Lesley’s story
Customer and Neighbourhood Services
Meet Lesley. She’s a Senior Information Librarian, and always knew that she wanted to work for an organisation that was committed to her community. Here, she talks about the physical changes that are contributing to it, the challenges of digital changes that are happening within the library, and how she’s enjoying the support to meet them.
I decided to work for Barnsley Council, because I wanted to work for an organisation that regarded and respected professional qualities. I also wanted to work for an organisation that was committed to the community. Over the past few years Barnsley has been rebuilt, and there have been physical changes, such as the Barnsley interchange, the refurbishment of the public library and Cooper Art Gallery. Barnsley Council has demonstrated that they’re up to the challenge of change.
The selection process was quite straightforward. I was kept informed at all stages so I knew what was happening.
I’ve worked for Barnsley Council since September 2008. I’m a Senior Information Librarian on the non-fiction floor, so I help the public with their day to day information needs.
Barnsley Council have supported me and helped me develop my role to take advantage of the new digital technologies in which information is increasingly delivered. So I’ve been on many courses, both within Barnsley Council and within the information sector to make sure that we’re ready for this challenge.
I enjoy working with people, and I also enjoy projects. The projects that I’ve been involved with have brought me in contact with more people, so it’s been great.
I’ve always lived in Barnsley and I’ve always felt that I’ve belonged to the community. Barnsley is very easy to travel to and from - both Leeds and Sheffield are in close proximity. Barnsley was an industrial town, but it’s very near the countryside. It’s a lot greener than people think.
During the last year we held a Fit 4 Life day here at Central Library, where we invited members of the community, the public and businesses, to come in and provide information to help the Barnsley community become healthier. It was great because in amongst the books, we had people having hand and head massages - it was a great day.
Our department works as a team. We all work very closely together, and we all consult one another. It’s a very diverse group of professionals, and they’re extremely supportive.
A typical day for me here in Central Library is very difficult to define. What I will describe is what happened on Friday: we had a Get-Online Day to encourage the public to get online in Barnsley. Lots of people were invited in to get online for the first time, so we had lots of different and new users. But then on Saturday it was a normal day within the library and I just did normal reference queries, such as find an album cover for a man, and a course book for somebody on a course.
I would recommend working at Barnsley Council to a friend, because they make you feel part of the community, and that your contribution matters.
