Each month we feature an individual who has recently moved to a new role in the library and information sector within New Zealand. This month we’re featuring Matthew Radcliffe who has recently moved to the Northern Region based in the Auckland District Court as a Senior Court Librarian.
Matthew has graciously answered a couple of our burning questions about his new position and what being a Senior Court Librarian actually entails. Thank you Matthew for taking the time to answer our Q&A!
Tell us a little about the job!
I am the Senior Court Librarian for the Northern Region, based in the Auckland District Court. The job is a fascinating mix of legal research, collection development, training and a lot of relationship management.
Why did this role interest you initially?
The incredibly broad job description. I am very lucky to have been working in libraries for over half of my life and this is the role with the widest scope of responsibilities I have ever had. It’s a great mix of traditional librarianship and devising & implementing strategic direction. I get to meet with Judges and tell them about all of the incredible resources available to them, tell them about how Judicial Libraries will go above and beyond for them across the many services we give them. The role also includes a lot of travel, so I’m seeing parts of this beautiful country that I otherwise might not have.
What exciting projects will you be working on within your role?
When I had my first interview for a library role back in 2000, the head librarian confidently told me about how paper was a thing of the past. 21 years later, it seems that this might actually be possible.
I am a firm subscriber to the importance of paper resources, but, our role is to provide information to our users in the way that they want, not just in the way that it has been done before.
The Judicial Clerks who support the judges are digital natives and they want their information in the format that they feel most comfortable with. The Judicial Libraries Management Board see the benefits of digital resources and want the librarians to lead the way on procurement and training of Judges on these items.
Obviously, there are still a lot of users who want their paper resources, but the movement towards digital is gathering pace. A truly comprehensive digital law library is not obtainable, affordable and for some of our users desirable in 2021, but 2031? Maybe.
What advice do you have for someone aiming to progress their career in libraries?
Librarianship is at its heart a customer service role. I have worked in libraries for media companies, schools, accounting firms, law firms, courts as well as public libraries and the one thing that unites them all is the users. Wonderful, frustrating, curious people who want something and it is your job to find it for them. I did a three year library undergrad degree at Aberystwyth which was great. I learnt great theory and I gained a very well-rounded library education. But I also worked in a pub for those three years too. Dealing with complaints, dealing with requests, dealing with people, working as part of a team. Working in a pub is not as important as my degree in my library experience, but it did fill some holes which I had around customer service and dealing with users. The users of our libraries should be front and centre in everything that we do, getting good at working with them is a very important skill.
If you or someone you know has recently started a new job in the GLAMIR (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums, Iwi and Records) sector and would like to featured in next months “Who Got The Job” please contact our Communication Advisor, Jackie: Jackie@lianza.org.nz.
