I’m pretty much half way through my year of working in a
boarding school library, so I thought it would be interesting to reflect. See
what I’ve enjoyed. See if there’s anything else I still want to do, see if I’ve
learnt anything about library work and above all…do I still want to do this?
In regards to the last question: yes. Yes I still want to be
involved in Library work. Yes I’m still looking forward to beginning my Masters
course in September. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ve loved every little
aspect of my job. There are times when it’s boring. Times when I wonder if I’m
making a difference to anyone.
There are times like a couple of days ago, for example. I
work until 8pm. I’ve discovered that in the evenings the libraries can be
really busy, and I am proving useful by being there. Or times like tonight,
when the library was deserted by 6pm. This doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do.
It just means I’m missing out on doing what I came into this for: helping
people, linking them to the information they need. During the ‘dead’ hours, I
re-label, shelf tidy, do any admin based tasks, make sure everything is where
it should be, both on the shelves and in our computer files and generally just keep
myself busy. I enjoy these little tasks, but I don’t really want to be doing
them every day. I understand that in Library work, these are necessary jobs.
I’m happy to do my share of the everyday tasks and more. I will come in in the
holidays to complete a stock check, so we know which books are missing, I will
come in before term starts to get rid of any out of date displays. But the one
thing I really haven’t felt I’ve accomplished yet is possibly something really
crucial:
A good rapport with the students.
I’m pretty sure many of them still don’t know who I am.
Perhaps that’s my fault. They’ll come to me for help sometimes, but more often
than not I see them struggling to find what they’re after and it’s me that goes
over to see if I can help them. They appreciate the help I’m sure, but I’m
wondering if I’m unapproachable. I realise I’m new, and that sometimes I can’t
help them (I had a request the other day for someone looking for Spanish
Fashion in the Golden Era – I definitely had to google when the Golden Era even
was before even thinking about where to look), but I really wish more of them
would ask. This has been getting better since I first started the job, and of
course there are a few students who know me and will happily come over and ask
for things. I even had a ‘thank you’ from one student when the new term started,
for the assistance I gave them in finding information for their university
application (they got their conditional offer).
But I don’t believe in grumbling and doing nothing about it.
To fill the slight void in my quest to help people, I’ve done something I may
possibly come to regret. I’ve offered to volunteer as a reader at a primary
school not far from where I work. Basically the children will come and read to
me on a one-to-one basis and I’ll help and encourage them. It’s (hopefully)
precisely the sort of task I’ll love doing. Getting children interested in
reading from an early age is something I think is really important and so many
children leave aged 11 without the proper abilities for secondary school. All
of my paperwork is in, so hopefully I’ll be setting up sessions within the next
couple of weeks and we’ll see if I can make a difference there too. I have nada
experience with children below the age of 11, so I think it’s going to be a
real eye opener. I’ll be sure to post about it.
On a more positive note, let’s end with the things I love
about my role as a Librarian’s assistant.
I love my boss. It’s just me and her that run the library
(with the help of another teacher who’s based in the Junior Library for years
7-9) and she’s been really supportive. Answered all my questions, written a
reference for my university application, dealt with my silliness and generally
just been fun to work with. I’ve found who you work with really does make a
difference as to whether you enjoy a job and she’s made it very enjoyable.
She’s also someone who I aspire to be like. She’s given me something to aim
for. Her knowledge is amazing. She’s great at her job, providing information.
She’s got suggestions here there and everywhere and she really works hard to
make a difference to the school. I
personally think we make a good team. She explains things carefully, and I’ve
been in the job long enough now to just get on with things when she’s
concentrating on something. She’s kind of messy. The ‘cupboard of doom’ (as I
call it, secretly) would take about a week to clear out properly. There’s a
constant fear I’m going to be buried in there one day. But she’s handled my
incessant attempts to tidy up very well. As well as my habit of putting
stickers on everything and having animals on every poster I do. We all have our quirks.
I love recommending fiction and doing displays, to get the
students reading more of it. There’s a great fiction selection and I’m really
happy when I see students looking at the displays and talking about the books
they bring back.
I sort of like re-labelling. Don’t judge. Some of the labels
have been on that long you can’t read the classifications anymore. When I’ve
done a whole shelf load, and they have all their shiny new labels and you can
actually read them, it a) makes finding what you want easier and b) it looks
better. Win Win. You can’t do it for more than about an hour at a time though.
It would make you go crazy.
The best thing about my job I guess is that I actually want
to go to work (most days). How many people can say that? You probably won’t be
doing the same thing every day and my work environment is generally low stress
and great fun. I am lucky and blessed to have my job. But it has its dull moments. Hey, if life was
all one big fun-filled ride, we wouldn’t notice it. The dull bits make us
appreciate the good bits. Which far outweigh the negatives.
Over and out.
