I work on a two week pattern – Week 1 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Week 2 Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I work 8:00am – 1:00pm on weekdays and 8:00am – 2:00pm weekends. I thought that I wouldn’t like working weekends, but alternate weekends is fine and although it is an early-ish start, it does mean that I have the afternoons to do other things including book shop stuff.
At work there is a rota for Co-ordinators when you do some shifts on the ‘Front of House’ Hub which means that you are based at the Library Helpdesk and can help out the Library Assistants delivering the front line services. I like doing a FOH shift and at the weekends that is the default.
The most common enquiries are about:
Smartcards (ID cards) and access to the Library, different Library membership.
Finding books either ones that have been reserved or how to find them on the shelves or how to use the Library Search (catalogue).
Library account queries – loans, requests, renewals, recalls etc.
Study spaces – booking rooms or seats.
Issuing headphones, lockers etc. and lost property.
Here at Newcastle, there are less IT enquiries as it is not a combined Library and IT service so although there are sometimes questions about printing or connecting to the Wi-Fi, students can be directed to NUIT for help.
Working in a Library etc... 