Published: 6 April 2020
Andrew Tamlyn is the University of Sunderland in London’s Library Team Leader. He tells us a little of what his role involves and how the Library team are adjusting to these uncertain times.
“My role as the Library Team Leader is to supervise the Library Assistants and look after the operation of the Library floor. Our aim is to offer excellent customer service to all of the University’s students. There’s a bit of an idea that library staff can sit and read all day. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
I’m an early bird so, before the lockdown, I was always in the Library about half an hour before the doors open. I like to send out timesheets to the Library staff so they know what they’re doing and when. I tidy up the Library, making sure all the books are brought back to the main desk so the Library Assistants can put them back on the shelves. I spend a lot of my time going through statistics and writing lesson plans for the Study Skills and Succeeding at University classes. I teach one to one sessions on Digital Literacy and I’m currently working on a way to book classes online to make it easier for every student to sign up.
I’ve always loved libraries. When I was in secondary school, I actually worked in my school library. I would run over to the library after lunch to restock shelves and help people find books. Even in those days, the library had computers, so I used to help people to use them. It made me good with computers, which has been useful as modern libraries have become more digital. I worked in a few libraries, looking after special collections like the Gutenberg Bible at the University of Manchester’s John Rylands Library, and working for the British Library in King’s Cross.
"I’m really proud of being able to help the students achieve the goals they set for themselves" - Andrew Tamlyn, Library Team Leader
I came to the University of Sunderland in London because I wanted to do more. I wanted to interact with students. I was amazed by how compact and wonderful the campus is. I didn’t expect to be here nearly two years later! I’m really proud of being able to help the students achieve the goals they set for themselves, especially those students who aren’t used to using computers. It’s a great feeling to help students get to a place where they can use their devices for day to day tasks.
The COVID-19 situation really has changed a lot about how I do my role. It’s great to have more time to do things like creating videos for the website. But I do miss interacting with the staff and students. Right now, I’m looking at ways we can still provide Digital Literacy sessions online. To be able to do that would be great. My advice for every student during this time is hang on in there. Use the online resources available to you on the Library website and make sure to email us if you have any questions.”
For more information about the University’s Library, visit their website. Make sure you look at their Study Skills and Resources sections.
