Wishing the Langdon Library Staff a Happy National Library Week!

In honor of this week being National Library Week, each day I am spotlighting different groups that contribute to our library’s success. Today: three out of our “core four” Library Staff! That includes Theresa Tomlinson (Administrative Coordinator and Interlibrary Loan Librarian,) Brittany Post (Programming Assistant,) and Debbie Obertanec (Cataloging Assistant) (I’m the fourth. I am not spotlighting myself.) Like our subs, everyone checks items in and out, shelves returns, searches the library catalog, and sets up new patrons. The “core four” also make book or movie recommendations, troubleshoot the library’s computers and printers, give tutorials on Libby and Hoopla, and take care of daily opening/closing procedures like emptying the book drop, turning lights and computers on and off, locking doors and setting the alarm, and other tasks. Each person also has individual areas of responsibility; for example Theresa serves as what some libraries call “Head of Circulation:” meaning she works to keep the information in the library “ILS” (integrated library system: software that tracks loans, item status and our online catalog) accurate, complete and consistent. She also keeps track of overdue items, works with Debbie to update our catalog as needed, and collects statistics for interlibrary loans, room usage, public computers, library visits, new patrons and all of our physical and digital circulation. In 2018 she added Interlibrary Loan, of which we do a mind-boggling amount for a library of our size: last year we responded to 1,450 requests, sent out 871 loans, and borrowed 292 for our patrons. Theresa has been here almost eleven years and serves as “acting director” when I am out or away. She works 24 hours/week Monday through Thursday and every other Saturday.

Next, “Miss Brittany.” Brittany will have been here for three years in June. Her job is similar to Children’s Librarian in other libraries, but in ours, she serves in that role as well as teen programming, helps with adult programs, and takes care of publicity for all. Last year, we held an astonishing 330 programs, an average of 6 per week! When she started, she continued weekly pre-school story times and Teen Advisory Group meetings on Thursdays and Summer Reading programs, and added monthly craft nights, writers group, video game nights, and weekly “Card Board” on Monday afternoons, and Tot Times on Wednesdays. She helps plan our annual Winter Warm Up, Candidates Nights and other general admission programs and is almost always the person setting up the projector and putting out chairs before programs, and afterward putting them away. She participates in programs with the Recreation Director, school and other town groups. She creates and coordinates our annual staff Halloween costume, and all the costumes when we dressed as different books each day of National Library Week last year. She makes recommendations for childrens/teen items to purchase for the library, keeps the Craft Room clean and supplies stocked, makes publicity graphics, updates social media and our website, and somehow fits it all into 35 hours/week, 4 days, two nights, and every other Saturday!

Debbie started at the library several years ago as a “sub,” and when Deb Kohlhase retired two years ago, trained to become her replacement. Debbie works just 12 hours a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays and two monthly Saturdays, but in that time she adds all of the new materials—books, movies, audio CDs and magazines—to the library catalog. Our library adds approximately 1,000 items per year and delete 400, meaning Debbie adds or removes an average of over 2 items per every hour she works! The process of adding materials involves unpacking boxes and verifying contents and condition, determining what section–target age, topic, format and physical location–it belongs in, entering that description and other identifying information into our system, creating a spine label, adding a date sticker to designate it’s new, checking if anyone is waiting for it, and putting it on the reserve shelf if they are. New books may or may not need to be covered, all need to be stamped, all need to be shelved. Deleting (or what we call “weeding”) is a simpler process, but can still be time-consuming, especially at the beginning of the year when she has to delete an entire year’s worth of ten monthly or weekly magazine subscriptions to make room for the new years’ issues. Debbie also does book repairs, makes catalog changes and corrections when needed, helps staff our larger events, and recently started posting our newest additions on our Facebook page.

I worked in five libraries before becoming a director in this one (and a trustee in my town library.) Based on those experiences, I have realistic expectations of what librarians serving in these roles can accomplish, while also being on the desk, answering phones, navigating small and shared workspaces, and staying on top of the multitude of tiny tasks that are part of maintaining library space–pushing in chairs, loading and running the dishwasher, figuring out who the jacket that was left here belongs to, reminding me to re-order printer paper or ask the cleaners be sure to mop in the kids’ room after a spill… etc. I can honestly say that our staff, in its entirety, continues to impress and surprise me, defying my “realistic expectations.” Each one of them accomplishes more than they should be able to in their designated space and hours. They perform their duties accurately and conscientiously, handle demanding moments with grace, build new skills with enthusiasm, maintain good humor and have fun. It’s not actually in their job descriptions to brighten the day of everyone who comes in, but they still do!

This National Library Week, I would like to wish Theresa, Brittany and Debbie a very happy week, and thank you for making the Langdon Library such a pleasure for me (and each other) to work at, and for our library patrons to visit. (And I’d like to thank the Trustees for giving us an abundance of Library Week gifts, and the library patrons who brought us peanut butter cups, flowers, and carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!!)