“I set up authentication for all the electronic journals, books, and databases so that Imperial members can access them virtually from anywhere.”
I joined Library Services at Imperial in 2004. Thinking about all the years I’ve spent at Imperial, it has been quite a journey professionally and personally. I witnessed how the bookshop in the library turned into a café. I’ve walked around the stacks shelving books relishing the smell of them. I also once served Professor Robert Winston at the issue desk. My time at Library Services has been memorable so far. I remember buying a book costing more than £7,000 and I got involved in challenging the biggest journal publisher. I’ve also helped users located as far as Australia to access library journals. Most importantly, I’ve made friends here. 18 years on, I am still here.
As e-Access, Licensing and Subscriptions Coordinator, I set up authentication for all the electronic journals, books, and databases so that Imperial members can access them virtually from anywhere. When there is a user struggling to access a resource, my detective work kicks in to help answer their questions. Is the authentication method correctly applied? Is the user status valid? Are we entitled to access to the resource? Is there any issue with the browser? Did the user use the correct ID when logged in? Is the Library Search (the library catalogue) link to the article broken for some reason? There are so many different issues from different causes and it is quite fulfilling to see when the issues are sorted out.
I once was in a project where I worked with Excel to process large data sets. Since then, I have been a contact point to support my colleagues who are struggling with Excel. I ran a training course for them which was well received, and I’ve since arranged more training for staff. It was quite a fulfilling experience.
I also enjoy listening to podcasts. It is a perfect escapism for me, especially when I commute to work. I listen to stories about science, learn Spanish and educate myself about the stock market. Sometimes, I hear about the things I learnt from school, which I never understood back then. But all of sudden, it all makes sense to me. That feels great.