Young Librarians of the Future

Cheney Gardner, 28

Librarian

London Borough of Lewisham Library Service

“I have chosen to make a career specifically in public libraries, as they embody the ethos ‘access for all’. This means I can always come home from work knowing that what I did that day was something I believed in. How many other people can say that about their jobs?”

Winning a place as one of the Top Ten Young Librarians of the Future in 2006 was a great achievement, recognising my commitment to improving public library services. It was also the start of some fantastic opportunities, which have benefited both my own professional development and Lewisham library service.

The coverage of the award in the local press meant that the profile of Lewisham Library Service was raised locally as a direct result. This has lasted quite some time as our customers still mention it now, a year later.

I received a sponsored ‘future leaders’ place at the Association of London Chief Librarians (ALCL) 2007 conference in Brighton, which offered me the opportunity to learn firsthand from the experiences of heads of service from across London, and also network with people I would not usually meet. I also received a sponsored place at Umbrella 2007 and the opportunity to attend the new Leading Libraries training programme. All these experiences have enabled me to take what I have learned, to develop myself further, and to utilise my skills for the benefit of Lewisham Library Service.

Most recently I have started a 12 month secondment with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council as the new Framework for the Future Support Officer. This is a fantastic chance for me to work at a more strategic level and an opportunity to input into the policy making processes which help to direct the public library service.

I believe that all of these opportunities and achievements were built on that of becoming one of the Top Ten Young Librarians of the Future in 2006.