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So, the Sheffield interview was a very different experience from Loughborough. Both scored well on the public transport front – I already knew Sheffield’s tram system from my previous life there. The department in Sheffield is between St. Georges Library and the new Information Commons (glamorous photo on the right). I didn’t manage to get a picture of the department, it was nice enough, but mixed in with the Computing department.

The day seemed better planned than Loughborough’s, although it’s entirely possible that this was because Loughborough responded very quickly to my application, whereas Sheffield kept me waiting until an official ‘interview day’. There was a presentation about the course and the area, which was keen to emphasise what students would gain from the course, which I thought showed real enthusiasm for recruitment, and there was an opportunity to meet previous students and have a tour of the department and St Georges. This included a tour from a friend of mine doing the course this year, which was nice and comforting in a strange place!

The interview itself was more what I expected from a library school. I mentioned that my colleague and I had completely different interview experiences at Loughborough, whereas at Sheffield we got the same questions consistently. Some of these were quite odd – the ‘how do you read a newspaper?’ one, is, I understand, a Sheffield classic, and no one is quite sure what it’s supposed to find out, outside, I assume, the selection committee! There was plenty of opportunity to talk about why I was interested in librarianship, and where my particular interests lay, which was good.
After the interview session, I had a chance to wander about and see the area a little more. There was no chance to go and look in the Information Commons – as it is used primarily for stocks of core textbooks, they are a bit delicate about letting people inside. However, I did get to visit my old haunt, Main Library, now Western Bank Library (pictured on the left) and reassure myself of its existence, although I was slightly taken aback by the major reworks of the park going on right outside the window!

I have heard back from Sheffield, and they have offered me a place, but they are not quite sure what is going with funding at the moment, due to some changes in the AHRC’s system this year, and I am waiting to hear if they are able to put me forward for funding before I decide. I think the Educational Informatics Group at Sheffield would show good links between my research past and the department, which could make a strong case for funding, so it’s just wait and see now!

I’ve applied for two MAs starting in 2008, one in Loughborough and one in Sheffield. The Loughborough course is an MA in Information and Library Management, and the Sheffield one an MA in Librarianship. Of course, the title is not the most important part! I’ve come down to these two schools because (i) they both seemed to have a good spread of library and technology-related modules on offer, (ii) they’ve both got good reputations in the library world, and (iii) they’re both commutable from Nottingham, where I will be based. This week – Tuesday 18th – I had an interview at Loughborough, and next month – Wednesday 16th – I have an interview at Sheffield, and I’ve not made my mind up for good yet.

All in all, I enjoyed the visit to Loughborough. I left Nottingham, caught a train (Loughborough’s on the London route from Nottingham) and got there quite quickly. There’s a bus that goes directly from the station to the library, where the Department of Information Sciences is based (see exciting library bus stop photo, left, and the rather nice building itself, bottom-right) so Loughborough’s winning good points for public transport here. The city centre wasn’t the most beautiful view as I went through though, so not sure how I feel about the town itself.

The people were very friendly at the department, and I had both an interview and a tour. I was surprised there weren’t more questions asked about my library work – after all, that was why I was there – but most of the interview focused on my PhD, I think primarily because I wanted to put forward an application for funding to the AHRC and they wanted to assess me for that (my colleague got more library-related questions, but wasn’t considered eligible for funding).

I liked the fact the department was based in the library, although there didn’t seem to be exceptionally strong links between the two departments. My interviewer was also very helpful about the financial side of things, and was keen to work with me in putting an application together, which was also good, and they’ve given me an offer for the course. However, there’s still Christmas to think things through, and then there’s the Sheffield interview to consider. I’m still pulled one way and another by different considerations – ease of travel, courses, and the fact I’ve lived in Sheffield before all need to be considered if both offer me places.