I wonder what is it like....
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if this is how you react to large masses of words i'm not sure if the library is the right working environment for youOriginally posted by shinta:i drifted off after the 1st 5 lines..
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i finished reading everything, thats all that matters..Originally posted by theSquelch:if this is how you react to large masses of words i'm not sure if the library is the right working environment for you -
Most of the staff in libraries who go around shushing people are actually library attendants/part timers etc.Originally posted by coolger03:wow! that is a long list of what a librarian does...
but, like what the rest say, we usually see the librarian going ard, telling us to keep our volume down....
The librarians are the ones usually doing the behind-the-scene job. -
Actually, we kinda prefer the public to do that, and even encourage them to do so, rather than have them go to the shelves, anyhow chuck the book anywhere and as a result, the item is misfiled or even 'lost' - would be hard to find when other customers r looking for the book & the poor library staff would b looking high & low for the item but yet cannot find. That is v. frustrating!Originally posted by Rhonda:I think one of the most irritating aspects of a librarian's job has to be tidying up after people.
In general, after the public has flipped through their books / mags, instead of returning them to their rightful place on the shelves, most would dump them into the designated boxes. That can mean a lotta lotta books and mags for the librarians to clear.
Kinda xian to have to pick up after people this way! -
heheheOriginally posted by SGpork:almost faint after reading
SydneyLibrarian post
Now u know what the real job of a librarian is, lor -
Have heard from my sources (reliable ones, of course!Originally posted by shinta:yea they did help... in a way not sure if all the info registered 
yup lookin for a job change...
i have a feeling the company's gg to wind up in the next 5 years ) that librarians will b in demand in Sg for at least the next 10 yrs...
go for it, shinta! and while you're there, get the librarians to order in some manga and anime... not enuf in the libraries there -
yeahOriginally posted by SydneyLibrarian:hehehe
Now u know what the real job of a librarian is, lor
thanks
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agree...Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:Actually, we kinda prefer the public to do that, and even encourage them to do so, rather than have them go to the shelves, anyhow chuck the book anywhere and as a result, the item is misfiled or even 'lost' - would be hard to find when other customers r looking for the book & the poor library staff would b looking high & low for the item but yet cannot find. That is v. frustrating!
if not we will be able to find the book on the computer system, but not on the shelves...
i wonder.. if let's say i requiest for this book that is supposedly on the shelf but is not there... does the library staff has to search high and low for this book?
and hor, last time in poly, my frens has this habit of hiding books... like the books they need for projects, but want to just read in the library and not borrowed out... then they will put it on top of the shelf... -
increasing my knowledge on various ways to leer at ladies?Originally posted by the Bear:are you there to increase your knowledge or leer at the ladies? -
Yep if u request it & it's not on the shelf, then it's the responsibility of library staff to search for the itemOriginally posted by coolger03:agree...
if not we will be able to find the book on the computer system, but not on the shelves...
i wonder.. if let's say i requiest for this book that is supposedly on the shelf but is not there... does the library staff has to search high and low for this book?
and hor, last time in poly, my frens has this habit of hiding books... like the books they need for projects, but want to just read in the library and not borrowed out... then they will put it on top of the shelf...
hehe.. you hid the books on top of the shelf... did anyone else find them, like the cleaners etc? -
Yes, I agree! Some books end up at a totally misfit section and then it will never be found. When I see that, I'll put the book into the box for shelving. Sometimes, I even rearrange the books when I see them put in the wrong order on the shelves...very kaypoh, I know.Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:Actually, we kinda prefer the public to do that, and even encourage them to do so, rather than have them go to the shelves, anyhow chuck the book anywhere and as a result, the item is misfiled or even 'lost' - would be hard to find when other customers r looking for the book & the poor library staff would b looking high & low for the item but yet cannot find. That is v. frustrating!
ps: I was a librarian (ECA) in sec school. -
But there aren't really that many decent libraries in S'pore, are there? And they do have to do shift work, right?Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:Have heard from my sources (reliable ones, of course! ) that librarians will b in demand in Sg for at least the next 10 yrs...
go for it, shinta! and while you're there, get the librarians to order in some manga and anime... not enuf in the libraries there -
i'll do u a favour...summarize it in 1 word "saigung"Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:hello shinta! u can always drop me a pm or email if u dun c me online u know?
