaching and library work. Yes, but it turned out that I didn’t enjoy working with children, so it wasn’t for me. But basically nobody in my family had been to university, so going to Teachers’ College was a step into tertiary study. It was a year they were taking the top academics, so they screened us all by qualifications and didn’t stop to ask if we actually wanted to work with children. READ MORE > |
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Allison Dobbie, a life in public libraries. In November 2018 Allison Dobbie retired from her role as Principal Development Advisor Community Services at Auckland Libraries after decades of dedicated services to libraries. We review her career and hear about her interest in the Pacific. READ MORE > |
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Judith Wenborn, a librarian behind the wire. 'I decided during 2007 that I needed to de-stress my life and move on from Selwyn. I accepted a position ‘behind the wire’ at Christchurch Men’s Prison, starting in January 2008. So, for the last eleven years, I have been a Prison Librarian.' Judith Wenbourne retired from a career of almost 30 years in libraries in 2019. We hear from her about her work in public and prison libraries READ MORE > |