Theoretically it sounds so simple… organise to be an unpaid volunteer in a suitable library for 10 days. The constraints are that because you’re already working in a school library then your professional placement can’t be in one… an interesting restriction but an opportunity to step into the world of all the other types of libraries other than school.

The other constraint, of course, is that you’re working full-time so time has to be found to give away 10 days for no return and organise the family’s needs around that.

It was all a bit like encouraging Year 10 kids to get their Work Experience organised! Time slips away quickly as soon as the new school year begins, so it’s important to bite the bullet and get organised.

So… finally… I took a few deep breaths and made phone contact with a possible placement and was pleasantly surprised by the openly friendly response. I explained why I was ringing, asked for the Library Manager’s name and contact details and followed up the call with an email direct to the Manager. I was very pleasantly surprised to get a return response within a matter of hours to offer me a placement in the time frame required. Challenge complete so far!