Library Technician

As the LT in this library there's only so much I can do in terms of promoting the library. A proper promotion programme is something I just don't have the authority to do. I can still do promotion for individual people who walk in. There's a variety of tactics to be employed at my level to get the most information out. For example even if they don't ask for assistance I can be proactive and ask them if they found what they wanted. When they say they don't want to be trouble I can chuckle and say this is our job, it's what we're paid for. If they ask for a book I can ask them if they are interested in journal articles. If I know someone is working in a particular area I can find a gorgeous internet resource and ask them if they've seen it. If I'm talking to someone outside the library I can steer a conversation around to what I do and how the library could help them.

Having a mindset to share is always good for this as is having a mindset to do whatever you can to ensure your job stays in existence.

That said there is still an ongoing problem of senior staff not taking promotion seriously. Either they don't have time, or they think they have a captive audience or they are inexperienced in organising a promotion campaign or they just aren't interested. Dissatisfied lib'ns looking for other jobs are the worst for this. Short sighted, narrow minded and only thinking of their own needs, not interested in people getting their information needs met or the long term survival of libraries. For those who of you who aren't interested, it's just part of the job, something you are paid to do, stop fussing. For those who are inexperienced pick up a book, for those who think they have a captive audience, just watch them walk, or those who think you don't have time, you'll have plenty when the library closes or reduces hours.

A job has been advertised that I can apply for! Permanent fulltime in the public service and they want my specialties, serials and cataloguing. It's the first I've seen in months and I really want it. I'd like to be paid for public holidays, sick days and to be able to get rec leave. I'm a contractor at the moment. The pay, while good enough in terms of the private sector isn't as much as the public sector, but I've been contracted out to the public sector. The main problem with being a contractor is that they just don't pay any leave. If I don't work I don't get paid. At the moment I can afford this on the short term because my expenses are so low, but I pity anyone with Sydney rents or mortgages to pay. Easter and xmas must be hell. And I've been working for around 10 months and I'm having trouble facing the thought of hitting the 12 month mark without having a holiday. Especially in the place I'm in now, the stress is just too high. I can put off having a holiday if I know that I have one coming, but that means getting a better job.

The job I'm in now comes under the heading 'the things we do for money!'

Wish me luck.

At last a new system was installed today at work that means I can get my Google news alerts at work. It became too difficult in the end to get IT to put my news alerts onto a 'white' list so I'd given up on getting them. Quite possible they were really resistant because they new this system was coming in. This new system makes each person responsible for their own spam so if I subscribe to something and the spam filter gets it I can just approve it myself.

The Google news alerts are mostly American of course, but it does include news from England and even New Zealand! If anyone in Australia found libraries important enough to write about in a newspaper I'm sure they would end up on the news alerts too (hear the cynicism...). The news from the rest of the world seems as bad as it is here, almost every article that has been sent through is about funding cuts to libraries, or outright closures being threatened. It's rather depressing when you realise just how bad it is internationally. I do wonder about the non-English speaking countries, are they suffering as much as the rest of us?