Day in the Life Monday – 01/25/10 #libday4

This is the first time that I have participated in the Library Day in the Life  and I’m very excited to be a part of this fantastic project.  If this is the first time you’ve heard about it you should read the post that started it all from Librarian by Day (Bobbi Newman) and check out the wiki.

I work in the reference department of the main branch in the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries. Our system serves 230,000 residents in 4 counties with 9 libraries through a wide variety of services and programs.

I started thinking about how I wanted to convey what Day in the Life is for me and what I could say to change the stereotypical view of what we as  librarians do.  Should I post a detailed timetable of my day, just the highlights that people would find interesting, or  the role I am taking to build bridges in my community through patron interactions? Well, I decided to give you my full day. The good, the bad, the sad, and the amazing.

In the morning the first thing I do after waking and working out is turn on my computer and check my gmail, google calendar, twitter account (strng_dichotomy), and Facebook.  This enables me to  look at my schedule, respond and interact with my co-workers, friends, peers, and family. It also gives me a heads up on trends and information that I could use for personal and professional interests.

I start my day by gathering information for the CVL twitter account chatlibraries, where I am the main contributor. Finding articles of interest, book awards, community focused materials, fun facts, and programs. I then create the posts  with associated bit.ly links and plan when I ‘m posting them in the day.  I then make a list of tasks that I want to accomplish in the day in order of importance.

Before I went to work I promised a friend who is an early education major at the local university that I would help her create a presentation required for her class using Windows Movie Maker. She had a rudimentary understanding of the program but needed a helping hand to make sure that her project was the best that it could be. I spent  almost two hours helping her understand and learn all the facets of the program. After we finished the project we uploaded it the ning her class is using (I found out today that she received an A).

At work I started on my tasks list with reading and responding to my email.  Moved to the Q-12 survey project for the Advisory Council that I serve on for my system. The survey is a way for us to understand how the employees feel about the system, their job duties, training and overall satisfaction with CVL.  Wrote the letter to explain the survey itself, created the survey through Survey Monkey, and sent it off for approval by the director of the library.

I read over some paperwork left in my mail box before heading to do my part of cleaning, straightening, and shelving in the stacks. After that’s done, I do roving reference before my shift at the desk.

I have to admit that working the desk is the high point of my day. The second floor E-commons/computer lab is maybe about 20 feet away from the desk and we are the main source for computer help. Through the course of the night I help set up email accounts, help with resumes, navigating job sites, school projects, reports, research projects, and help people in anyway possible to become comfortable with technology inside and outside of the library.  All the while answering phone calls, reserving materials for patrons, and helping them find print references and online journals through Galileo.

After the library closes I head home with a stack of reading material.  Articles about library services, journals, magazines, and our Core Competencies Technology Training Guide for review.

At home I get back online to communicate and collaborate with peers, talk to a friend about my upcoming interview, and start mapping out what I need to get accomplished tomorrow.  Using the time left to relax before heading to bed.

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