Every Day is a Different Day

When I first started working on the Library Student Task Force, I feared a possibility of getting bored with my job due to its basic simplicity. I can say that my fears were unfounded as I discovered quickly that every day is truly different at my job. Although, I have the same schedule and tasks every day, every week, there are factors that make it different.

All the new faces I see every day amidst the familiar students studying in their favorite spots throughout the library. I come across different books every single day which broadens my view of the literary world-fiction and non-fiction. I have to confess it's really hard sometimes not to want to sit down and go through the books I come across but alas, I must wait till my shift is over. Sometimes I put books aside on my book truck to look at later and/or check out or just make note of the book's catalog number to find at another time.

Different questions get posed every single day from patrons whether they're students, staff, or visitors. I daresay the most unexpected question I got from a student was when a girl asked me if it was okay to take a class for fun. This happening the second week on the job!

I am now used to getting questions about:

• Where are the restrooms located?
  
• Can you print from the catalog search computers?
  
• Where can you get the print-out?
  
• What are the most books you can check out?
  
• Do you have to reserve the study rooms to use them?
  
• What are the hours of the library?
  
• Where are there more computers with internet access besides the few on the third floor?
• Where can I check out books?
  
• Where can I find this book?
  
• Where are these type of books located?
  
• Where can I use or plug in my laptop?
  

And the list goes on. Most of these I can easily answer but some I must refer to our trusty reference librarians.

It's a never-ending cycle in the library. Books in, books out. I pick up the same books day after day for re-shelving. While it might seem that would be annoying, I love finding out what the "popular" books are with the students and what their interests are.

You can also tell where we are in the semester usually by what books and materials are being used the most. Lately, all the signs of people doing papers for English or other classes has been quite obvious as we've gotten closer to the end of the semester due to an increase of activity in the 800s.

The side projects such as book shifting and re-balancing along with cleaning that gets tackled in the library also helps keep things from becoming dull.

So for a meager salary as some would say, I find I'm gaining worthwhile experience in an entertaining environment. Did I mention all that I see that happens in the library as I work? That's a post for another day, folks!