I see this topic has made it to http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk (etc.) - Have your say: What is the most stressful job?
I seem to remember that it was Enoch Powell who said there is no such thing as good publicity or bad publicity - only publicity. I don't know if anyone finds this a soothing thought --- mmmmm, no, perhaps not ... :-)
Gordon (EP).
Gordon Smith
The Sally Howell Library
Epsom General Hospital
Dorking Road
Epsom, Surrey, KT18 7EG
Tel. 01372-735688, Fax 01372-735687
NULJ=HOWE, HLN=EP
The Master said, "Look at the means a man employs,
observe the basis on which he acts,
and discover where it is that he feels at ease.
Where can he hide? Where can he hide?"
- Analects of Confucius 2.10 (Slingerland)
>>> Julie Ryder <[log in to unmask]> 13/01/2006 11:41:57 >>>
Don't worry, Ishbel. I wasn't upset. Just sad that the role of public
libraries and librarians is so often undervalued. And I was maybe lucky.
But when you think of what the majority of the population have to put up
with every day ....
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sawyer, Ishbel" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: Stressed librarians!
> Knew I would upset someone! Okay, to be fair, I was talking less about the
> boredom, and more about the fact "that they did not have enough control
over
> their careers, and they were not allowed to put their skills to full use".
> Most of my time on the enquiry desk involved taking 10p here and 20p there
> for PC printing - at least once per minute, which I'm sure you'll agree is
> repetitive! Of course there was variety in my work in other ways and the
> occasional moment of triumph, but that was often forgotten in the
day-to-day
> grind. I and my younger professional colleagues mainly felt that the
> information skills we had learnt at university were slipping away through
> underuse, and that was the main bone of contention, but I accept that this
> is not the case for everyone.
>
> Ishbel Sawyer
> Assistant Librarian
> Health Management Library
> SHSC
> Crewe Road South
> EDINBURGH
> EH4 2LF
> Tel: 0131 623 2511
> Fax: 0131 315 2369
> http:/www.healthmanagementonline.co.uk
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Julie Ryder
> Sent: 13 January 2006 09:45
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Stressed librarians!
>
>
> I feel someone has to fly the flag for public librarians. I worked in
> public libraries for many years and, strangely, I
> don't remember being bored - exhausted, frustrated and extremely stressed,
> but not bored by endless repetition. I never felt there was endless
> repetition - just that there was always about another five years work to
do
> to provide the level of service I wanted to - that was in the community
care
> field - working with people with disabilities and providing services to
> people in their own homes - housebound in old jargon! I always felt very
> lucky to have such a high level of job satisfaction. Not everyone in
public
> libraries is so lucky, of course. As with everywhere else there were
> difficult users, but the major problems I had were internal - lack of
> resources, changing goalposts, endless targets, endless restructuring and
> possibly worst of all, lack of support from above. That was what caused
the
> stress.
>
> Well, that's got that off my chest!
>
>
> Julie
> [log in to unmask]
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