Hello Everybody!!!!
This week is the Eighth Annual Library Day in the Life Project and I am happy to participate this year. Why am I excited about this project? Because everyone knows that Librarians/Information Professionals are awesome. *Smiles*
I work full-time at a non-profit foundation in Washington, D.C. as a Library Assistant. My responsibilities include opening and closing the Research Center. I handle all Interlibrary Loan requests, reconciling invoice charges for borrowing materials, and cataloging. Here’s my recap of Monday’s business:
Agenda:
6:30AM- Catching the train from Baltimore to D.C. (rocking John Legend on the iPod)
7:30AM-8:30AM- Processing Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests and follow-up with lenders (via telephone/email)
8:40AM-9:00AM- Sort mail and update Serial holdings via Voyager. Grabs a cup of tea.
9:00AM- noon – original cataloging. Printing labels and calling co-worker to get clarification on how to make OPAC match OCLC record holdings. For two months I have been training on how to catalog original reports and copy-catalog books given to us as gifts. This very rewarding, but I can live without all the Webinar Trainings.
Noon- 1PM- LUNCH TIME. Nothing to mention.
1PM-2:30PM- processing ILL requests and following up on missed borrowing materials. (i.e. emails and telephone calls).
2:30PM-2:45PM- Breaking to stretch my legs and visit a neighbor down the hall.
2:45PM- 4:30PM- de-coding [resolving] ’secret’ Voyager technical issue. Our Systems Librarian wrote a policy manual before they took another job. Well…the steps in the book AREN’T self-explanatory. I was on the phone with the Library Manager trying to figure it out. A headache plus tracking down the latest versions of a freeshare FTP program to help with downloading overdue notices from Voyager.
4:45PM-5:00PM- Closing Procedures include: shutting down computer, recycling paper, magazines, and straightening up furniture.
5:00PM- Hit the subway home. Oh the joys of public transportation in D.C. *SUPERSIZED serving of sarcasm*.
Day in the Life…See Ya Tomorrow
Jan 31, 2012 @ 21:37:34
Neato Ge Ge! 2:45-4:30 sounded particularly rewarding
gotta love the biblio life!
Feb 01, 2012 @ 11:19:28
How exciting! I’m learning about original cataloging now and it’s good to know that in the course of your day, you DO need that skill.
Feb 01, 2012 @ 11:41:34
Yep…the best part of learning about cataloging is—actually doing a project. Cataloging is abstract on paper, but once you have a project…the act of cataloging comes to life. The cataloger’s judgment/policy procedures are a big part of cataloging. By all means volunteer to help on a cataloging project. I like cataloging especially if it’s in a subject area that I like. For now…I am stuck with the hard sciences. I hope to graduate to behavioral/health sciences eventually.