Category: Dissertation

And, just like that… it’s all over!!

It’s funny how the best laid plans go… pouf! and vanish into thin air… Of course this blog was going to be FULL of my dissertation progress and it was going to make you want to come and read some more of my blog! Ha. Full. Stop. Right. There… it never happened; so if by any chance you are reading this post after my previous post please make a note of the dates because that dissertation baby didn’t happen overnight (just in case you think I am some insane genius who writes super quickly!!).

So here I am, having given birth to my Dissertation Baby (it’s a boy!) after a rough pregnancy (elderly parents’ [more] falls + another house move + some other tough stuff) and the beauty is that I’m not taking this baby home!! No sleepless nights, no feeding, no dirty smelly nappies, no doctor’s visits, no ‘do-I-vaccinate-do-I-not?’ decisions to make. I’ve already done that 3 times over in my life and I’m happy to give it a pass this time round. Don’t get me wrong: I loved being a mother and doing mother stuff and I thoroughly enjoyed those years but I’m glad those times are behind me.

This baby was different though. I had the emotional ups and downs of a pregnancy, the fears (about finishing on time, about doing enough/reading enough material, about making any sense), and the uncertainty about my abilities on every level. But then as I read it over, looked at it again, mulled over it, I started to realise that there were some bits that were ok and showed constructive criticism/critical evaluation (hopefully enough to get through). I had read the right material and written well and in a structured manner. So I submitted it confidently and on time.

I have no idea what the result will be – and I wanted to make sure I wrote this before I got the results… but what I have learned is more than a grade, a percentage. I have grown exponentially in my thinking, in my analysis, in my critical abilities; I have been changed, not by content but by process and I’m liking my new ways of approaching life. I have more confidence, I am more assertive and a lot calmer when taking decisions. I am able to reflect less emotively and, for me, it’s a good thing. But I still have strong emotions and I have been able to channel them into building something good – much like the beauty of pregnancy when a woman’s body is ‘building’ another complete human being within her.  Wow!

I came into public libraries 2 1/2 years ago (brand new!) and it lead me to complete my Master’s in LIS (Library and Information Science) in the last 18 months. I’m 48. I have had a blast and have loved the learning I have done while at City, University of London. It’s probably been one of the best years of my life – and I don’t say this lightly because my life has been very full of very good things and I have enjoyed it thoroughly. So yes, I look to the future with hope for a fulfilling job in a library environment but I also look back with great joy at my growth chart of the past year or so. I like what I see 🙂

Now. About a job… How about some ante-natal/birthing classes in Library and Information Science Dissertation?? Anybody interested??!

Ready, set, read, read and read some more!

Rather later than my colleagues (according to their active twitter accounts and blog posts), I am finally getting down to my dissertation. Yes… I know… it is nearly mid-August and I have yet to start! Not a very good beginning to the adventure of dissertation-writing but I had no choice. I need to explain: no sooner were essays over, we had a family crisis. My 91 year-old father had a fall and broke the top of his femur and my 87 year-old Mum wasn’t coping very well at all. They live in France. We shared the care between us siblings (living in the UK, France and Italy) but the recovery took longer than what was anticipated and things are still touch and go despite overall good progress.

Shortly after that, our eldest daughter got married and that was THE happiest day ever, a true match made in heaven, but very down-to-earth couple!

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They wanted a hot day and they got it: the hottest day in June in 40 years! Wow! Friends and family from all over the world converged to London for an international celebration. We donned our Ukrainian dress and the groom’s parents, their Korean dress and we were all splendid (including the bride and groom, of course…)

Finally, to top it all – because a relative’s fall and one’s daughter’s wedding isn’t enough activity and busyness in the space of 2 months (!), we were served a notice, as our landlady was selling up the flat where we have lived for the past 3 years. So, July was spent hunting for another place to live and moving. I have not enjoyed this past month. Pretty much everyday, I was telling myself that my treat at the end of this stressful and crazy time was starting on my dissertation… I know, I know, I am a bit weird like that.

My ‘treat time’ has come and I am itching to go… But first and foremost, I need to re-read my proposal as a reminder of what I am about to undertake. I have already resumed the reading of Succeeding with your Master’s Dissertation by John Biggam, which is a step in the right direction. And there is the material from 8 whole modules which I sense I should have retained better. Has the information been catalogued in my brain in such a way that I am able to find it again, retrieve it and use it? Maybe this mug and the tea I will drink from it over the next few months will help… Let’s hope so anyway.

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