Name: Trevor MacKay

Position: Customer and Information Services Librarian

Qualification:

BA Library and Information Management

Diploma of Library Science

ALIA PD Scheme

Organisation: Bayside Library Service

Previous positions: Library Officer, Monash Public Library Service

What’s great about your job?

My favourite thing about being a librarian is that I love the vision of the public library, "everyone is welcome". The community's interests and tastes are reflected in the library's collections and I love that, too. But I especially enjoy helping hundreds of people each week answer questions they couldn't answer on their own. I remove outdated items from our collection and order new ones to better meet our users needs and expectations. I work with a fantastic team to bring new ideas and innovations to continually improve the range of services and the efficiency with which we provide them.

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

Running training sessions for both the public and staff can be incredibly challenging but also an absolute blast!

Describe a typical day at work.

As a public librarian I spend about half of my day on the reference desk, where I get asked a wide range of questions. I might be asked for reading recommendations, setting up a philanthropic fund, the population of Russia, a map of Brighton from 100 years ago, or the rules of the medieval sport "dwyle flonking". The other half of my day is spent on collection management, participation in strategic planning, evaluating databases , updating the library web page, cataloguing, and providing leadership and motivation for the staff.

What do you find rewarding and challenging about your job?

Interacting with a wide range of library users everyday is both incredibly rewarding knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s life, but it can also be incredibly challenging to meet these expectations.

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

Librarians at Bayside often have a specialist focus in a specific area including, adult services, youth services, reference services and local history. To work as a librarian at Bayside Library Service, you will need to have a formal qualification in Library and Information Management.

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