Connecting Africa’s Skilled Professionals
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Sarah Smith
I was educated at....
…. Thomas Jones Primary in West London where I was born, before moving to Jamaica with my family where I sat the Common Entrance 11+ exam and went on to Excelsior High School and Community College for GCE O & A Levels. I followed this up by doing a BSc at the University of the West Indies in International Relations and an MA in Library and Information Studies at Loughborough University on my return to England.
My first job was....
… as an administrative assistant in the Ministry of Education in Jamaica.
What I do now is....
….I’m a Libraries Development Manager with Brent Libraries, Arts and Heritage. My work involves developing strategic service provision focusing on reading and learning across all ages. So, for example I develop and manage projects such as the annual Summer Reading Challenge for children aged 4 – 12 and the Six Book Challenge for adults with basic literacy skills. I have responsibility for sourcing, managing and programming quarterly literary, learning and cultural events in libraries. I do a lot of partnership project work with the Booktrust, The Reading Agency, Cityread London, other public library services and local partners. I produce quarterly brochures and other library information leaflets and do a lot of public speaking. Of course, there’s also a lot of work on book selection to ensure we buy the right books and are up to date with readers’ interests and requirements. So, a very varied job.
Sarah Smith is a Library Development Manager with Brent Libraries, Arts and Heritage.
Prior to this she worked as the Children and Young People’s Manager. As a qualified Librarian with a Management Diploma, Sarah has worked for many years in libraries in and around London and worked closely with schools and other community groups, organising learning and cultural events.
She started her career as a Multicultural Information Librarian in Northamptonshire and then moved to the London Borough of Camden as Outreach and Home Libraries Service Librarian. This was followed by almost fifteen years working with the London Borough of Enfield before moving to Brent.
Sarah has been a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals since 1993 and, from 1998, has been a member of various book panel project selection groups for children and young adults and adult fiction. She is the recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship for Schools Library Services in a multicultural country (USA 1999).
In 2010, she was a Founding Member of the Small Feminist Book Club, Haringey and her interests include amateur dramatics, theatre and culture, baking, travel and, of course, reading.
What I learned along the way is…
….the value of the written word. I was a reluctant reader despite coming from a family surrounded by books with parents as passionate readers. I didn’t learn to read until I was past the age of 10 and that includes learning my ABC! My turning point was going to a private school in Jamaica followed by lots of additional tuition before going into a state school. Reading is a recreation and passion in all my family. I am committed to wanting each and every child to develop a life long love of books and reading.
The greatest influence on my life has been……
… my family, including extended family. Without their support I would not be where I am today. Family support is essential to a child’s development. I wouldn’t say it’s all been easy and there are certainly things I would not want to repeat again, but they taught me to aim high and to remain focused. It helped that there were a lot of successful and steadfast role models within my extended family.
The best advice I ever received is…
… that in my family we have always been taught to help and support others and that we are our brothers’/sisters’ keepers. I have two younger sisters and notice we all tend to be quite generous in our support of others. So, I can’t remember ever receiving exact advice about this, but I notice we all go the extra mile to support others.
My top tips for succeeding in my career area are…
…. be passionate about in your choice of career. That passion will help you develop on the job, attract the notice of senior managers and will improve the service you work in.
If you would like to nominate an inspiring personality for a ‘5 Minute Interview’ please contact us at editor@reconnectafrica.com
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