Diana Hinds gives chapter and verse on the range of opportunities

Plans to close public libraries to save money may be making news at the moment but librarians are still much in demand. They are sought after by universities, schools, government departments, health authorities, businesses and legal firms.

“We live in an information age and knowledge is one of society’s most important commodities,” says Annie Mauger, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Cilip). “We need information professionals; they underpin everyone else’s work.”

Young people considering careers as librarians and information managers “must be curious” because so much of the work is about investigating and finding out information, adds Michael Martin, the institute’s qualifications and professional development adviser. Above all, they must be good communicators who enjoy dealing with people, making them aware of the services offered and being ready to answer their questions. They also need to keep abreast of advances in technology and social media and be able to help their users or clients to find, use and manage information effectively.

“The big myth about librarians is that you have to be a quiet person but the reverse is true,” Mauger says. “You have to be enthusiastic and proactive, always asking ‘what can we do for you?’ If you do not want to talk to people, do not become a librarian.”

She acknowledges that unless you rise to leadership level this is not a highly paid career. But there are opportunities to climb the ladder professionally, for instance rising from managing a library service to directing a local authority department or obtaining a senior position in business or education.

“One of the big advantages of our profession is that you can move easily between sectors — public, private, education, commercial,” Mauger says. “It can be a very flexible career.”

Graduate trainee schemes (advertised on the Cilip website) are the ideal introduction, providing a year of varied library experience at a modest salary. Oxford Libraries runs the biggest trainee programme in the country, with 19 graduates this year, each based in a different library within the University of Oxford. They come together for joint training sessions and library visits.

“We don’t expect them to have library experience when they apply but it helps if they do,” says Emma Sullivan, in charge of staff development at the Bodleian Libraries. Trainees work on the desk helping readers and issuing books, putting books back on the shelves and processing and recording new acquisitions. They also shadow senior librarians.

The next step is a postgraduate diploma or master’s in librarianship or information management and about 16 universities offer such programmes accredited by Cilip.

The University of Sheffield, for example, offers an MA in librarianship and an MSc in information management. Both include core modules on information retrieval and information literacy. Students can choose further modules on academic and special libraries or children’s libraries, whereas those taking the MSc concentrate more on information systems in organisations.

Rachel Atkinson, 26, is responsible for a project at the Bodleian Library, finding alternative copies of books for borrowers who request titles that are in the process of being moved to the Bodleian’s new storage facility in Swindon. She did the Oxford Libraries traineeship and a master’s in librarianship at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

A related destination is the world of archives, for which a one-year postgraduate course in archive management is required. Archivists tend to have an historical bent: they are almost always working with unique documents and are concerned with their conservation and preservation and with making them accessible.

Catherine Taylor works for the West Yorkshire Archive Service. She says: “I love the privilege of being able to see and handle documents such as the Pontefract market charter from the 12th century. I also enjoy seeing someone go from having a question, through the journey of finding the answer. That is really special.”