Meet the Shortlist – Catherine Jeromson
Category: Blog, Meet the Shortlist
This post is part of our Meet the Shortlist series, focusing on the four shortlisted nominees for the 2020 Library and Information Professional of the Year Award. Read on to learn more about Catherine Jeromson and her nomination.
Catherine Jeromson is one of the shortlisted nominees for our Library and Information Professional of the Year Award. Catherine is a Support Services Librarian based in Shetland Library.
Catherine is described as an exemplary professional who has a huge sense of fun and her nomination outlines many achievements. For example, Catherine’s improvements to Shetland’s mobile library and services for the visually impaired is noted, and the way that she positively engages with partner organisations, staff, and volunteers. Catherine also took a leading role in the library’s two 2019 HGIOPL assessments which showed her dedication to customer service and improvement planning. Her work on developing the Shetland Library Twitter presence is also highlighted along with her ability to deal with a large following and media attention, in part born out of the infamous ‘rivalry’ with Orkney which Catherine had a hand in manufacturing.
In addition to this work, Catherine’s nomination mentions her work during the COVID-19 lockdown and her ability to manage alternative services, such as Facebook Live Bookbug sessions. She has created new online content to promote the Shetland dialect and local heritage to a younger audience, for example, this video featuring her husband and sister-in-law reading Da Fisherman’s Wife and this video where Catherine reads a The Shetland Gruffalo’s Bairn with her family. She has contributed to recovery planning and has managed to motivate and encourage other staff, remaining positive and managing her team well throughout a difficult time.
Catherine is a great support to her colleagues and is praised for her passion for the library service and profession more widely.
Congratulations to Catherine on her many achievements and her nomination!
The shortlist is made up of four nominees. Judging will take place by a panel of experts and be based on a full nomination statement provided to CILIPS. The winner will be announced in October.