Diploma Coordinator

My name is Pam Bidwell, and I am the coordinator for the Diploma in Library/Information Studies. I am originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but have a house in Wellington. In 2006 I moved to the country of Palau, located in Micronesia for two years, and from there to Fiji in July 2008.

I have a passion for libraries, and believe that librarians have a key role in giving our users access to information. I enjoy working with people - helping with their information needs, or teaching students how to offer effective library service.

My Bachelor’s degree is from the University of Canterbury, majoring in Education and Religious Studies. I lived in Britain for several years, but returned home to complete a post-graduate diploma in Library Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, and later completed a Master’s degree in Library Sciences.

I have worked mainly in the area of reference services in public libraries. I first worked as a library assistant in the reference library of the London Borough of Croydon. After completing my first library qualification I worked for seven years as the Sciences Librarian at Wellington Public Libraries. I've also worked briefly in the audio-visual library at Victoria University of Wellington, and with the newspaper collections at the Alexander Turnbull library in Wellington.

I began teaching more than a decade ago, at first with the Wellington College of Education in a Certificate programme similar to the Library/Information Services programmes taught here. After a year the programme moved to The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, offering two diplomas or a Bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Studies. After seven years my husband and I took a giant step into the unknown and moved to Micronesia, where I taught Library and Information Services courses in associate degree programs at Palau Community College. My students found my accent very strange! English was the second language, and I had to develop new teaching methods to meet their needs.

Many L/IS students work fulltime, and have family responsibilities as well as study commitments, and I do understand those pressures. I completed my Master’s degree while working full time, and have also studied law courses by distance.

My personal interests include reading, exploring new places, cycling, snorkelling and vegetarianism.

I hope that you enjoy this course and learn from your experiences. If you have any questions or concerns about your study, please contact your USP Campus or Centre or local tutor. If for some reason they cannot provide you with the information you need, you may contact me directly by writing to the USP Library, Suva, Fiji (remember that it may take some time to get a reply by mail) or by phone (+679) 3232829 or fax (+679) 3231528. You can also email me at: pamela.bidwell(at)usp.ac.fj.

Good luck with your studies.

Pam Bidwell