So why “A Rested Librarian”?
Well basically, I was on sabbatical and therefore hopefully “rested” or endeavouring to become “rested”. Before then it seemed that a general state of extreme busyness and preoccupiedness with daily projects, meetings, and tasks meant that, while I might have thought blogging was a good idea, and admired many librarians and others who engage in it, I felt like I never ever had the time to blog.
Also if you’ll allow me this play on words, “arrested” is a term which appealed, and dictionary definitions explain that arrested may mean “to stop, check” or “to catch and hold; attract and fix; engage”. This blog, I hoped, would play a role in teaching me to to stop myself more, to take stock, to reflect, and maybe, the odd time, help others do the same.
And while each librarian’s sabbatical is unique, I hoped that by sharing my experience, other librarians who have upcoming sabbaticals might gain something from my sharing my experiences.
This blog in particular sought to provide:
- Insights in to life as a “Visiting Professional Scholar” at a library school. I was based at the School of Information and Library Studies (SILS) at University College Dublin from July to December of 2009.
- Findings and discoveries as I engaged in my own research, while on sabbatical, especially with regard to faculty perceptions, attitudes and experiences of information literacy
- Snippets of interesting information of general professional interest which I came across during my sabbatical experience.