Hello! I am Sally Chambers a.k.a. Bibliotheekmeisje. Bibliotheekmeisje – literally translated from Dutch into English – means library girl.
I have always loved libraries. So much so, I decided to work in one. My first library job was as a part-time library assistant at Derby Tertiary College, Wilmorton in 1994. After that I worked both at the Hallward Library, University of Nottingham and Senate House Library, University of London. In 2000 I decided that I wanted to work with digital libraries. My first digital library job was at EARL: the Consortium of Public Library Networking in 2000, where I coordinated a fore-runner to Enquire, a digital enquiry service for UK public libraries. I then went back to Senate House Library, University of London to coordinate the development of an online library for distance learning students.
I decided that I wanted to work in Europe (the other side of the English Channel) after working on the Covax project. In January 2005, this dream came true when I started working for The European Library which is based at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek – the National Library of The Netherlands in The Hague. After more than 6 years… they still pay me to do the work I love. Since May 2011, I have decided to start exploring the world of digital humanities by taking up a part-time position at the Göttingen Centre for the Digital Humanities to work in the DARIAH-EU Coordination Office.
My next dream is to get my PhD in librarianship. I am therefore currently plucking up the courage to study for my PhD at the Royal School of Library and Information Science in Denmark.
