“I have always
imagined that paradise would be a kind of library” (Jorge Luis Borges)
Addendum: Once again I
have let time slide past me while this blog has languished, bringing shame to
my pledge to update on a regular basis. Sometimes life gets in the way and
keeps one from sticking to a regular schedule, but rarely does it prevent one from
sticking to a task for months on end, that casts more judgment on the person
that their lives. So once again I have to confess that I let distraction get
the better of me and no keep this updated for the whole summer.
In my defense, it was
a very eventful summer, so there is certainly lots of content to catch up on.
I’m going to start by once again posting chronologically as often as possible
until I am caught up. Some readers may remember that I did a similar thing in
May when I was slack for a few weeks. I probably won’t get to posting every
day, but readers will be able to enjoy a new post every few days until I am
caught up, then it will go back to once a week posts, or as frequently as
discussable things allow. Although looking back on some previous posts, I was
really stretching the content sometimes.
This week marked my last at the Patrick Power Library.
Finishing up a 9 month contract, I reached the widely expected conclusion that
the maternity leave I was covering was also coming to an end. My brief hope
that the incoming staff member would be overcome by Motherhood and never have
to return to work every again was dashed, a feeling I’m sure is shared by all
maternity leave covering temporary employees everywhere. Equally unfortunate
was that (again, as widely expected) there were no open positions at the
Library, whether full time or part time, that would have allowed me to stay. So
I find myself leaving the Patrick Power Library a third (and probably final)
time to make my way in the world.
While working as an Evening Manager for a middling sized
University Library was certainly not what I defined as my ‘dream job’ it was
far from terrible. I really enjoyed working with some of the most supportive
and creative staff I have ever encountered, doing their part to break the
stereotype of the ‘stuffy librarian’. While they may not have been librarians
in name or title, they certainly worked hard to ensure that the library was
accessible when the actual librarian directed you where to go.
They also inspired passion in their student employees, staff
who have the least incentive to take part in an organizational culture or
derive passion from their work. Students from all disciplines became librarians
in spirit when they walked into the library for their weekly shifts, with zeal
to provide service to all patrons, shelve every book properly and ensure that
the righteous wrath of the library fell upon those who would talk loudly in
quiet zones or disrespect other library policy. This commitment to the position
can only be attributed to the quality of the student workers and the efforts of
the staff who oversaw them (which also included me, but the honour falls more
on the staff interviewing and creating the training regiment that the students
followed).
 |
| And the threat of televising ALL our errors! |
How else could you explain staff and students voluntarily
staying up all night to ensure that the library could be an all night study
hall. Or would sign up for extra shifts during extended hours or the student
onslaught known as the ‘SMU Services Expo’. How else could you explain staff
who works as tirelessly as the USPS to ensure books requested go there on time?
All of this points to an organization with an excellent culture and care for
their employees. While I felt this extended over the entire University, I think
it was especially felt in the Library, and certainly in the Circulation
department.
I don’t think I would have wanted to work at a library as a
career, but if I had to, I would have gladly spent it at the Saint Mary’s
University Patrick Power Library.
