You may have a picture of what librarians actually do all day long. I know I did before I worked here. First off, let me say that I really love working at the library. It is a great place to spend my day. But my previous vision of sitting around in a cozy cardigan, reading and shelving books while I occasionally checked out a few books for patrons was a very narrow picture of a typical day in the life of a librarian. Okay, the cardigan is definitely part of the wardrobe.
As the Adult Service Coordinator, I plan adult programs, which include ordering supplies, hiring/introducing presenters, setting up rooms, occasionally being a photographer, cleaning up after programs, interacting with people who attend the programs, and making sure that I get the paperwork to the correct people so that the presenters can be paid. I spend time researching a variety of programming for our patrons – educational, exercise, and crafts. I order books for adults and various media resources. I make sure the materials are in good condition and the shelves look neat. I write blogs and reader advisory posts like these. I supervise and train clerks – making sure that they understand their jobs and assigning them tasks to do to keep the library running smoothly. I help with scheduling staff. I am responsible for taking continuing education classes/webinars and attending conferences to help improve my knowledge and understanding of my job. I occasionally fill in with Children’s programming. I read books for book clubs so that I can lead them. I plan, shop for, prepare, and cook food, and help clean up after cooking programs. I attend meetings with other administrators and clerks to help with communication between staff so we, as a team, can keep all the plates spinning. I also help at desks as needed.
There are so many other things that happen around here to keep the library running – financials, budgets, storytime, class visits, activities for the floor, planning/executing kids, teens and family programming, long range planning, cleaning the library, inventory, maintenance on the library, processing books… I can’t include everything and need to stop!
One of the most important things that we all try to do here at the library is interact with all the great people who come into our beautiful facility. You are what makes all this work worth it. We love to provide materials, services, programs, and an awesome place to connect for our patrons. What a wonderful job and what a great place to work! And, yes, cardigan wearing is encouraged.