Thursday, February 2, 2012

The #libday8 Post: A Day in the Life of a Library Director


It's rare that I journal my days, though I suspect if I did I'd be more efficient. I try to do this once every Library Day in the Life; check out my less in depth account last year here, and more information on the participants here.

8:30 - Get to work. Drink coffee and eat a muffin (homemade, banana nut).
Answer email, do some social networking, which includes catching up on work-related blogs, and articles that have caught my eye.

9 - Work with consortium partners to get a circulation client up and running, which will continue throughout the day. Eat pineapple, field emails and phone calls regarding patron access to library resources from off-campus thanks to a ridiculous policy forced on me that I'm working to change.

9:30 - Tired of sitting, transition to standing desk, continue to do the same stuff.
Gaze longingly at Hostess Zingers in the vending machine, wonder why Pop Tarts cost both $1 and $1.25. Wonder who might buy them at the higher price, and why.

10 - Attempt to enter a webinar that’s really at 11, realize that after 10 minutes, then go over the January leave reports, due later today, and submit them. Do this while heading over to Pitchfork to check out recent tracks they’ve posted.

10:30 - Trail mix, because, why not. Still working on this circ client networking thing, with the consortium systems administrator on one line, and our IT deptment on the other. Also, do some collection development for the School of Education.


10:45 - Help someone send a fax. Continue to do the above.


11-11:30 - Webinar with someone who wants to sell me something; I find it helpful since it’s a one on one (one of the reasons I agreed to this), so we’re basically talking collection development for business resources. Always nice to get the vendor perspective. I confess to playing one game of Temple Run during it.


11:35 - Someone has locked one of the bathrooms, but as far as I can tell, there’s nobody in there. Call facilities.

11:45-12 - Social networking. You all sure post a lot of interesting stuff

12-12:05 - Look at Gilt. Buy nothing. Sigh.

12:10 - Oh hai, migraine. Adjust my standing desk monitor. Read, meaning delete without reading, various listserv email.

12:30 - 1:30 - Sit back down for lunch: leftover homemade bison burger (1 lb ground bison, tbsp chopped shallots, an egg, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin - makes 5 patties), sourdough bun, pretzels, gold rush apple, social networking, read the paper.

1:30 - 2:30 - Work the front desk. Answer only questions about printing.

2:30-4 - Job/position description, because we hope to be hiring soon. More on that later.

3:15 - The bathroom is still locked. Also, I buy the Zingers. Continue as above.

4-4:
25- More trail mix, still position description-ing. 

4:25-4:50 - Talking to library staff. Topics include filing taxes, Burger King fries, and the library job market.

5 - The bathroom is now open. There are no cadavers in it.

5:01 - Changing policy definitions so ready reference items now formally circulate. In related news, Voyager ILS stinks. Eat a Zinger.

5:45 - Success. I’m so cool. Also, I should sit down since I’ll be standing while I teach.

5:47-6:25 - Social networking, while sitting.

6:30-7:45 - Library instruction session for a Nursing class.

7:48 - Someone has fallen in front of the library. A patron and I help her up.

8 - Home, to delicious Peruvian rotisserie chicken, and my family.

9 - Blogging, while attempting to get PsychInfo back up and running.

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