Alumni

Helene Harrison

Career Path: Scholarly Communications Assistant, Northumbria University
Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

After graduating from my MA in 2013, I had a varied career while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. I have worked for a small gift company, an energy company, and a satellite communications company. It was while at the latter company that I decided to start doing my MSc in Library Management, returning to Northumbria to study for my third degree. At this time, I also started working in my local library on Saturdays while I studied. After I graduated and once the country came out of lockdown, I moved to work for a financial company and it took a few years before I returned to my alma mater to work in the library.

I am also a published historian and author, with my first book ‘Elizabethan Rebellions: Conspiracy, Intrigue and Treason’ published in 2023, my second ‘Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block’ in 2024, and my third book ‘The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn: Interpreting Image and Perception’ due out in 2025.

What are you doing now?

I work at Northumbria University in the University Library in the Scholarly Communications team, and it feels great to have returned to somewhere I was so happy. I am also a published author and historian, with two books published in 2023 and 2024 and my third coming out in 2025.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

I wanted to stay close to home, and looking at Northumbria it offered the courses I was interested in studying with well-regarded teaching staff and a good variety of modules within the courses.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

I really enjoyed my time at Northumbria, hence I studied for 3 degrees at the university! The academics and support staff were all brilliant, and I got a lot of support as an autistic woman determined to succeed in her education. It was a really good mixture of lectures and seminars, with plenty of time for independent study, and a well-stocked library.

How connected was your course with industry?

We had a built-in module for work experience in my undergraduate degree which was good to get some real-world experience. And I was working alongside my second masters degree which was flexible being distance-learning to allow for that.

If you took on a placement during your course how did you feel this helped you in your career/ with your studies?

I don’t think the placement within my course helped with my career in terms of my day job, but it helped me understand research a lot more, which has helped with my writing and ability to publish which is so incredibly important to me.

What was the best thing about your course?

The best thing about my courses at Northumbria was being exposed to so many different facets of academic research and writing which has led to me being published. I felt bereft of this knowledge after I finished my first masters degree and so I started my own history blog which is how my publisher noticed me! Being at Northumbria also made me realise how supportive education and work can be and that has been life-changing.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals/ give your career an edge?

I always dreamed of being a published author, and the research skills I gained at Northumbria and the support of the academic staff meant that it has happened, when I thought it never would. Doing my library management degree gave me insight into how libraries work, that it’s so much more than books, and I apply that knowledge in my job today.

Which skills/ knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most throughout your career?

The most important things I’ve learned from my library management course which apply directly to my career are the importance of good, solid metadata, and how libraries are moving with the ages, turning towards digital methods and media to enhance research and education. Moving with the times helps us to underpin library infrastructure for the future.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Northumbria University?

Being in an environment where people want to learn and are endlessly curious about what they’re studying. I learnt things I didn’t expect to. Also, being in an environment where someone who is neurodivergent is included and encouraged to be themselves. It was something new for me in education, to feel included and encouraged.

What advice would you give somebody who is considering studying at Northumbria?

Just do it. As long as the university does the course you want, go for it. You won’t be disappointed with the standard of teaching, the support from all of the staff and other students, or the environment.