Name: Chris Denis

Position: Marketing & Media Coordinator

Qualification: Bachelor of Business (Information Management)

Organisation: Yarra Plenty Regional Library

Previous positions: Library Officer, Librarian, Special Events Officer

What’s great about your job?

Talking with lots of different people who are involved with the library in some way -  the president of the local Chinese Association, a teacher- storyteller or perhaps even a chef. There’s such a variety of interesting conversations I get to have with people in the community as part of library events, programs and initiatives they are linked to.

What’s the most fun experience you’ve had at work?

I have only been in this job a couple of months but would say the photo shoots – we had this really ‘out there’ photographer from one of the newspapers who came in to do some photos of people from the local orchid society in the library with all these pots of orchids  - somewhere along the way I ended up holding a pot above my head hiding behind them and the flowers whilst they peered through all the flowers for the photo– it was a great laugh in the end and we all have fun setting up the shot – I also learnt a lot about growing beautiful orchids!

Describe a typical day at work. 

Depending on the day of the week I might:

• Make phone calls to journalists to follow up a media release I have sent them.
• Talk to event organisers at the branches about their forthcoming events – possible photos we can set up.
• Proof an events brochure and get creative with the text to make it as exciting as possible.
• Attend an event and take photos
• Develop media releases and backgrounders for forthcoming events
• Plan media angles, possible stories and events for the future

What do you find rewarding and challenging about you job?

The most rewarding would be getting coverage in the local papers – especially if we manage to get front page!

The challenge is coming up with angles on events, programs and initiatives that the media find interesting – they all want something ‘juicy’ to write about. Another challenge is working towards moving away from traditional libraries and encouraging staff to ‘sell’ the library – after all a library offers benefits and advantages just like when you buy food, aftershave, shoes etc etc.

What are the personal skills & attributes that you need to do this job?

You need to be ready to chase people a lot – so tenacious.  Definitely need to be a people person and enjoy having a chat – lots of interpersonal skills. You need to be able to write fairly well and in an interesting way, have an attention for detail when proofing media releases or brochures for release.

Home - Upcoming Events - Career Options - Learning Institutions - Workplaces -  People - Salaries - Media - Working Overseas - Top 10 - Using this wiki