Name: Rachael Kuan

Position: E-Services Librarian

Qualification: Postgraduate Diploma in Library & Information Services (Curtin University)

Organisation: Fremantle City Council

Previous positions: Web designer

What’s great about your job?

I get to do two things that I love – dabble with computers and solve people’s questions to, “now what was that book called again?” Humanities and sciences all in one!

What’s the most fun experience you’ve had at work?

The “Purple Haze” competition held by the Fremantle Dockers and the Starlight Foundation for the purplest workplace. We dressed up the library for the occasion and even put purple cellophane over our lights. First prize was a bonus.

Describe a typical day at work.

The usual wading through emails in my inbox in the morning, then possibly a desk shift until lunchtime. In that time, I’m fielding questions about various landmarks in Fremantle (being a tourist city), joining people up for a membership and directing them to various parts of our collection. After lunch I might catalogue some dvds and books from our Local History section, troubleshoot a few of our library system problems, and update the library website, before home time arrives.

What do you find rewarding and challenging about you job?

The number of people passing through our doors (700 – 1000 some days) can make desk shifts challenging as you try to juggle several requests for assistance at once. On the other hand, being able to find the answer that difficult reference question or finding a better way of running our catalogues always makes my day.

What are the personal skills & attributes that you need to do this job?

Patience, problem solving and initiative. A good sense of humour helps, as cracking jokes with colleagues makes the day go by faster.

Home - Upcoming Events - Career Options - Learning Institutions - Workplaces -  People - Salaries - Media - Working Overseas - Top 10 - Using this wiki