Education and route in:

BA Hons degree in History and French followed by a one year library traineeship and then an MSc at City University 

Edwina’s viewpoints:

Today’s librarians are not bound by time, place or space. In my experience, librarianship is a great balance of skills, which you can use as a springboard into lots of other areas.

I currently work within the Export Control Organisation; a service oriented team responsible for issuing export licences. I am the only qualified information professional within the team, where my mix of people, IT and business skills are highly valued. 

In my own career I’ve experienced wide ranging opportunities from the traditional roles working on a library issue desk, answering customer enquiries, training staff and customers, managing a corporate website, organising events including a staff leadership event and a major Prime Ministerial bilateral conference. You might get involved with information audits, producing marketing and promotional articles or even a short information film. 

I love the variety of my job and the opportunities it offers – to travel, to work in a fascinating organisation and to network and influence others. Basically, to be at the heart of an organisation and to make things happen, both practically on the ground and in terms of strategy and planning. 

What’s next?

Climb up the management ladder and potentially move into a closely related role with more Human Resources (HR) responsibilities. 

Best bit about my job:

Influencing others. 

Any downsides?

Never enough time to get everything done! 

Edwina’s tips:

Keep refreshing your skills and get an elevator pitch that sells your skills to your wider organisation