A week in the life of a librarian, day 4
This is the only day this week that I don’t have something scheduled in the evening. While I like being active and busy, I really need the break.
6 am. The alarm goes off. I get up and take a peak outside. It is all frozen slush in my parking area, so shoveling won’t do much good. I pray that I can get my car out, and go about making coffee and cereal.
8 am. I arrive at the office. The drive in was pretty icy. I check my email, briefly look at Twitter, and get to work on this search. I’m glad I checked my email and responded to a few APLIC things last night so I can get right to work this morning. I’m searching for active research grants on a topic, so a researcher can see what’s been funded recently before she submits her own proposal.
9:30 am. Finished part one of the search, which was needed by today. Taking a break to follow up on a document request and a few other things before starting on part two of the search, which is not as urgent.
10:30 am. Catching up on a few library blogs, including an ACRLog post questioning whether we put too much pressure on library conference presenters. (For the record, I don’t think we are the only profession concerned about the quality of our conference presentations. We just notice our own navel-gazing more. The genesis of my annual poster design workshop was a request from a faculty member for help improving the quality of posters at a conference he was involved in.) I am then prompted to update my web page on poster design.
Noon. Eat my PB&J while reading through emails. There are a lot today: more back and forth about the APLIC newsletter, SLA 2009 programs, a request to re-send a file that had problems, information about the LFO meeting I had wrong on my calendar, a question from a staff member about how to search for his publications. Heading over to the library to grab a cup of coffee to keep me going. I haven’t been getting quite enough sleep this week.
The afternoon gets busy: finishing up the search request, responding to emails, talking to a few staff members who drop by my office. I receive another search request, needed by tomorrow, so it looks like another busy day tomorrow.
5:10 pm. Head over to the library to say hello to my husband. It’s been a few days since we’ve talked in person (the problem with the night shift). One of our faculty researchers passes by, so I talk to her about the search results I just sent her. She seems happy. I love moments like that. While I’m at the library, I check out a book I want to read, then head out to run some errands (so much for an evening with no obligations).
6:45 pm. Arrive home. Let the dog out, cook dinner (burritos – my first real cooking of the week), eat, call my grandmother, give the dog a bath, and settle into the armchair with my laptop to finish up the APLIC newsletter and blog launch. Catch up with a few people on Facebook and answer some personal emails.
11 pm. I really need to start getting to bed earlier!
