| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Library Day In The Life

Page history last edited by Caroline Henley 13 years, 2 months ago

Caroline Henley, Librarian in Charge, North Berwick Library, East Lothian

 

I will be tweeting and updating this page for the Library Day in the Life project on Monday 24th January 2011.librarydayinthelife

 

First piece of annoying news is that although I can tweet what I’m doing I can’t give much info as the council doesn’t allow me to update my pbworks page from my desk pc.  Will have to update a word document and periodically upload it on a public access PC.  This is one of the most frustrating things about working in a large organisation!

 

Mondays always start with the banking and weekly statistics such as visitor figures.  We also have a quarterly count of all enquiries received and this is that week so we begin with a reminder of what needs to be counted.

 

We have a local 4th year pupil in for work experience this week so give him a chat about how libraries fit into the council and the various different things we do – perhaps I should leave this until tomorrow and just show him everything I update today!

 

North Berwick holds Fringe by the Sea each August and we would like to get involved in some way as many of the events involve authors.  I arrange a meeting for tomorrow morning to discuss.

 

Manage to create a Quick Picks display at the desk so onto publisher so that I can do a banner for it.

 

Reply to an email by one of the panel appearing in our Bass Rock Books event on World Book Day.

 

I have just taken over the organizing of our Live Literature funded author events.  One of our librarians forwarded an email from an author who was offering us an author event.  Confirmed that we aren’t able to pay a fee as he isn’t on the database and we have committed to 3 authors for World Book Day already but would be delighted to have the visit if he was still interested – waiting to hear back.

 

Been looking at how our issues and stock turnover stats have been going so far.  Great news that Active Borrowers (those people who have borrowed within the last year) are up on last year and that issues for both junior and adult have been up as well.  Could do with refreshing adult nonfiction stock a bit to improve turnover so email other libraries to see if anyone would like to do a swap of some cookery and gardening books.

 

Starting a new crime book group which will allow readers to share recommendations rather than have everyone reading the same book.  Using the Dagger in the Library competition to advertise for interest so just designed some posters for a display.  Now to get busy with the recycling and get a collage of headlines.

 

Looked at our supplier website for junior nonfiction and adult nonfiction choices.  Not a lot of junior to choose from this week.  I work in Headquarters one morning a week helping colleagues choose all adult nonfiction and adult fiction paperbacks for libraries across East Lothian.  I tend to have a quick look at the list on a Monday morning to give me an idea of what we’ll be choosing from on Friday.
At 12.30 our library management system gives us an item request list.  Each item on the list has been requested so we pick the items off the shelves and put them in the box ready to go off to the request site.
 
Our boxes get collected at lunchtime so I check any new borrower forms against the system and any concession travel pass forms before they go away to the relevant departments.
 
Lunchtime!  A good time to catch up on local news and reading CILIP Digital Update and catching up with all the library emails from the various lists I subscribe to.

 

That’s our van driver been and the boxes in so to save time later I empty them whilst still on lunch break.  Empty out requests from other branches and lots of lovely new junior books.  World Book Night flyers – usefully received on the day applications to be a giver closes!
 
We’re always fairly busy just after lunch.  Spell at the desk dealing with bus pass applications – we check the ID for new applicants for travel concession cards, helped with PC access and issued some requests.  I even managed to fit in a spot of shelving which should hopefully help towards my target of 15000 steps a day!
 
There really is a run on people wanting concession travel passes today.
 
The wide variety of books on our shelves quite often lead to some really interesting conversations.  A reader just borrowed a book about the afterlife which led to a discussion about whether or not we believe in angels.  No two days are ever the same in a public library :o)

 

An afternoon at the desk while the boys book group is run by our senior library assistant ably assisted by our work experience pupil.  Queries for today have included the town crest, succession law in Scotland, more on travel passes and the precise species of animal the large pink rabbit in the children’s section is.  I’ve also presented a Bookbug certificate to a very chatty three year old, offered a library session to the local Beavers group and chatted to another member of our World Book Day panel.  This morning’s author has confirmed an appearance at the end of March and called a reader who had returned a CD case minus the CD.
 
Complete a weekly scan of all our noticeboards to make sure there are no out of date posters and to move things round so that visitors aren’t seeing the same thing everytime they come in.
 
Take an hour to put junior non fiction back in order and create a display of pet care books next to the newly cleaned goldfish tank (I cleaned him out on Saturday morning before we opened).
 
Designing a poster for the author event in March and giving comments to a colleague about their poster for one of the World Book Day events.
 
20 minutes to go of a long shift and now we’re winding down with a general tidy up and getting ready for tomorrow.
 
 
Caroline Henley
Librarian in Charge
North Berwick Library
School Road
North Berwick
East Lothian
EH39 4JU
 
chenley@eastlothian.gov.uk
 
Follow us on Twitter: @nbbooks
Like us on Facebook: search for North Berwick Library
 
Read  Life and Laughing by Michael McIntyre
Click on www.lovereading4kids.co.uk
Listen Beginner's Italian by Tony Buzan
Discover our libraries at www.eastlothian.gov.uk/libraries

 

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.