This blog entry is written by Francine, as part of a series of posts by DIS students for the Library Day in the Life Project.

Having completed the modules for the Postgraduate Diploma as a full-time student last year, I am currently working on my dissertation to complete the full MA.  As a (nearly) librarian with a History and English undergraduate degree, I am fascinated by the increasingly digital research methodologies being adopted in the Arts and Humanities and Heritage sectors.  I’m particularly curious about the ways in which the Library and Information profession is (or needs to be) responding to digital developments, and the changes in research and information representation. My dissertation aims to highlight the needs and concerns of researchers engaging with Digital Humanities, and consider the implications for the academic library supporting humanities research.  This is, of course, a massive topic for an MA dissertation and I have much work to do.

I structure my study time around work and personal commitments; this week I took leave on Monday to spend the day on my dissertation, and have been trying to blog and tweet for libday8 as much as I can on my personal blog:

• @_cine 29th Jan 2012 “First blog post for #libday8: “Why I’m capturing my day…” bit.ly/AxQBn7“

• @_cine 30th Jan 2012 “Blogged for #libday8: Today is #libraryschoolmonday http://fcinewood.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/libday8-today-is-libraryschoolmonday/ #fb “

• @_cine 30th Jan 2012 “Reading: Humanities Researchers and Digital Technologies: Building Infrastructures for a New Age http://www.esf.org/media-centre/ext-single-news/article/humanities-researchers-and-digital-technologies-building-infrastructures-for-a-new-age-776.html #libday8“

• @_cine 30th Jan 2012 “Still reading for #libraryschoolmonday: http://blogs.cch.kcl.ac.uk/wip/2012/01/26/an-electric-current-of-the-imagination/ @Ajprescott Thank you for sharing text of lecture. #libday8“

• @_cine 30th Jan 2012 “Blogged for #libday8: Monday draws to a close http://fcinewood.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/libday8-monday-draws-to-a-close/ #yawn #fb“

This Saturday starts fairly typically for me: I started working as a Senior Information Assistant for the University of Westminster in February 2011 while I was studying full time.  Balancing work and study is quite common for LIS students, and I found this position suited me very well.  I supervise the circulation and enquiries counter at the library, working with two excellent and committed Information Assistants.  As my situation has now changed, I have decided to leave the post in order to dedicate more time to my studies; sadly today is  my last day at Regent Library.

• Today is also National Libraries Day! You can follow activity through twitter using the hashtag #NLD12.

Knowing it would be difficult to blog much, I tweeted much of my day for #libday8 to share some highlights with you here. You can imagine me munching chocolates between tweets:

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012  Happy Saturday! I’m still twittering on4 #libday8, but from @UCLDISStudents perspective. Hoping 2blog tonight, but priority now = #COFFEE!

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012  Victoria line down so longer walk than planned… Have to set up the desk to open for 11am #hurry #libday8 (Feeling envious of shoppers.)

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012 We are open! First tasks normally to check email from weekday team, allocate tasks, organise lunches and print requests lists… #libday8

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012 …then clear floors, empty returns machine bins, weed hold shelf and serve customers… #libday8

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012 However- IT services maintenance so systems at risk- spent morning preparing for off-line circulation… #libday8

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012  All still seems to be working…as far as we can tell. To go off-line or stay live as long as possible; that is the question. #libday8

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012  Lunch time! If I’m not shopping I take the opportunity to use the library resources. Have 2return bks I borrowed4 diss research… #libday8 https://twitter.com/#!/_cine/status/165774363466018816

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012 Sometimes I read PDFs of articles on my kindle, today have set up laptop in back office2 make final notes from bks b4 rtning them #libday8

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012  Am on standby while colleagues serve at the desk in case outage starts. Am maintaining full service levels as long as possible… #libday8

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012  Readers can request items from the shelves so we share the request list +grapple with Dewey shelf marks to find items 2put on hold #libday8

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012 My main focus this afternoon was providing Aleph training for a new desk assistant. #libday8

• @_cine 4th Feb 2012 And met new line manager for the first time… #libday8 (The timing was unfortunate, but we wanted to carry out a probation meeting for one of the Information Assistants before I left.)

My day finished with a quick glass of wine to say farewell to colleagues who I have enjoyed working with immensely, and a joyful but freezing trudge home as the first flakes of last night’s snow fell in London. Thank you to everyone who has been patient with me blogging and tweeting since last weekend.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series of posts and have had a happy and successful week!

Five students from the MA LIS programme are volunteering as interns at the UCL Centre for Digital Humanities. They are Inga Jones, Eunhae Jung, May Warren and Francine Wood.

Full details on the UCLDH blog.