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What is your name?
Tim Collins
Where are you from?
I was born in London of Irish parents who returned to Ennis, was educated there and in Galway. Then I worked in various libraries in the UK before coming back to Galway via Dublin some 30-odd years ago, so I suppose you could say I'm from Galway at this stage
Where do you work?
I am Librarian of the Medical Library in the Clinical Science Institute, NUI, Galway
What do you spend most of your day doing?
A significant amount of my time is spent working in a managerial
capacity on the mundane day to day administrative chores that crop up
and dealing with any problems that are referred to me by the duty
staff. I also make sure that I am available to meet any students who
are finding it difficult to find relevant information. Increasingly, I
am taking on the role of a tutor librarian, giving lectures and
hands-on training to classes pursuing specific courses in
Evidence-Based Medicine and Medical Informatics.
Did you always want to be a librarian, and if not what did you do before you became one?
I suppose I became a librarian by default! My primary degree is in marine science and my interests were, and still are, firmly rooted in anything to do with the sea. I had planned to pursue postgrad research, but learned that there was more to be discovered in the library than in the field, so I changed direction. I have never regretted that decision.
How many people do you work with?
There is a staff of eight in the Medical Library, which is a branch of the James Hardiman Library, where some 130-odd people work. But that's not the whole picture, as I work closely with the teaching staff of the Medical School and, of course, the students, as well as the staff of University College Hospital, so in reality I work with many thousands of people!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The diversity of tasks that require attention each day, plus being in a position to help people who come seeking help - seeing their faces light up when they find what they are looking for makes it all worth while!
What do you avoid doing most?
In all large organisations in Ireland today, there seems to be a thriving 'Meeting culture'. I try to keep my attendance at meetings to the bare minimum.
How do you unwind after a hard day at the office?
If I have no other commitments, with a glass of nicely chilled Chardonnay or Muscadet - or any other similar libation! If it's the weekend, my ultimate escape is crewing a Galway hooker with some like-minded individuals, sailing with the wind, heading for a sheltered anchorage away from computer screens and the like. Have you ever noticed that at the end of every pier in Ireland you will find a seafood restaurant, and a public house? Check it out!
Are you a ‘typical’ librarian and if so, how, or does this question make you mad?
I don't know what a typical librarian is. A sense of humour is essential to cope with the vagaries of the job - and in answering questions like this! Certainly those being attracted into the profession today seem to me to be the most intelligent, self confident and motivated people it has been my privilege to know - at least this holds true of the medical and health librarians! So, I would like to think I am typical of this new breed as well, but someone who knows me could probably answer this question more truthfully.
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