Written by Dipti Mahabal
Migrating to a new country can be very exciting and at the same time challenging too. Travelling alone in a plane for the first time, internationally, all the way to Australia, I was full of mixed emotions.
When I first arrived in Australia, the recession was at its peak. After trying for months to find a job, I was lucky to be accepted as a volunteer in a public library.
As a volunteer, I was truly amazed to see how public libraries play a very important role in the lives of the local community. This was a turning point, and when I decided that I had to find a job in the public libraries. But having no local qualification and no local experience, it was not going to be easy.
I spoke to the librarian at the public library and expressed my interest and passion. She suggested enrolling in the ‘Diploma of Library, Information and Cultural Services.’
I started my full-time studies online with TAFE while volunteering and working a casual job to pay my bills. It was very difficult to balance everything. But my hard work paid off and I finally got a job in the council public library. I have been working in public libraries for the last 5 years.
As part of my career progression, I enrolled with Charles Sturt to study a ”Master of Information Studies (Librarianship).’ And now I am here, in my last semester, studying my lucky last subject ‘Information Literacy’!
I chose to do a Master’s degree with a specialisation in ‘Librarianship’ as this would improve my knowledge, skills, and connections in the current information sector. Many of my work supervisors expressed how Charles Sturt offered fantastic tutors with a wealth of experience and knowledge, as well as being able to study online which would suit me, being a first-time mum. So, there was no need for any further research as the Master’s at Charles Sturt was my best option.
Initially, I was unsure if I would be able to balance motherhood, studies and housework. Being a new mum can be very challenging and during COVID times, having no family support and very limited access, studying was extremely stressful.
The thought of graduating with a lower degree or even taking a ‘Leave of Absence’ crossed my mind multiple times, but that one hope ‘I can do it’ brought me closer to my dreams.
I chose ‘Librarianship’ as my specialisation as I got credit for a few subjects that I had studied at TAFE.
However, there are six areas of specialisation:
- Children’s librarianship – If you love working with children and young adults and delivering programs, then this is for you.
- Data management offers important aspects of governance, standards, ethics, data tools, and analytics.
- Information management focuses on the strategies and processes used by organisations to identify, access, manage, and share their information assets to meet their KM needs.
- Leadership offers strategy and planning, project and event management, and HRM in information agencies
- Librarianship covers research-related subjects, designing and delivering programs, and other varied areas.
- Records and archives management includes audiovisual archiving and preservation of materials and community histories.
- Applied research is new and offers a structured pathway into PhD study and the opportunity to develop advanced research skills, and design and undertake independent research.
If you love libraries, then this is for you! All the very best!
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative
