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A day in the life of a busy School Librarian

I have decided to repost some of my old blog posts from the distant past when I was working as a School Librarian. Kids do the funniest things and I really enjoyed working in a school. Posts may be edited from the original blog. So this is part of a series from my old Batty Librarian Blog…

Profession Emblems 56I’ve had a monster day today so I thought I would write it all down to see if I actually achieved anything!

8.30

  • Go straight up to the library. I haven’t got time for the staff meeting today.
  • Put all the extra missing things the cleaner found in the lost property box and the books back on the shelves (Will kids ever learn to put things away?).
  • Put computer on
  • Put the other computers on + photocopier/printer
  • Unlock all doors
  • The computer finally has the log on screen. Log in.
  • Wait another five minutes for the screen to come to life.
  • Open Thunderbird. Swear under breathe as computer takes another five minutes to open it.
  • Get a couple of books to catalogue and open Firefox because our catalogue freezes in Internet Explorer.
  • Let the little darlings into the library.
  • Sort out riddle of the day.
  • Ring up accounts to order new chairs for the library. Get told that I need to provide an estimate of the library’s value by the end of the morning.
  • Save the cataloguing done so far and put to one side.
  • Do some photocopying for the children/teachers.
  • Open up evaluation already started by pure luck. Aargh its break-time.

11.00

  • Shout at children not to run in the library as they try to grab a computer.
  • Listen to inane but faintly amusing conversation about girl’s pet horse. Smile politely and try to sneakily to do a bit more on the valuation while they are not looking.
  • A girl wants to take out the Jane Austen Emma DVD. These come in pairs and I don’t allow them to take more than one DVD at a time. Especially as a really expensive one has been ‘mislaid’ lately. Spend five minutes searching for said DVD. Under the shelf, on the shelf, on the desk, in the box. To be told, “you mean the one the other librarian put in the box ready up there?” Grrr
  • Check out/check in about 10 books.
  • Accept donations for the library by one of the pupils
  • Shout at the kids break is nearly over. (They can’t tell the time by themselves.)

11.20

  • Peace at last. Finish evaluation – pat myself on back.
  • Rush to loo – am desperate by this time.
  • Send valuation to accounts with instructions to order chairs and get quote for other thing. There are three things in that email.
  • Ring up to check they’ve got it. Yep, but forgot about the stuff that belongs to other departments which they’ve dumped in the library storage room.
  • He deletes e-mails and tells me to send it again – except there was other stuff on there!
  • Finish valuation and send it off making sure the other stuff is on separate e-mails. I’m not checking to see if he’s got it – too much to do.
  • More people come in and ask me to do photocopying.
  • Enquiry to find out if we have a book. It is very urgent. They need it for coursework. Not in library. OK will order.
  • Processed books for teacher who wanted books urgently. Stamped and covered them.
  • More photocopying
  • Put an order together for some more books – tunnels, the looking glass wars etc and sent it off. Processed purchase order etc.
  • Put some memos together telling teachers of new additions in the library relevant to their departments
  • Process some invoices of books that arrived yesterday.

12.00

  • Assistant arrives. Woohooo – LUNCH
  • Drop off post in teachers pigeon holes at lunch while looking at Softlink catalogue and eating hurriedly and sneaking a peak at the Times.
  • Received another book package.

12.15

  • Back in library
  • Open up book package
  • Process invoice. i.e. stamp, put date on, photocopy, put arrival on computer
  • Check event is on later.
  • Ring up another school to confirm attendance at Carnegie Shadowing event in April.

1.00

  • Juniors come in
  • Check in and check out books
  • Reply to enquiry regarding Barrington Stoke books. Get really annoyed because the teacher doesn’t want to do any work and tries to get me to do everything! Her excuse is she works part-time. well join the club! So do I but I don’t fob off my work to others. I already made a leaflet for her telling her what books we had relevant for her subject. What does she want from me? Blood?
  • Allow Seniors to come in early because the library will be closed earlier because of the ‘event.’
  • Talk to teacher about world book day and get distracted by another teacher demanding attention.
  • The gigglers come in but are remarkably restrained. They are really nice kids when they are not trying to be annoying. …and by trying to be annoying I mean making funny noises and asking “Is that annoying?” They still require my attention though 🙁

2.00

  • Assistant goes to lunch
  • I show six former new book I bought which is relevant to her subject area. She takes it away to look at it and then borrows it. Oops, maybe I should have shown it to the teachers first. Never mind I do tend to get too excited about new books.
  • Quick chat to catch up on what happened during the day with assistant and the last shift.

2.30

  • Toddle off to catch the bus. Gosh I am KNACKERED.

 

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