Library Technician

Scenario one: Small satellite university library with highly specialised collection under threat of closure. Dedicated lib’n with guts and nous for promotion. Constantly promotes the collection and tools to staff and students, which includes training.

Scenario two: Small satellite university library with highly specialised collection under threat of closure. Cynical lib’n who doesn’t like the students or staff (or possibly any other human) the physical library, collection or her job. Never talks to anyone about new tools, never does training, hides out the back and leaves everything up to her junior staff.

Guess which library is cut? The first one got so much support from the staff and students that management decided to leave it alone. Library staff are often the biggest threat to the existence of libraries. It constantly amazes me that such a high percentage of library staff don’t promote their library and don’t see promotion as either needed or part of their job.

Ok, Blacktown Library finally got their catalogue online which is totally delightful. I now have a full list of all the Australian science fiction authors they hold and I'm slowly working my way through them! Most of the other books I borrow on impulse after giving myself a while to browse and only stopping when the pile of books starts getting to heavy.

The last bit of the catalogue on the net puzzle is logging on to renew loans and make reservations ... I ring to activate my pin number, I had to do that last time I dealt with Spydus at Parramatta Library, but they said I didn't have to do that it was automatically set to my birth date, ddmmyy. Very straight forward, but it didn't work. Checked everything, retyped my birthday in case I made a typo. Still didn't work. Rang a different branch in case that staffer was mistaken but I got the same story. The suggestion was to take my card into a branch & see if they could work it out there. So off I go to Mt Druitt, still the same story, but after a couple of minutes of fussing she says "did you put the a5/ in front of your number and the a after? Yes I know it's not printed on the card but it's the code that shows it's a borrower barcode ... " Ah. You'd think that would be standard info over the phone or it would be on the web site ... nooooo. Never mind, fixed now. And the interesting thing about it is that at Parra there is a prefix printed on the card, but you leave it off when you are logging on ... Never mind, really, never mind...

The reference for the article I wrote about yesterday is One more sermon on synergy by Paul Ludwick, Public Management, March 2005. http://www.icma.org/pm/8702/index.cfm but I don't think the article is free online.

The manager covering our library and records came back off leave yesterday. She popped in to say hello this afternoon, luckily while my lib'n was at lunch. We talked about some of the troubles she is having with my lib'n. I didn't go into detail about the things she has said to me, but the manager knows I have a difficult time with her. I also told her I'm applying for another job. Jokingly she asked me not to go, but I just said I have to get off the contract onto a job where I get paid leave. In May I will have been working full time for a whole year. The thought of working for another year or more without a paid break is something I just can't take. She understood and gave me her blessing, offering to be my referee. I pointed out it would be a good opportunity to get away from having a contract like mine anyway, it's so expensive, nearly half the money the dept pays goes to the contracting company, and management would think it wonderful. If she can't get approval for a permanent strait away she can always advertise for a temp under contract to the dept instead of to an outside company. She told me she really values my work and understands that most of the work there is done by me. It's a big relief to get that positive feedback from everyone else after going through such a stressful time with my brat.

Now this manager is definitely focused on the team.