Depends on the library. A family member worked at multiple libraries. First one was as a part time aid at a small-town library. It was mostly quiet save for some parents who thought of the library as a daycare. Parents were instructed not to leave kids alone. Some just watched their kids run amok. That job was okay. Mostly shelving books and occasionally helping with a community activity like children’s storytime
Family member was offered an opportunity as a full-time librarian at a large city. That got too stressful. As a librarian, not an assistant, she had to do community outreach, event planning, managing the catalog, but handling the community seemed the most stressful. They had hundreds of visitors daily. Most were cool, but some people are… problematic. Unruly kids could cause problems. Angry adults are stressful (angry for various reasons, most often not staff’s fault). And occasionally dangerous people can enter.
But, on the other hand, she did feel like she had a bigger impact at the large library. She provided countless resources to people who needed basic life information, like where to stay if homeless, how to interview, how to use computers, etc. Her outreach also brought in more people who could really capitalize on their services and improve their lives. Eventually she had to quit for medical reasons, but the burnout probably contributed to her poor health. The city was also considering cutting library spending which made her feel unappreciated.
I have another friend who is a bookworm and got the full library sciences degree. She volunteered at a few libraries and decided library work isn’t for her.
Depends on the library. A family member worked at multiple libraries. First one was as a part time aid at a small-town library. It was mostly quiet save for some parents who thought of the library as a daycare. Parents were instructed not to leave kids alone. Some just watched their kids run amok. That job was okay. Mostly shelving books and occasionally helping with a community activity like children’s storytime
Family member was offered an opportunity as a full-time librarian at a large city. That got too stressful. As a librarian, not an assistant, she had to do community outreach, event planning, managing the catalog, but handling the community seemed the most stressful. They had hundreds of visitors daily. Most were cool, but some people are… problematic. Unruly kids could cause problems. Angry adults are stressful (angry for various reasons, most often not staff’s fault). And occasionally dangerous people can enter.
But, on the other hand, she did feel like she had a bigger impact at the large library. She provided countless resources to people who needed basic life information, like where to stay if homeless, how to interview, how to use computers, etc. Her outreach also brought in more people who could really capitalize on their services and improve their lives. Eventually she had to quit for medical reasons, but the burnout probably contributed to her poor health. The city was also considering cutting library spending which made her feel unappreciated.
I have another friend who is a bookworm and got the full library sciences degree. She volunteered at a few libraries and decided library work isn’t for her.