The view from the front desk: Reflections of a library assistant

I've been a library assistant (in lending and document supply) at a university library for quite a long time, along with a couple of secondments as a liaison librarian in between.  As I look at ways to develop my career, writing in this issue of Library Life has been a good opportunity to reflect on my journey in this job.

Working as a client services assistant (as we are now called) has its fair share of repetitive tasks such as discharging returned items, shelf checking, shelving high demand items, processing library fines and so on.  Thankfully more services are becoming self-service such as collecting and issuing holds and we have been encouraging students to use the self check-out machines and place requests themselves.  One service our library still desperately needs however is an online payment system for fines.

What I have found most rewarding has been my interactions with patrons.  Helping them find what they need and seeing a smile of appreciation gives me a lot of satisfaction.  It might be helping someone make a start on their research, use the OPAC, understand what a secondary citation is, place an interloan request, download an eBook or simply find the student learning centre.  Some of the most memorable interactions I have had have been with patrons with various disabilities.  It gave me an insight into the challenges other people face with studying and using the library, for example the struggle a dyslexic student might have with reading and understanding our online referencing guide.  

But like any customer service job being a library assistant has its challenges.  It takes a certain level of patience to answer the same basic queries day in, day out.  Patrons can be stressed and unhappy with library policies, such as our recalls policy.  Negotiating the settlement of library fines is a skill that takes practice, at least in my experience.  These challenges made me realize however how  important it is to cultivate a sense of empathy with our patrons.  We need to appreciate for example how daunting it can be for a new student to approach the desk for help, or how frustrating it be can for someone when they aren't able to borrow books because of a problem with their enrollment.

Over the years there have been many changes to the library - some small, some significant, most of which I have appreciated.  At the start of the year we integrated our reference help desk and lending desk into a single point of service staffed by library assistants.  This has has added more challenge and variety to the role and has allowed other staff the opportunity to develop their research skills.  Recently we removed a section of our front desk, making it easier for "roving" staff to come and go from behind the desk.  Personally I think would be much better if the whole front desk was removed and replaced with a pod counter that is height adjustable.  Reducing the physical barrier between us and our patrons would makes some students more comfortable approaching us for help.  It would also be better for our backs - I feel that we spend far too much time sitting behind a desk.

Other physical changes to the library are also needed to better suit the needs of our users.  Adequate noise insulation is needed in the group study rooms and around the building as complaints about noise are a constant issue.  Lack of study space is a problem especially during exam times and the library really needs to double in size.  Thankfully we've just received some bean bags we ordered for students to use who would otherwise be sitting on the floor to study in the stacks.  We have begun a large scale cull of our print serials and the shelving should make way for more study space in the near future.

Sometimes I have been asked what do librarians do anymore now that everything is online?  And I wonder at times what the library will look like in twenty years time.  Will there be any print books left?  How will search engine technology have changed?  How will staffing have changed?  Will the front desk have finally disappeared?  Libraries are constantly evolving and I think that's what makes a library career so interesting.