4/28/08

4/28/08
3-7 pm
4 hours

I've discovered that one of my useful skills is finding books others can't seem to. I've impressed a few of the others with this a couple of times, and even myself! I'm very proud that I was able to do this, and it has boosted my confidence in my own competency. Shelving really helps you get to know the collection and which books might get put in the wrong spot. Understanding this fact has helped me to find books patrons are looking for multiple times. Keeping a watchful eye on books that have been placed on the shelves wrong, and pulling them right away also helps. Being aware of this helped me to find a book that even the Director couldn't pinpoint.

I'd noticed recently that there had been an unusual amount of 'lazy' shelving this month. Books shoved on top or in random empty spaces. I was sure to mention it because I was finding it really annoying how often it was happening. I personally think it was one of the newer volunteers, but I won't dare judge because I can't know for sure.

I was able to more quickly spot miss-shelved books, too. Even though I know the basic sections of the Dewy classification, I knew the shelves so well that I could take patrons directly to an area for what they were looking for. I could do this more than half the time without looking in the catalog for books. This internship experience has given me great confidence that as long as I'm alert in whatever position I get after graduation, I will get better and do well. I've always had trouble with my confidence and this experience has greatly helped me to realize all I need to do is gain an understanding and familiarity of the patrons and collection, as well as the needs of the community.

I was able to finish the Newberry's today. I was so happy to finally be done with the list. I'd made sure all the books (winners and honors) had stickers, as well as the sound recordings. If books were damaged, I passed them on to Cheryl. I gave her the list of which ones they didn't own, as well as the few that were checked out and hadn't been given a sticker.

The night was fairly busy with computer use and check outs, keeping Marie and me busy most of the time. I was glad that I got to sit at the main desk for a while as Marie did the holds. This was my last night and one of my favorite things to do was chat with the patrons