Shush-Free Zone - Where librarians get loud! Episode 5: Clare Bilobrk - From Law Libraries to Remote Adventures in Research, Writing and Knowledge
Nov 6, 2025
Clare Bilobrk, an information professional with over 25 years in law, school, and public libraries, shares her eclectic career journey. She discusses her early inspirations, like collecting cloth books and the pivotal Saturday job at Torquay Central Library. Clare reveals how she adapted to technology changes in law libraries and embraced remote work after a sabbatical picking olives in Croatia. She emphasizes the importance of connecting with communities, taming information overload, and advocating for the value of librarianship in a rapidly evolving landscape.
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Early Literacy And A Saturday Job
- Clare started collecting cloth books at age three and discovered librarianship via a Saturday job at Torquay Central Library.
- Mentors there steered her toward law libraries, shaping her early career direction.
From Law Books To Learning Tech
- Clare fell into law librarianship after work experience and wanted a dedicated library space full of law books.
- Early roles showed her she needed to learn computing to improve library systems and workflows.
A Year On An Island Changed Her Path
- In 2016 Clare took a year off to live on an island near Dubrovnik, picking olives and doing manual work.
- The break confirmed she didn't want to return to a traditional office and pushed her toward remote work.
