Working from home since the dreaded pandemic means constantly working at over 100%. No office chat, no social coffee breaks, very limited CPD. Don't get me wrong I love my job, but I love time to enjoy my job recreationally too. Attending in person workshops, conferences, gatherings seem like a distant memory... will our networking events ever return? Being online for networking events is not the same, our passion is lost in translation.
Yes, Twitter is great for making connections to people and organisations within our communities and to build community online, but you can’t beat real, face-to-face connections. The pandemic has intensified many of the factors that can lead to burnout and stress, social distancing has really taken away the fun and the great supports that we librarians are used to. Let's just hope our connections will be rejuvenated very soon!
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Libraries and Librarians really stepped up and played their part during Covid-19… and we are still playing our part nearly a year later! Our Library Team in GMIT continued to deliver library services but not in the usual face-to-face way. Okay, so face-to-face is not the same as online but we have reached way beyond the environs of our buildings – we have extended across the country and the world. Communication has been key throughout the pandemic, with a large increase in traffic to our library’s social media channels – we use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to connect with all our stakeholders and in addition email and monthly newsletters for our staff and students.
Technology allowed for remote learning and working. Students and academics required access to text digitally, unfortunately a lot of Irish textbooks are not available digitally. Furthermore, copyright laws and restriction don’t always let us do what we want to do. We endeavoured to do what we could and to be fair suppliers really stepped up … publishers did great work in expanding access to collections and new resources. However, the amount of Open Access (AO) resources being thrown at us was overwhelming, there was so much more work in providing access – the challenge going forward will be trying to keep access to the resources that were free during the crisis! We moved our library instruction online, both live and as recordings. Some of our new initiatives include live chat and LibAnswers, click and collect/delivery and scan & deliver services, bookable seats and computers and online lunchtime talks. I believe the pandemic has shown the value of library staff across the institute, we need to be valued for the unique skills we have when we return to our ‘new normal’. With the country in Lockdown, GMIT choir members were missing their weekly practice, with staff working online and students studying online it was suggested that the choir try singing online and it was a success!
The GMIT Virtual Choir during Covid-19 brought around 80 staff and students with a love of music and singing from all GMIT campuses together. Being part of this experience of singing online was great fun and a great energizer for coping with our daily stresses, and research has shown that singing in a virtual choir can have a positive impact on your mental health. Singers recorded their renditions of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and upload their videos from locations all across Ireland and further afield. Each one of the videos was then synchronised and united into one performance by choir director, Sean Rowland, to create the GMIT Virtual Choir. I think I am actually more productive! Once I learnt (early on) that the key was to get dressed as soon as I got up in the morning, staying in pyjamas implies a ‘lazy day. I have kept a similar schedule to my normal office hours, taking my usual elevenses. Thankfully I am yet to feel isolated or lonely, but I do miss all the in-person office interactions…. And coffee breaks!
The good weather has definitely helped as I have been able to separate myself from the kids screaming and shouting. Also, having a routine for their schoolwork means that they want peace and quiet when they are working too so it benefits everyone. We try to get outside every day; staying in the 2km radius for exercise is easy for me and the family as we have a secluded beach at the end of our boreen (road) so we happily walk, cycle, or jog alone or as a family… we haven’t braved the water yet though! Communication is key; I am easy to reach via Teams, phone, WhatApp and my social media channels (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). Collaboration is mainly done through Teams, largely via Chat but we also have calls and meetings. Teams is great as a collective knowledge base with chat history and sharing of files; off course email also plays a huge part in communication and collaboration. Although working from home is not the norm for the organisation I work in, nor is it that common nationally, hopefully the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 outbreak will change this as now that I have tried it I would be happily continue, even if it was just for one day a week when we come out the right side of this pandemic... Let’s see what the future holds... |
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December 2023
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