I used to get lots of questions on what I do as a librarian. Did I ‘stamp’ due dates on books; how many ‘stamps’ did I make in one day and so forth. At times, it made me feel like ‘stamping’ their foreheads with the book rubber stamps. However, I realize that it’s not all their fault as librarianship wasn’t a glamorous job compared to doctors, pilots, engineers etc. Furthermore, back then, there was not much publicity about this profession.
Source: https://flic.kr/p/eAcKKB
I had to explain to them that some of my major tasks back then revolved around these activities:
- answering questions whether via email/in person/phone from our users
- assisting users in their research process
- manning the Reference Desk, alone (for almost 4 hours either in the morning or afternoon)
- conducting training sessions for students/staff/lecturers
- maintaining the library’s website
- exploring new technologies
- learning how to use electronic databases
- assisting users on how to search and retrieve relevant results from these databases
- promoting library resources: ‘roadshows’, poster exhibitions, thematic books displays etc
- conducting freshmen orientation
We were also made to
- shelve books to get a sense of how the books were arranged
- initiate projects to improve workflows/procedures within department
- do volunteer work
- conduct research and write papers
- sit in committees
Fast forward 20 years, my responsibilities have evolved. Not all have changed though. I still handle questions coming in from emails/phone calls/in person. Sometimes, I do conduct training sessions for faculty members, students and researchers. I shall elaborate these changes in my upcoming posts.
Rain D Librarian 