Work Experience Day One

    Two days ago, I went out for my first work experience. I had spent all summer securing places, and my first trip was to Celbridge Library. After our workshop last week, I knew all about what to do when I got there: how to dress, and how to act. Even so, I was really nervous the night before. I know my supervisor well and was excited about working with her. I couldn't wait to see how a typical day in the library went.
 


One of the best things about the day must have been the lie-in! I got up at eight, ate my breakfast and got dressed, and left the house at five to nine. Arriving at nine on the dot, I was met at the door by my supervisor Aisling, and she began to give me a tour of the library. The building doesn't open until two on Wednesdays and was almost empty. Aisling showed me around the different sections; Teen, Adult Fiction, Children's. She also showed me how the computers are accessed and explained about the different workshops that are held there every Wednesday. Today, English was being taught in the centre upstairs.
   
After tea and cake in the upstairs kitchen, we headed down to the computers again. Aisling showed me how the Kildare Library website was run. I also learnt about the library app, Overdrive. You can rent ebooks, films and audio files from your local library using this app. You can also sign up for online courses and access local history files. This is a really great service that I hadn't heard about before, and I will definitely be using it in the future.

The library are currently clearing out their Teen section, and I was given the job of choosing new books to be ordered in. This was a brilliant part to the day, as I had made a list beforehand of all my favourite books, and I was able to order in ones I want to read!

At one, I went home for my lunch. I took my hour off, and returned at ten to two, ready to meet the storm of people when the library opened. The next few hours were daunting but really fun. I was taught how to scan the books and stamp them properly, and I chatted with the kids and adults who came to the desk. I also put back the books that had been returned, and learned how they're ordered and stacked. I bound up books to be sent to other libraries and schools, and ordered a few more. It was hectic and a little stressful, but fun and informative. Before I knew it, it was four o'clock and my first day was over.

 All the staff are lovely and friendly, and the work was fun and interesting.I can't wait to go back next week, as I had the best time.

:)