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Having been out of education for 17 years, I have found the whole experience of the Library and Information Services Management (LISM) MA enjoyable.

I currently work for a college in Leicester as an LRC Assistant. I have been in the role for 17 years and have had both part time and full time roles, as well as being acting LRC manager for a period of time. My duties within the role range from customer service covering three desks, we have two sites so I work at both of these across the week. We order, catalogue and processing all our own stock. There is an IT suite and we deal with the majority of the issues in there. The LRC has just started working on the archive for the college and we have done some work with the University of Leicester as we have a very famous shared ex pupil! The work at the college is very varied and we as support staff help out with a lot of administration and data jobs for all college events. A typical day for me would be working on one site, we work on a rota system where we move desks every hour, while we are desks we are serving students, processing books, shelving and any other tasks that may arise through the day.

An engaging and balanced virtual study environment

The lectures have been engaging and inclusive, and I have been introduced to so many new areas in information science and the profession that I work in! The interaction between the group of students on my course has really added to my experience and I feel that we had similar feeling of trepidation and excitement about embarking on the course. The lecturers have made the lectures interesting and interactive making sure that we get the best out of the topics that we were studying.

I have found the balance between my studies, working full time and home life a challenge, but by planning my time effectively and making sure that I take plenty of breaks I've been able to manage the workload. I found that if I was struggling with any of the assignments it was better to talk, either to lecturers or to my peers about the work as we quite often found that we were having the same issues. Google spaces has been a really good tool for this - plus it's helped me out with many a question or issue. I think the one thing I can say is that there is always support available if you are struggling whether that be the lecturers, your tutor or your peers!

Finding the time to study

As I work full time I have been unable to attend the sessions when they are happening live, so I have caught up on the recording for the week either in the evening or over the weekend. I have used a weekly planner to keep track of all the work that I need to do and also I always use a 'to do list' pad to make lists of what I need to get done either that day or week. If I have needed help or support during this time I have emailed lecturers if I have questions or concerns regarding the work, I have also used google spaces a lot to confirm with lecturers and peers.

Hopes for the future and advice for applicants

My aspirations for doing the MA course was to further my knowledge of the sector and profession that I work in. I hope to be able to progress at my current workplace as there appears to be a reshuffle that will take place soon. If this is not the case, I will look for a new role in a different sector - I feel that I am now ready for a new challenge and the  knowledge and skills that I have learned during the course will hopefully help me to advance.

If you're considering applying for the LISM course, my advice is: do it! it was the best thing I ever did, it helped to show me that I am capable of anything. I have surpassed how I thought I was going to do and have surprised myself. it is hard work but it is doable and enjoyable. The lecturers are amazing and so are the students on the course.