This year ALIA Island will feature a monthly blog post called, ‘View from my desk’. To kickstart the year, and to celebrate Library Lover’s Day 2022, we’re chatting with Janette Burke. University Librarian, University of Tasmania with 4 libraries in Hobart, 2 in Launceston, 1 in Burnie and 1 in Sydney.
Where and how did you start you LIS career?
I started a long time ago working as the sole librarian in a TAFE library in a small country town (Port Pirie) in South Australia. I also worked one day a week in the local public library. My role also involved cataloguing TAFE collections from the Fleurieu Peninsula all the way up to Broken Hill. I moved to Rockhampton, Queensland after 3 years to become subject librarian for Physics, Chemistry and Nursing. I hated the humidity and moved to Wollongong (to and from) several times in a number of roles, landing in my final role as Systems Manager. I left to take up the position as Acquisitions Manager at the University of Ballarat. I went to and from Monash University over 16 years and was in various roles from executive assistant, document delivery librarian to various Director roles and finally acting University Librarian. I am now enjoying working at the only university in Tasmania.
Does your role in the LIS field match what you expected before starting out?
Absolutely, I used to work as a student helper in my local high school in the Barossa Valley and always wanted to be a University Librarian, although this waxed and waned depending on my stages in life. I have always been ambitious and willing to take on most new challenges. Sometimes I wonder where I found the time to be a mother, and leader in a Group of 8 academic library that included managing international partnerships and building new libraries in South Africa and Malaysia. I have had an extremely rewarding career. I have been so lucky to have had wonderful mentors and been part of a collegial academic library community. The diversity of our work, and our ability to keep transforming libraries and ourselves to remain relevant and responsive to an ever-changing environment means we are constantly building new skills, new partnerships and taking on new and exciting challenges.
What are the key issues you face in your role? What are the rewards?
I love my job, and it is a real privilege to work at the University of Tasmania. I am excited by the campus transformations and the future vision for the University. It is not often you get to be intimately involved in the planning and implementation of 3 new campus libraries. One of the wonderful things about working in Tasmania is the collaborative partnerships we have with the rest of the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museum) sector. We have an amazing project with QVMAG, TMAG and Libraries Tasmania to enable the discovery and access to the State’s Cultural Collections and there are so many opportunities to strengthen this collaboration to other things. Communicating what the Library and Cultural collections can do for our community – to build information, digital and research skills and embed our collections into the curricula in innovative and engaging ways is a challenge that is exciting and rewarding when done well. There is never enough time in the day to do all the things that we want to do. I am fortunate that I have supportive leaders and staff who make my day a pleasure.
What is a point of difference about your library and, or library service?
Cultural Collection is part of the Library portfolio and has enabled us to focus on how we can include indigenous voices and knowledges into our collections as part of what we do. We have recently commissioned seven feature carpets for the Inveresk Library by a local indigenous artist that tell the story of the waterways and country. Having the Cultural Collections team as part of the Library has enabled a sharing of skills across the teams from a myriad of literacies (information, media, digital, research, cultural etc) to metadata, collections and systems, and all the teams have a much deeper appreciation of the purpose of culture and art in the library and university.
What career strategies and skills are important for a successful LIS career?
Take on any challenge that is offered to you, be flexible and don’t be afraid to make some mistakes. Find yourself a good mentor, establish strong relationships with your peers and colleagues, and do the best you can and be open to new opportunities and ways of doing things.
And finally, tell us a bit about the ‘view from your desk’.
ALIA Island 