It is pretty surreal that I have about 2 weeks left in my program in which I did everything from circulation, reference, and outreach. I decided to put this picture here because it represents our Library, which is a special district Library that preceded the start of Beaumont. It was started and funded by Andrew Carnegie, and learning the history is quite exciting as my wife and I moved to this area. There is a sense of pride learning that many of the patrons' parents and grandparents were coming to the Library since the beginning. We have two workers that have been working for 30 years at the Library, and they used to come there as kids. I do like the small town and the sense of community it provides. We lived in a major city (Long Beach) before, and it is impossible to get to know patrons just because of the volume of people coming in. I have developed relationships already with our regulars, which is quite nice.
All of my expectations were met except that I was blown away by how amazing the staff and patrons were. It is a very small Library as we are expanding, so I was afraid that if anyone was indifferent, it would provide an awkward workspace. I was also surprised by how much time they put into me. I remember when I first met Julia, who is our supervising Librarian, she was so happy that I was interning and talked with me for 20 minutes before my shift just to get to know me. It is really unheard of with all the other companies I worked for.
The elements that I was surprised to learn were all the free resources and programs we provide. I was shocked that we provide free computers, hotspots, and state park passes. We have manga, Magic the Gathering, and ESL clubs that patrons just love. I really did not think that the Library (especially ours being so small) would offer those types of things. When I went to other libraries in the area to visit, they offer the same things, which is great as well. It was nice that I had the opportunity to sit in on each event and take notes and observe.
The part I absolutely hate is weeding. I am a people person, and for me to look at each book and look at our criteria is the most boring thing, but the good news is it's just once a year and all the staff members get a small section. Being as I was an intern, I supported the staff by doing it for them. The nice thing that is important is just learning the collection we have so if kids or teens ask about certain books, I might know where it is. I am so thankful as well that we have pages so shelve books because I find it a tedious task which some people on our staff like doing. I am definitely invested in people and love being social.
What was amazing was the outreach events doing the bookmobiles at schools, parks, and community centers. My favorite one was at a park near the Library where kids were able to read to therapy dogs. I just thought it was the most adorable thing, and we had about 200 kids come out with their parents. Again, everyone is so nice and considerate. The second best one was going to a continuation school for their career fair showing kids job/volunteer options they could do at the Library.
When I graduate, they will have a spot for me, which is super nice. They are expanding, so they are going to need a lot more staff, which I came at the perfect time. Kelly knows that I really want to work there, and the great thing about it is that it is only 10 minutes from my house, which definitely saves on gas.
Overall, I really enjoyed this experience and it definitely gave me the resume experience that I needed.
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