Our Social Media Officer Barry Hall shares his experience of starting a new job during a pandemic and reflects on taking opportunities for development:
by Barry Hall Durham University Social Media Officer on NE CILIP Committee
I started working at Ushaw College on 1st April 2020 but have never been there.
Well, that’s not strictly true; I had my interview there.
My name’s Barry Hall, and until recently I was Institutional Repository Coordinator at the University of Sunderland. After 21 years (yes, I know) at Sunderland, I thought I should widen my breadth of knowledge, and try something new. So I took the plunge, left, and was lucky enough to get a job as a cataloguer at Ushaw College.
And then there was something on news about a virus in China…
My line manager was fantastic in keeping me up to date with the situation as it developed. At first I thought I’d be working at the Bill Bryson library until the whole thing ‘blew over’, but it quickly became apparent that something unprecedented was about to happen.
The concept of working from home wasn’t new to me. Although I did have a permanent desk in my last role, I was used to moving between sites, working where needed, and being flexible enough to plug a laptop in and set up as and when. The prospect of starting a new job remotely though (given that the role was pretty much dependent on having access to the materials I would be cataloguing) was daunting.
In the run up to my start date, my line manager kindly kept me informed as to the rapidly changing circumstances, and by 1st April, (almost) everything was set for my new (virtual) career.
It’s easy to malign our reliance on information technology, but quite honestly, things like AppsAnywhere, Zoom(!), and Microsoft Teams have allowed me to become part of the Ushaw team in ways that would have been impossible even a few years ago. My first day began with an informal video chat with my manager, and my induction was able to proceed unaffected by the ongoing worldwide crisis due to everything being available via DUO. While working through various training packages, I was able to communicate with staff from across the university, and a session on homeworking allowed me to introduce myself to dozens of people at once.
One thing that struck me straight away was how approachable and helpful everyone has been, especially given that, for the most part, people are working in isolation (at the kitchen table, often in their pajamas I suspect!) without being able to consult with colleagues in the usual informal ways. It’s been great to ‘meet’ my mentor (a colleague from Ushaw); the Metadata Coordinator at Durham University Library has been providing weekly one-to-one support on the nuances of Millennium; I’m able to take part in weekly catch-ups and Rare Books Group meetings that are an invaluable way of getting to know people I should have been working with since April, but have never actually ‘met’. I was also able to contribute to the LibAnswers service due to having used it at Sunderland; again, this has been another way to meet staff, interact with students, and to familiarize myself with library procedures.
The downside to this period of social distancing has been, for me personally at least, that lack of contact with staff outside of designated meetings or catch-ups. It’s something we’ve all had to get used to, but it’s not something that can be easily replaced. Similarly, I can’t wait to actually get to Ushaw. I think most people will have experienced periods or lethargy and lack of motivation while working from home, and although a lot other those feelings have been tempered by the excitement of a new job, I must admit to being disappointed that what I’d considered such a momentous time for me has been spent at home. The prospect of working at Hogwarts was a big driver in my decision to apply, and although I like my house, it’s not got quite the same ambience!
It's now January 2021, and, despite the best efforts of everyone, Ushaw is still not open. As time went on, I was asked to work at the Bill Bryson Library in Durham, and subsequently joined the Digitization Team there, fulfilling requests from staff and students unable to come to Durham in person. I also work at Palace Green Library where I’ve been able to continue my training as a cataloguer, and gain some insight into the archiving of rare books and manuscripts. It’s certainly been a strange year, with a series of unexpected turns (both ups and downs!), but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it!
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