Three and a half years ago I won the lottery! Well not the
NSW lottery or even Ozlotto but I was successful in applying for a traineeship
at my local library. As a library trainee I embarked on a six year adventure
including full time work and university studies through CSU. Although initially
daunting and scary, enthusiasm and naivety assisted me through the first year.
Working with a wonderful staff in comfortable, happy library environments has
confirmed my suspicions that librarians, library assistants and library
technicians are a special group of people.
Recently I attended a four day study visit in Melbourne where I found
further evidence. The librarians we spoke to shared their experiences with us
and were happy to answer questions and present examples of what they did and
how they did it. I left Melbourne encouraged by their passion and confidence
that libraries would survive into the future and that I could be a successful
part of it.
One of the subjects I have recently completed was Marketing
in libraries and information agencies and I feel that this is an area that
requires further investigation. Every staff member is involved in marketing
every day but may not realise it. Each transaction is an opportunity to offer
additional information to our valued customers. When a person asks where our
language books are I can offer other alternatives including our online
resources such as Mango, which include English and our other language
collection that we borrow from the state library. Can’t find an audio fiction
you haven’t listened to, then have a look at our online Overdrive and Oneclick
options and enjoy the convenience of borrowing from home at your leisure.
Technology has forced many changes but also offered a vast array of options
that our customers may not be aware of.
It is exciting to introduce these concepts and gratifying to receive
positive feedback from a successful experience. We are a resourceful,
problem-solving bunch with great ideas and creativity. I am proud to be part of
such a special profession.
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