MHC Life: Cliona Doyle

This week in our MHC Life Series, we hear from Cliona Doyle, Assistant Librarian. Cliona chats about her career journey, her favourite thing about her role and a typical day for her.

Tell us a bit about you and your career journey to MHC – what inspired you to get into this career?

I didn’t always know l wanted to be a librarian, but looking back on my journey to MHC, all the signs were probably there!

I studied English and History and enjoyed the research element of this undergraduate. So much so that I went on to complete an M.A. in Modern Irish History. Most of my time in college was spent in the library getting to know the collection of books and resources.

After completing my studies, I was fortunate to get a temporary position in an academic medical library. This inspired me to continue a career in libraries.

I started in MHC in January 2016. The corporate library world is definitely for me – I knew this was where I was meant to be. I went on to complete my MSc in Information and Library Management in the evenings over the next two years. I started my career working as an Administrative assistant in MHC library and six years on, I am an Assistant Librarian.

Favourite thing about your role?

Variety! The Library supports staff in all departments across the firm and so no day is the same in terms of the research and information requests we receive.

I am also a member of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee MHC RISE, which focuses on education, particularly for the disadvantaged. We support this cause in a number of ways including providing funding, promoting awareness and volunteering.

Talk us through a typical day for you

My day is usually made up of a combination of research, current awareness, delivering training and working on library projects.

I am part of a dynamic, solution driven, friendly team. We all get along very well and enjoy working together. Our team is collaborative with a focus on learning and mentoring.

The Library is a busy and vibrant environment with ample opportunities to work on interesting projects. Although everyone on the library team has their own responsibilities covering different areas of the library service, we all participate and get experience working on bigger projects e.g. implementation of library systems. With the large amounts of information now available at everyone's fingertips, the challenge is often how best to give access to relevant, accurate, up to date information without "information overload".

Although the rest of my day can vary, I have started to prioritise a walk each lunchtime to stretch my legs. MHC have a focus on wellness, especially in the month of June which is our Working on Wellness (WOW) month. There are lots of activities and events to take part in. This year I am taking part in 30 days of wellbeing challenge and so it is more incentive than ever to make sure to get in my lunchtime walks!

What books have you read recently?

I recently finished reading Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was captivating. I would really recommend it. The story has stayed with me long after reading, which I always think is a sign of a good book!

What's your idea of a perfect holiday/favourite place you've ever visited?

My favourite place I’ve ever visited was Japan. We stayed in Tokyo, which truly was a city that never slept. From Tokyo we took day trips to Kyoto and Kamakura on the Shinkansen. I spent hours walking through the beautiful gardens, shrines, and Bamboo Groves. It was a holiday of a lifetime.