Our Apprenticeship Journey

Meet Hannah and Ambreen! Starting in September 2020 we are the Kirklees Libraries Apprentices. Our Apprenticeship Journey is designed to engage people from all backgrounds to show you what we get up to and what its like to be an apprentice for Kirklees Council. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter by clicking the logos above to see what we get up to!

Since the launch of ‘Our Apprenticeship Journey’ we have been busy writing up articles to be published in the CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) magazine! You can find our latest article here.

 

About us

Kirklees Libraries employed two new apprentices for September, one to be based in North Kirklees and the other to be based in South Kirklees. We both went through two interviews, one with the librarians and the other with Barnsley College.

In August, Kirklees got in touch with us and we were so excited to join Kirklees Libraries. At first we were both so shocked! After such a difficult year being in lockdown this was fantastic news!

Hannah

Hannah

Library Apprentice - Huddersfield

I was so excited for my first day at work! I had just passed my driving test and drove down to Huddersfield by myself! At half past 9 I was met by Karen who took me into the building and then I was shown around by Kathryn, one of the managers. The building was so big and complicated, it reminded me of a scene that could be in Doctor Who! Once I’d been taken around the building I got my laptop setup with help from Karen. She showed me the Data Management System – Symphony – then I had a go at putting some books into transit for other libraries! My first day was so exciting, it felt like I had gained a sense of independence so quickly and the staff were lovely. It was such a friendly and welcoming environment, I felt at home instantly!

Ambreen

Ambreen

Library Apprentice - Dewsbury

I was actually quite nervous for my first day, due in part to still being in disbelief that I had actually made it!!! (Books and vulnerable communities are something I’m passionate about in my personal life, so it was a surreal feeling being able bring that to fruition in my professional life). After meeting my manager, John, all my nerves seemed futile (Thank You John!). He was incredibly welcoming and made sure I understood everything. We set up my laptop, went through all the safety procedures, and took a tour of the library. Looking back, I would definitely say my first day was a precedent of the support that would be available and John is always checking in to see if he can help me with anything. So to say I’m loving it, would be an understatement!

So what have we done so far?

Since September we have been very busy, lockdown rules meant the library had to adapt to a more virtual world. Libraries Adventures Live (LAL) sessions enabled the library service to interact with its customers (you!). We both took part in these sessions where we met illustrators, authors and even a rapper! 

The Cosmia Festival also had to be done virtually due to the current situation, we both got a chance to interview authors about their new books! The Cosmia festival was aimed at a large audience of all ages and was hosted on our social media platforms. We have also been doing weekly vlogs to show you all what we have been up to and what it’s like to be an apprentice working for Kirklees. 

In terms of working in the library, we were both involved in the Ring and Read service. Finding books for different people and popping them in a bag for collection was great fun! We also worked on our display boards in our libraries for the different themes we chose to focus on throughout the month.

We have also been reviewing a few of our favourite books! Go to the Book Vlogger section of the website to see our newest reviews! Here are jsut a few of our favourites: 

Here are a few videos showing what we have been up to so far.  Since our launch we have both been involved with the Cosmia festival which was held virtually due to the lockdown. See the video below for the event we were both involved with! We have also both taken part in Library Adventures Live (LAL!) events. The videos below are some of the LAL events we have both co-hosted. You can find the whole playlist of LAL! events on the Kirklees Libraries YouTube channel. Don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday at 11am for a fantastic LAL event. You can watch them live through our YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Hannah also took part in a fantastic Zine workshop! She co-hosted the event live with Cherry from Salford Zine Library.  You can find the workshop hereSince taking part in the event she has created her own video showing how she created her first Zine (see below!)

 

For November, Ambreen and Hannah chose 2 themes. Ambreen focused on Movember and Hannah chose Self-care. Hannah decided to get in touch with her yoga teacher – TJ, from her old college to introduce us to Yoga. TJ talks about mental health, healthy eating and the benefits yoga has for both the body and the mind. As well as chatting to her Yoga teacher, Hannah also created ‘An Introduction to Yoga’ video where she shared some yoga moves which she learnt at college. “I really enjoyed leading my own project for Self Care week, the staff were so helpful and I was really excited to share my passion for Yoga with you all”  – Hannah. 
http://www.kirkleeslibraries.co.uk/our-apprenticeship-journey/
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