November 17

Work Placement Day 10

Tuesday 17th November 2020

8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:30 5:00
Story Time Story Time Re-shelving LUNCH Front Counter Children’s Services Meeting STEAM Club

Despite having a good sleep last night, I still felt tired today. It usually hits at about 2 o’clock! All I do is yawn!

Today we read Who Sank The Boat? for Story Time. What a classic by Pamela Allen! I felt more comfortable in my second session as many of the parents remembered me and I have been able to recall lots of the kids’ names. I also have a better idea of the procedures for set-up and pack-up.

Before lunch, I did an hour of re-shelving. Then, after lunch, I sat at the front desk with Rowan. No major happenings, and I got to show off my book contacting skills!

Instead of working on Literacy Kits, I sat in on the Children’s Services weekly meeting at 2 pm. I was tasked with packaging the Books in Homes bags. This will be my last project which will take a couple of hours on Friday. The team seemed very grateful for my help. It was also interesting to see the inner workings of a particular team within the library.

To finish off, I observed this week’s STEAM Club. Today, instead of using the Piper equipment, we made Kaleidoscopes. Then Krista brought out Little Bits, small pieces of circuitry that you can fit together and they result in a certain outcome. There were 3 kids at the session, and it was good to see how they used problem solving skills to work the circuitry. I have noticed that the sessions are very unstructured. Although I don’t know if kids actually really learn specific science and tech knowledge from the session, I think giving the participants time to tinker is great. And different to school, which is important!

November 14

Work Placement Day 5

Thursday 12th November 2020

8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:30 5:00
Baby Bounce Baby Bounce Front Counter LUNCH Returns Literacy Kits Lego Club

Today was another very interesting day! I managed to get myself out of bed at 6:30 am to go for a run around the Blue Lake. It was a little cold but the lake is beautiful!

My library shift began with one of the children’s programs, Baby Bounce. Children aged 6 months to 2 years sit in a circle with their parent who guides them through actions and singing to a preset playlist. I wasn’t sure how I would go with this but it was amazing how much the babies smiled and made noises. They were clearly enjoying the session!

Either side of lunch I worked at the front desk and in returns. I even did some re-shelving this time. This is the bread and butter of the library so I really enjoyed both of these shifts.

I had some time to start working on the project brief for the new and renewed Literacy Kits before Lego Club at 4:00pm. Only three kids turned up, which was unusual. It was interesting to observe how this children’s program runs, how it sits alongside school-based Lego programs, and how they intend to expand the program next year.

November 14

Work Placement Day 4

Wednesday 11th November 2020

8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:30 5:00
Returns IT Lesson IT Lesson LUNCH Front Counter Literacy Kits Hub Meeting at Melaleuca PS

Today I started on Returns. This station involves answering the phone, processing returns and managing the books sent out to other libraries via Australia Post and homes via the libraries home delivery service. I enjoyed how similar it was to processing and re-shelving returns back at school – I picked up the process fairly quickly.

Next up, I observed a session for elderly people learning how to use an iPad. For some reason I found it very satisfying to see how excited the learners were when each next feature was introduced. One of the group members stayed behind for a long chat and he was really nice. I liked his loud laugh. I wonder if he doesn’t have many people to talk to at home, so he stays behind to feel social. The library provides that space for him, which is cool.

After lunch I spent some more time at the front desk. I even served a few clients who came to me for help with scanning documents and processing overdue books. I enjoy helping people and they were all very friendly.

From 2:00pm onwards, I worked with Kelly. To hit two of my professional goals, she thought I could assist by revamping the Literacy Kits ready to put out on display in the children’s area. I’ll be working on this project throughout the rest of the placement.

Finally, Kelly drove me to Melaleuca Primary School where a quarterly meeting is held at The Hub, a community space where agencies come together to provide services to nearby residents. It was interesting to hear what programs and services were being planned for next year, and having a quick look at one of the primary schools in town. The library attends the meeting to advertise their relevant programs and try to promote the library to those in lower socio-economic areas.