Top Ten New Librarian

Phyll Smith

Library Assistant

North East Lincolnshire Library Service

Length of Service: Under 1 year

Age: 36

Phyll has created an online database of old photographs to reunite old school friends, set up an online presence on ‘myspace’, instigated a parent and toddler group and organised a ‘poetry on the estate’ event and major exhibition as part of a regional literature festival.

“Seeing the fruits of one’s labour changing the community is wonderfully rewarding – seeing those who are socially isolated, through age, illness, poverty, depression or whatever, establish friendships and social capital through their newly shared interests and knowledge; seeing the behaviour of a group change and become more healthy, polite, accepting or creative because of the library’s influence.

“I work so closely with the rest of the branch team that our efforts, ideas and actions are sometimes difficult to distinguish. With the help and support of other branches equally committed to progressive library work, we are ever eager to work together to promote and share good and innovative ideas. Our management teams are flexible enough to adapt, accept and allow those ideas to develop and flourish.”

“While many of the teenagers coming into the library for the first time, aspire to nothing more than being leaders of the local gang or reality TV stars, with our help and time they may soon aspire to be directors, gardeners, students, or teachers. In the meantime the constant stream of youngsters wanting to be library assistants would indicate that we are doing something, however incremental, towards that.”