SheSue Experience

If you think librarian’s just check out a few books then read all day, think again. A librarian does check out books, they also check them back in, clean the books, mend the books and shelve the books. Some books get bagged and sent to other branches of the library. Somebody also has to decide which books, CD’s, Dvd’s etc to buy and purchase them. All these new items have to entered into the computer database, covered and shelved. There are special programs presented at the library that have to be coordinated. And of course, a librarian is there to assist the customer is finding just the right book.

A librarian does not sit at the customer service desk all day. Since there a variety of jobs to fill, each librarian does 5 or 6 shifts at different tasks during an 8-hour day. Take a look at an average day:

The first librarians into the building must open the library. This means turning on all the lights and computers. Next all the books that were put in the book drop overnight must be checked in by computer. As you are checking in books, the books need to be separated by the branch to which they belong. There are a bunch of large bags for all the other branches. The checked in books are either placed in one of these bags, or put on a cart for your library. Sometimes a book is on hold for somebody. These books are also either placed in a bag for another branch or put on a separate cart for your library.

Next you have a list of books from your library that people from other branches have put on hold. You have to go all around the library and find all these books. They get put in the bags of the branch where they are to be sent. Finally it is time to open the doors of the library and the day begins. Usually a bunch of people are waiting to get in. They will probably have more books to check in. Most of the time they will head out to look for books (or movies, CD’s, magazines, etc.).

You usually do an 1 to  1 ½ hours on the customer service desk. Then it is time to move onto another task. For example you might be on book check/ shelve duty. You will have a cart of books that have just been checked in. You have to check over each books to see if they need to be mended. If so, they are put on another cart. If the books is dirty, you have to clean the book. The cleaned, checked books are put on carts in library order. You will have fiction books that need to be alphabetized and sorted by genre; non-fiction books that are put in order numerically; movies put in order by genre and alphabetical; magazines, by issue date and alphabetical, CD’s by genre and alphabetical, biographies, books on tape. Then you start all over with the children’s books. As you fill a cart, you wheel the cart out to the shelves and put the books in the proper order. You will do this for 1 – 1 ½ hours.

Other shifts might include working in the children’s library where you clean, mend and shelve the children’s books. You might be on the mending desk where you tape, glue and clean damaged books. You might be covering new books. You might be entering new books information into a computer database. Remember those books you put in bags to be sent other branches, well each day you will get 10-20 bags for your branch.   Your shift might be checking in all these books. Or you might be working on a special program such as children’s craft times. A typical day will include 3 shifts in the morning, lunch then 3 shifts in the afternoon.

I worked at a library for 8 years on and off. I volunteered while my kids were still in public school at the school library. That’s how I got my job at a county library branch. If I had wanted to move up to management, I would have had to gone to college for many years. Most librarians work 20-30 hours per week. Only management works 40 hour weeks. Jobs in libraries are pretty scarce because most employees do not leave. The work is pleasant and the pay and benefits are good. My favorite part? When you check in books, you get first pick. If you see something you like, you can set it aside and check it out before it even makes it to the shelf.

What’s your job?