Hmm what's it like being a librarian? Very different from what I first thot it'd be like! Many people assume that all librarians do is stamp books & read all day long but it ain't true. There are librarians who do management type stuff, heading branch libraries & departments, children's/young adult librarians, librarians who provide reader advisory services for govt departments (e.g. current awareness to make sure the staff in these depts stay updated with the latest news in their industry). There are also systems librarians who handle all aspects of IT (from troubleshooting to creating software specially for the library they're in) within the library.
I got this info from a website that I thought might interest you:
"LIBRARIANS bring order to and guide users through the vast array of information available in today's libraries. Public libraries provide services to all members of the community. School libraries serve the information and pleasure reading needs of students and faculty in elementary, middle, and high schools. Academic libraries are located in colleges and universities. Special libraries serve the demands of one specific organization such as a business or governmental agency or one field of study such as law or medicine.
Librarians perform the following tasks to ensure library patrons have the information they need:
- Organize collections of books, publications, documents, audiovisual aids, and other reference materials for convenient access.
- Research, retrieve, and disseminate information from books, periodicals, reference materials or commercial database in response to requests.
- Acquire and manage materials in various formats to add to the library collection.
- Assist patrons in selecting books and informational material.
- Demonstrate library equipment.
- Explain how to use library facilities and procedures.
- Assemble and arrange display materials.
- Review, compile, and publish a listing of library materials, including bibliographies and book reviews.
- Manage library resources stored in files, on film, or in computer databases for Research information.
- Create databases.
- Instruct staff and customers on database use in information retrieval.
The size and character of the library determine whether Librarians perform all phases of the work or engage in a specialty.
- Acquisitions Librarians (that's me!) select and purchase books, periodicals, newspapers, films, recordings, and other types of material that make up the library collection.
- Administrative Librarians supervise, direct, and coordinate library activities, programs, and services and may be known as Library Administrators, Library Directors, or Head Librarians. Their duties include hiring and training library personnel, preparing budgets, and planning public relations activities.
- Catalogers (me again! ) examine, classify, and organize materials based on subject matter or standardized library classification systems.
- Children's Librarians select materials for children, show children how to use the library, and organize and conduct story hours and film programs.
- Library Media Teachers (this was in my previous job, where I had all the time in the world to chat via MSN wif u ) work in library media centers within the public school system in the role of information specialist, teacher, instructional partner, and program administrator to develop strategies and teaching methods promoting the integration of technology into the curriculum. They teach information literacy skills to students and staff using print and nonprint resources.
- Reference Librarians direct patrons to reference sources; aid them in Researching information; explain the use of equipment such as microfilm readers, computers, and copiers; and obtain requested information from data retrieval systems.
Other library specialization includes young adult, audio-visual, bookmobile, document, medical, and legal.
WHAT SKILLS ARE IMPORTANT?
Skills, knowledge, and abilities key to success as a Librarian include the following:
:: Information Organization - Finding ways to structure or classify multiple pieces of information.
:: Information Gathering - Knowing how to find information and identifying essential information.
:: Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
:: Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
:: Category Flexibility - The ability to produce many rules so that each rule tells how to group or combine a set of things in a different way.
:: Information Ordering - The ability to correctly follow a given rule or set of rules in order to arrange things or actions in a certain order.
:: Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
WHATÂ’S THE WORK ENVIRONMENT?
Work schedules for Librarians directly serving the public may be busy, demanding, and even stressful. Answering the information needs of people and teaching them to use library resources can be taxing (oh yea! I agree!).
The job may require much standing, stooping, bending, and reaching. Acquisitions and Catalogue Librarians often work all day at desks or computer terminals.
