Celebrating National Librarian Day 2021

Today, on Friday 16^th April 2021, we are celebrating National Librarian Day! It's a chance to be thankful for all the knowledge that librarians possess. You may think of them as book-slingers who spend all day cataloguing and reshelving, but librarians play a much more important role, especially at The Open University!

Our fabulous team of OU librarians were asked what attracted them to the role and what it is they love about it. See what they had to say below and join us in celebrating this team of incredibly clever, enthusiastic and dedicated people.

Jude - "Being a librarian was something I always wanted to be, without knowing it! Librarians are teachers, researchers, advisors, and (in my case) data heads all in one, there's so much I can get involved in every single day..."

"Plus, all the reading. Naturally."

Caroline - "I love solving problems, doing research and helping people find the answers they need on their journey."

"Sharing that “bright spark” moment is a wonderful thing to be a part of and the reason I wanted to join this profession of superheroes!"

Jo - "My favourite thing about being a librarian is…the varied nature of the job. My favourite things are building relationships, supporting people to develop their skills, facilitation, and strategic planning."

"At the OU Library, we have... user experience specialists, data analysts, customer service experts, marketeers and communications professionals, space and environment planners, learning designers... you wouldn’t think that those things would be part and parcel of the profession but they are."

"The opportunities to specialise are way more exciting, innovative and inventive than anyone could possibly imagine!"

We love our librarians!