Smultron mellan blåbär: Aston Manor Academy

Hello friends! I have exciting news to share. I've recently started working as a school librarian at a secondary school in Birmingham. The academy has about 1,000 students between the ages of 11 and 18, including sixth form. The students perform very well compared to the national average, and I believe it's one of the best schools in Birmingham. One hundred per cent of students go on to university or an apprenticeship. I'm really impressed by the dedication and friendliness of the staff. I genuinely enjoy coming to work each day! Working in a library again where I get to help people every day—while being surrounded by books, of course—I've actually felt more like myself than I have in a long time. You can visit Aston Manor Academy's website for more information about the school. One goal of the school is to encourage a culture of reading for pleasure among the student body, and that's where the library comes in! The photos below show what the library space currently looks like. I will get to decide how the collection will be organised in the future and how to decorate the space. I'll also be working with staff and students to plan activities and programming that promotes a reading culture. There are already several student library helpers very eager to give advice. This is a dream!

I've been blessed with this job opportunity and I give thanks to God for His continued guidance through the process. I had a smooth transition from Norwich to Birmingham and found a great house share in a classy old Victorian house that really feels like a home. I'm hoping to find out more about the house's history soon. Things I enjoy about living in Birmingham so far are: going to visit the library in the city centre—there's a really nice museum and art gallery, too—Sunday services at Birmingham Cathedral, everyone sounds like Jeff Lynne...and when the weather is nicer, I'm most looking forward to exploring just outside of the city where there are some great scenic walking spots. My new job is in fact only part-time, so I also have time for translating. It's really nice to be able to use the public library as a workspace!