A day in the life of a Library Assistant

Have you ever wondered what else Library Assistants do when they aren’t at the desk?

Starting our Day

Our day begins with emptying the book return bins as we check all returns to see if they have been requested or belong to another campus. If they belong to another campus or are requested at another campus, they will be put into our library crates for the porters to pick up and deliver.

We will check the library for any repairs and take any lost property to security.

The MFDs must be checked to see if the paper needs filled or if there are any issues that need to be resolved, for example, paper jams.

Using ALMA, our library management system, we compile a list of requested books and process them for the Click and Collect shelf. Any requests for postal loan users are parcelled up and put in the post.

Picture of books on a library shelf

We also use ALMA to generate other lists such as the missing list.

We can check our bookshelves to see if any of the missing items are there.

Our lapsafes are checked daily to make sure all laptops and chargers have been correctly returned.

During the day

We scan the bookshelves with our hand-held scanners to check for missing and mis-shelved items. We process new books and journals as they arrive and put them out on the shelves.

There is a procedure for all our tasks, and these are updated as necessary and receive an annual check.

We arrange displays and put up decorations and posters for campaigns and events such as Pride, Love your Library, and Book Week.

We write articles for the Library Blog, update the library’s digital signage, and post items on Twitter and Instagram.

Creative planning at work

A day in the life of a Library Assistant: Training

There are all sorts of training courses that we attend throughout the year such as GDPR, Mental Health Awareness, and Fire Safety.

Should extraordinary events such as Covid-19 arise we respond by taking appropriate steps to fulfill University or Library guidelines.

For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to place social distancing stickers on the study desks, put seat covers on unavailable seats, block off bookshelves and make sure hand sanitisers were available for use throughout the library.

A day in the life of a Library Assistant: Summer

During the summer we will be involved in larger projects such as weeding and stock moves, but we are also on hand to help at the helpdesk and answer your phone and e-mail enquiries.

When term begins again we will be available to help with all your queries such as connecting to Eduroam, issuing books from the self-service kiosks, using the lapsafe, how to operate the MFDs, booking a group study room and so much more!

Read More about our Library here.

By Vivienne Hamilton