[thechat] I got 20 job mon. Advice to myself.

[Andrew Forsberg]

>  > Sound like any other particular type of work?
>
>*chuckle* - coincidence? Maybe not.
>
>In my library job, we were almost /discouraged/ from trying to help the
>customers. We were supposed to direct people to the the /real/
>librarians - who had proper degrees.

Yea, that sounds like how our University library worked.

It was far more satisfying (although lower paid) work at the Public 
library. I remember really enjoying Saturday shifts in the newspaper 
room where old men would read the London Times, business types would 
'research' stock, immigrants and tourists would look over papers in 
their own tongue ... and some whacko (hopefully only one at a time) 
would want to read back through every single copy of a newspaper for 
the last decade.

If you felt like being helpful there was plenty of scope for taking a 
patron's vague idea of what they want, and helping them get what they 
want sooner & with less frustration.

I'd guess 60% of the staff at our city Public library would have been 
(probably still are) part time students / artists / undecideds who 
were kicking around looking for something to do with their lives. It 
made for a really good environment -- better than flipping burgers.

Career paths are very strange things aren't they?

Andrew

-- 
Andrew Forsberg
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