Full name/age/job title:

Gemma Waterston, 27, Project Lead of the Internet Archive scanning centre at the Natural History Museum.

 Please give us an overview of your average day...

My job involves scanning books from the Natural History Museum library, and posting these books as digital content on the Internet Archive website.

The museum librarians will bring in carts of books, I load up each book with an electronic book identifier, and then take digital images of each page using high-end digital cameras and a lit book cradle. The books we scan are mostly out of copyright (so quite old), and are mostly comprised of natural science journals in many different languages.

What is the most common misconception about your job?

People often think that working in a library must be quiet and stuffy. In fact, I’ve met some of the most interesting, fun, and truly unique people through my work. The people who work in libraries are very rarely boring. Quite the opposite.

What is the hardest thing about your role?

It’s really necessary to be organised, because the job involves handling lots of information. I scan between 2,000 and 3,000 pages a day, and keeping track of what has been done, what needs to be done, and what has been successfully posted online can be quite challenging.

When did you decide what you wanted to do with your life and how did you start out achieving it?

I decided I wanted to be a librarian shortly after I graduated from university. I worked in the school library during my undergraduate degree, and the jobs that I had after graduation didn’t give me as much satisfaction as that job.

So I decided to go back to school to get a qualification in Information Science. I am about half way through that programme, and am taking time off to work in the job I have now. Hopefully I’ll finish up soon and become a fully qualified librarian.

What can you do to get a head start?

As a start it is really helpful to get some experience working in a library environment. This could involve volunteering at the local library, working as a library assistant, or even just running a book club. Eventually it’s necessary to be qualified, so schooling is really important as well.

Could you describe the creative element to your job?

There’s often a lot of creative thinking needed when working with digital content. I find myself being the most creative when trying to solve technical problems, whether it’s working with the cameras or figuring out why a book won’t be posted online.

Creating a digital library is quite a left-brained job, but I often find that the materials we work with inspire some creative thought. People come from all over the world to access these materials, and most old journals have some beautiful plates with detailed drawings and diagrams. It can be quite awe-inspiring to see these kinds of books up close.

What one thing do you wish you had known at the start of your career that you know now?

I wish I’d known how diverse the job can be. I have friends from library school that went on to become children’s librarians, college librarians, database managers, corporate information handlers, and digitisers like me.

It’s really important to know what field you want to move into, and to do your best to get as much hands-on experience as possible. There’s a huge difference between studying something and actually doing it for a living. I wish I’d taken more opportunities to experience all these different fields while I was in school.

Which organisations/websites/resources do you think would be useful for people entering your industry?

CILIP is the professional body for information and library workers, and they post some really helpful stuff on their site – from help choosing a library school to professional advice.

They also have a job site , where they post library jobs from all around the country, including library assistant and graduate trainee jobs for those just getting started.

Would you like to be featured in Job of the Week? If you work in the creative industries and would love to share your advice, expertise and experience with IdeasTap members, get in touch with our deputy editor at Luiza@ideastap.com.