Hope this info helps! R u looking for a job change? -
aiyo... then like that, we put the books in the bin for the library staff to clear is better... but then only one person find or the whole team will just do a search in the area under them?Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:Yep if u request it & it's not on the shelf, then it's the responsibility of library staff to search for the item
hehe.. you hid the books on top of the shelf... did anyone else find them, like the cleaners etc?
hmm.... i think so leh... it's either the hardworking library staff who found the books or other chek ark students who found the books and borrow it liao... -
Originally posted by Wanda:Yes, I agree! Some books end up at a totally misfit section and then it will never be found. When I see that, I'll put the book into the box for shelving. Sometimes, I even rearrange the books when I see them put in the wrong order on the shelves...very kaypoh, I know.
ps: I was a librarian (ECA) in sec school.
library got ask for volunteers or not? ever consider working part time there? -
Not if you work in a private library, like business library or MITA etc... usually 5 day work weekOriginally posted by Wanda:But there aren't really that many decent libraries in S'pore, are there? And they do have to do shift work, right?
And chunyong, what does "saigung" mean? -
i forgot i was a librarian in my sec sch b4...
not bad eh tat time...can read those books with air-con & tat time not much students borrowing books so quite free. 2 hrs pass very quickly....i just do the processing & chopping the dates. -
I, too, was one in sec school days!Originally posted by huiz:i forgot i was a librarian in my sec sch b4...
not bad eh tat time...can read those books with air-con & tat time not much students borrowing books so quite free. 2 hrs pass very quickly....i just do the processing & chopping the dates. Being a student librarian is v. different from a working librarian though, I must say! -
you gotta bear with the creepy things in the library
Some of nation's best libraries have books bound in human skin
By M.L. Johnson, Associated Press Writer | January 7, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Brown University's library boasts an unusual anatomy book. Tanned and polished to a smooth golden brown, its cover looks and feels no different from any other fine leather.
But here's its secret: the book is bound in human skin.
A number of prestigious libraries -- including Harvard University's -- have such books in their collections. While the idea of making leather from human skin seems bizarre and cruel today, it was not uncommon in centuries past, said Laura Hartman, a rare book cataloger at the National Library of Medicine in Maryland and author of a paper on the subject.
for the rest of the article, click here => Boston.com News -
the advantage of a small sch library...Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:I, too, was one in sec school days! Being a student librarian is v. different from a working librarian though, I must say!
actually i transferred to library coz my ava club seniors r bullies. dun want to teach us anything & its too boring there.
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"Saigung or saikang" - loosely translated as crap work.Known to most NS men as work which is tedious as crap and quite dull, but inevitable.Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:Not if you work in a private library, like business library or MITA etc... usually 5 day work week
And chunyong, what does "saigung" mean? -
Originally posted by the Bear:
LOL.. that's interesting!
you gotta bear with the creepy things in the library
[b]Some of nation's best libraries have books bound in human skin
By M.L. Johnson, Associated Press Writer | January 7, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Brown University's library boasts an unusual anatomy book. Tanned and polished to a smooth golden brown, its cover looks and feels no different from any other fine leather.
But here's its secret: the book is bound in human skin.
A number of prestigious libraries -- including Harvard University's -- have such books in their collections. While the idea of making leather from human skin seems bizarre and cruel today, it was not uncommon in centuries past, said Laura Hartman, a rare book cataloger at the National Library of Medicine in Maryland and author of a paper on the subject.
for the rest of the article, click here => Boston.com News[/b] -
These libraries have limited materials on specialised topics (not so interesting). I would prefer the general NLB type of materials, if I were to work in a library. What's your type of library?Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:Not if you work in a private library, like business library or MITA etc... usually 5 day work week -
Hmm... I'd much rather have my own library!
All said, I think that our libraries are very impressive though. Lotsa new books, lovely ambience, professional staff, lots of services, and fully automated too!
The only thing I really really resent is how we can't use cash / NETS to pay our library fines!
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You can now use EZlink card to pay fines, in addition to the cashcard....but that's at the main NLB library.Originally posted by Rhonda:Hmm... I'd much rather have my own library!
All said, I think that our libraries are very impressive though. Lotsa new books, lovely ambience, professional staff, lots of services, and fully automated too!
The only thing I really really resent is how we can't use cash / NETS to pay our library fines!