#library circulation

I need to run a poll on what sort of things Circulation is supposed to do at various libraries. Because at mine, a Library Technician (circulation) does these things

Check in/out items

front desk (new cards, answer account questions, etc)

sort

shelve (a minimum of 150 items an hour per person I wish I was making that up)

pull and process holds

help patrons find items when the librarians are busy

process holds for offsite locker pickup, and drive the van to that location to drop them off and pick up returns from the locker

process incoming InterLibrary Loans, adding remoavable RFID tags to ones that do not have them for patron ease of checkout

AND

Librarian mohawks – makes you do a double take, right? Those are two words that usually do NOT go together.

But thanks to Vista, now they do, as five good-natured librarians made good on their promise this spring and got mohawks because the community pushed them to a big milestone – Vista was the first county library to make it over the 1-million check-out mark.

That means the community checked out more than 1 million books, DVD’s and CDs over the course of the fiscal year, which ended June 30.

Since 2001, the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has hosted Back in Circulation Again. This dynamic national conference is an opportunity for circulation staff from academic and public libraries to share ideas, learn, and renew their commitment to excellent library service.

Patrons at the Public Library of Brookline (MA) now have an engaging new way to learn about the most recommended items in circulation, thanks to reference and teen librarian Robin Brenner: An “Awesome Box” in the shape of a half-size TARDIS, Doctor Who’s sentient spaceship.

Though several other libraries in the state have introduced the Awesome Box project to their branches in recent months—including Somerville, Cambridge, and Arlington—Brenner and her colleagues have taken it to the next level with an eye-catching design and clever online marketing, generating lots of positive patron feedback and online buzz in the very first days after Brookline began participating

Yesterday was a busy day, both for me and the rest of the faculty on campus. Not only was it my first day, but it was also freshman orientation, so, in the midst of learning how to use the Follett library system, I was constantly zipping around, being introduced to other staff who were also zipping around. Needless to say, I remember a lot of faces, but few names. 

Training came in the form of library/campus tours, learning library policies, understanding how the textbook distribution on campus will work this year, dealing with customers paying fines and returning books, and re-shelving to get a better feel for the collections. 

I was least excited that, after my running around all day, I had to take my staff yearbook photo. Let's just say, I'm not buying a yearbook. 

I was most excited about my workspace. The atmosphere is great and I have successfully outfitted my desk with all the organizational tools I could dream of. I am in OfficeMax heaven. Furthermore, I really like the other library clerk. She is part-time and has already logged 2 years in this position. She has great ideas and I'm really looking forward to learning what I can from her, as well as sharing my own knowledge.