Week One

*Disclaimer: Remember that this blog post was written about a month ago. Opinions and thoughts expressed may not express the opinions and thoughts held by me now. But they are pretty close.*

I have officially survived my first week as a librarian! It’s been interesting getting used to the way a small community college library does things since all of my library experience in the past was at one of the largest academic libraries in the country.

I can especially feel the difference between the two libraries now that it’s summer and there aren’t a lot of students on campus. My fellow co-workers greet every person who walks through the doors by name no matter who that person is. I’m nowhere near close to remembering the names of most of the people I’ve met so far. And it’s kind of funny to actually stamp the due dates on the checkout slips you find in each book. When I explained the idea of automated checkout to a co-worker, she looked at me in awe and disbelief.

For the most part, I like the difference that comes from working in a small library. No, it’s not the most up-to-date technologically speaking, and you won’t always find the book you want on the shelf. But there’s a cozy, welcoming feeling to the place that you can’t feel in a big library, and more attention on individual needs. I think that makes up for some of the disadvantages.

Along with getting used to the cozy small town atmosphere, I’ve also been undergoing a bit of a trial by fire. The other person who does my job is going on vacation for a month, so the past two days have been a crash course on everything I need to do to keep the library running smoothly while she’s gone. The next month will be interesting indeed.