Day-in-the-Life of a Librarian

You may be surprised by the effort it takes to get a book on a library shelf and into your hands. The Missoula Public Library staff work hard to serve you and we're happy to do it! We thought you might enjoy a glimpse of a Day-in-the-Life of a Librarian, so we've begun a new twitter series to share just that. Each Friday in September members from various library departments will be tweeting moments from their day.

Last week I posted on behalf of the newly renamed Cataloging Department (formerly known as Technical Services.) Just because you don't see me doesn't mean I'm not here. My office space is tucked away on the lower level of the library. Occasionally I get to help you at the Accounts Desk, but my main responsibility is to order and catalog materials for the Young Adult & Childrens' departments. Our librarians Linette & Karen decide what to order and I process and receive those orders. I've handled nearly every item found in the Young Adult room or Kids' section that has been acquired by the library in the past eight years. Trust me, that adds up to a lot of bedtime stories, comic books, and teen novels!

Fans of Harry Potter or the Twilight series? Before you checked out those items I ordered the books and created the records in the library's catalog so you could look them up to place holds on them. I even attached the barcodes and helped cover the dust jackets with protective plastic. This is an example of the kind of work I do in the Cataloging department.

For those of you who don't yet follow the Missoula Public Library twitter feed, here is a transcript from a Day-in-MY-Life at the Library.

· we're busy getting the library ready to open. see you soon! 9:11 AM Sep 3rd

· We're tweeting a Life-of-a-Librarian series each Fri in Sep. Today Caroline will share her day with you from the [Cataloging] dept 12:12 PM Sep 3rd

· Whew! Friday morning has been hoppin'. Spent the morning shelf reading & helping at the Accounts Desk. Now back to the Tech Services dept. 12:13 PM Sep 3rd

· Put sheet music books in order. Everything from Beethoven to Rhiana Friday, September 03, 2010 12:15:15 PM

· Just checked our Facebook stats. We have 1,924 fans. Tell your friends to find us on FB so we can reach our goal of 2,010 fans in 2010 Friday, September 03, 2010 12:26:20 PM

· At my desk reviewing email/voicemail, answering questions, preparing to order kids books Friday, September 03, 2010 12:32:01 PM

· Added 13 replacement books to catalog including The Big Book of Dinosaurs & The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies. Time for lunch Friday, September 03, 2010 1:05:16 PM

· Took a peek at the miniature display in downstairs lobby during my break. If you're a fan of the Library's Gnome House -you'll love this! Friday, September 03, 2010 1:40:04 PM

· Pre-ordering the new Dean Koontz graphic novel - Odd Is On Our Side (release date: 10/5/2010) Friday, September 03, 2010 1:50:55 PM

· Cupcake by Charise Mericle Harper. "Poor Vanilla Cupcake. He is feeling a bit plain." Uber-cute illustrations :) Call #: E HARPER Friday, September 03, 2010 2:21:04 PM

· Uh Oh. Audiobook bit the dust. I'll see if we can get a replacement. Friday, September 03, 2010 2:30:01 PM

· What/Who is [the Cataloging Dept]? We're the behind-the-scene wonders who order, catalog, & process all materials so you can check them out Friday, September 03, 2010 2:34:00 PM

· MPL is the best deal in town! I just ordered $640 worth of books for the kids dept, but you can check them out for FREE after they arrive Friday, September 03, 2010 2:47:39 PM

· Lost books have found their way home (hooray) I'll re-catalog so they're available for check out again Friday, September 03, 2010 3:31:21 PM

· Wanna learn more about [the Cataloging Dept]? Watch for my blog post next week - where I'll reveal the hidden meaning of purple ink & other marvels Friday, September 03, 2010 3:59:25 PM

· Next Friday's installment of Life-of-a-Librarian tweet series will feature Kathy & Annie from the circulation dept Friday, September 03, 2010 4:03:41 PM