Excellent librarian/information scientist; now skills enhancer

I joyfully write this Sunday on my favourite“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” Jorge Luis Borges

And “Librarians are tour guides to all knowledge.” Patrick Ness kind of professional with backdrop of an adored place. Yes, I write about a reference librarian cum information provider now progressed to be a developer of librarians: Dr Shrianjani de Alwis Jayasuriya whom I shall refer to by her better known abbreviated name – Gina. I intend also to use her own words as answers to the questions I ask.

I got to know Gina when she was young and I was in my middle years, moving over to part-time librarianship studies – a course offered by the Sri Lanka Library Association (SLLA). Gina was a co-student and we gravitated to each other. The gravitation was further cemented by my joining the National Science Council, where Gina was already well established. My admiration of this young woman increased as the years went by.

My first question to her was: How did you get interested in librarianship? Her reply:

My father was an avid reader and one of my fond childhood recollections of him were the piles of books he would regularly bring home from libraries. So, yes, I grew up in an environment where books were a way of life and reading was second nature. At X’mas, Santa’s gifts were Enid Blyton’s The Secret Seven and Famous Five and later Nancy Drew.

I completed my schooling and, as I did not put in sufficient effort, could not enter university. It was around this time that my mum, a pillar of the YWCA, got me to volunteer to run the Children’s’ Library at the YWCA, Union Place. I loved it there because I got to not only spend time amidst books, but also organise fun events for the children.

And then one day my father showed me a Sri Lanka Library Association advertisement calling for applications for the First Year Course in Librarianship. I figured it was time to get serious about life and signed up for the programme. I won the Gold Medal for best student at the final exam.

Q: How did your work in libraries progress?

I gained work experience at the University of Peradeniya Library – yes, I had the privilege of interacting with Ian Goonetilleke, the University Librarian. He later totally discouraged me from getting a transfer to Kelaniya University, which my father had a hand in, so I could travel from home. I did take up the transfer much to Mr. Goonetilleke’s chagrin.

My next stint was with the National Science Council (now National Science Foundation) where I worked for over 10 years and had the opportunity to develop professionally with renowned librarians Vijitha de Silva and Upali Yapa – developing the UNDP funded Sri Lanka Scientific & Technical Information Centre. One other greatly respected librarian who influenced me career-wise was Clodagh Nethsinghe, former Chief Librarian of CISIR. During this period I also realised that if I was to progress in my career, I needed to go back to my studies, which I did, and acquired a bachelor’s degree. During these years I was also very active in the Sri Lanka Library Association holding office as well as teaching.

The next major change in my professional career was the six years with the USIS American Centre. Here I had the opportunity to use the reference skills I had acquired over the years as well as in public programming – a new portfolio that I got to experience.

(I, Nan, butt in here to say that Gina was the best reference librarian I had ever known, ferreting out required info and serving well the library clientele. In those pre-Internet times, the reference librarian did much searching or directed searching of published reference tools.)

Q: You went to Singapore

. Let’s hear about your years over there

Yes, in 1991 my life underwent a major change when I moved to Singapore and within three months succeeded in getting a job at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM). I believe the timing of my move was opportune since there were not many qualified and experienced librarians in Singapore then. It was also around this time that libraries were beginning to deploy technology for more effective service delivery.

I spent the next 28 years with the Institute heading its libraries and believe me there was never a dull moment. I had to undertake many changed management ventures over the years from starting new branch libraries to closing others, harnessing many new technologies to enhance services and, driving the Library Vision 2020 project to facilitate the transformation of the library to meet information needs of a new generation of users.

As the head of the library, one responsibility I had to carry out annually was to conduct the staff performance appraisals (PA). This exercise included identifying the staff’s strengths and areas of improvement and preparing individual training and development plans. SIM is committed to people development and leads by example. As such a percentage of the HR budget is allocated for staff training and development, and staff are required to complete four training programnes per year – two in core competencies and two in functional skills. During the annual PA exercise, I found that many in my team did not complete the requisite programmes. Their excuse was being bogged down with work. I had to repeatedly remind them that they needed to prioritize and make time to attend these sessions: a benefit employees in many other libraries did not have the privilege to experience.

Personal highlights were obtaining the Masters and PhD in Information Studies from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; being a founding member in the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Business School Librarians Group (APBSLG) and serving as its coordinator from 2008-2012 and 2017-18. The sister associations in the USA and Europe offered opportunities to attend their programs and establish connections with a wide network of professionals. I also visited libraries both in the West and the East to keep up with new trends and technological advancements in the field.

Q: How come you immersed yourself in librarians’ development?

It was during my travels in the Asian region to give presentations at conferences, .that I had the opportunity to engage with fellow librarians and gain valuable insights on the training gaps they faced and their general lack of awareness. The importance of continuing professional development (CPD) and access to it was evident. As a means of giving back to the profession, I decided to make a commitment to share my knowledge with fellow librarians who do not have opportunities for such exposure. Many a time I met my own expenses. I became very passionate about promoting continuing professional development to library professionals and advocating upskilling and reskilling to stay relevant.

In January 2019 I embarked on the third phase of my life. I figured one way to give back to my profession was by turning my passion for CPD into a project that would benefit new library professionals. I initiated a research project on “Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for LIS Professionals in selected Asian Countries.”

The focus was on countries that had conducted limited research in the Library & Information Science sector (LIS), specifically, on CPD for LIS professionals. Country studies completed so far include the Republic of Maldives (2020) and Cambodia (2021); both of which were the very first of such studies conducted in those countries.

My research interests include: continuing professional development (CPD); the evolving role of librarians and competencies for the 21^st century; international librarianship; information seeking behaviour; and emerging trends and technologies impacting libraries

Conclusion

Those listed interests reveal much about the person Gina is – intensely interested in her chosen field; and while moving forwards keeping in sync with changing times and technology development, helping others to keep pace too. Gina now spends her time between Singapore and Sri Lanka and of course on her project which includes visits to and virtual meetings with colleagues in South and SE Asian countries; organizing webinars and other CPD programmes for the benefit of information centres and personnel. She has also published in international journals.

Libraries have changed drastically and remarkably. From being store houses of knowledge they are now key partners supporting local development needs and community empowerment. The library itself has metamorphosed from a silent, almost sacrosanct place of bookshelves to a space with computers, consoles, and engaging spaces within an ambience of informal ease but imbued with serious seeking of information and knowledge. Gina fits in splendidly!