No shh! Librarian’s job fulfilling, enriching and very rarely quiet What I Know About...
By: AV Kitching Posted: 5:48 PM CST Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 Last Modified: 12:04 PM CST Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 Updates

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2023 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In Stephanie George’s workplace, you should bring a bag, an open mind and dispense with the idea of being able to hear a pin drop.

George, 33, the branch head librarian at St. James-Assiniboia Library, hopes to dispel some rumours and reinforce this city’s love for libraries.

Previous to her current posting, George was the electronic resource librarian at the U of M. She has a degree in English and a masters in library and information sciences. This is what she knows:

A public library is…

…one of the only truly public spaces for people where you don’t need to purchase something. You can come in here and spend your day and nobody is asking you questions about that. I think that in and of itself, being a space for people to exist is one of the most important things about public libraries.

In this library we have…

…49,276 books managed by 14 staff, including me. There is a total of 1,025,629 in all of the city’s public libraries. But the numbers are always changing as we’re constantly receiving new items and withdrawing outdated, damaged or older items.

You won’t be able to find…

…books with hate speech or racism in the library. Those are sorts of things that we as the City of Winnipeg won’t stand for and our library collections reflect that.

The most checked out book in this branch is…

…Split Second by David Baldacci. It has been checked out 130 times.

That the library is a quiet place is an outdated view…

…you don’t have to be quiet here, you can make a reasonable amount of noise. Some people have a very traditional idea of what a library is and there is always a bit of tension with that. If your idea of a library is that you should be able to hear a pin drop then a public library might not be the space for you.

There is a lot going on…

…in a library. It’s not just a space for reading. That is certainly a part of it but public libraries also try to be a space for everybody and for different needs. We have a two-floor operation here and although the second floor tends to be quieter as we have a number of study tables, our program room is up here and a lot of times there are two-year-olds running down the hall.

The big thing…

…for us is mutual respect. Having respect for the space, having respect for the staff and having respect for the other patrons. It is a public space but that means that you also need to use it appropriately and make sure that it’s also enjoyable for other people.

The negative perception people have of libraries…

…is a risk all libraries face. People who don’t use libraries don’t realise how well they are used. They don’t realise everything that is going on, all the services and resources we are providing people. You’ll hear this every now and again… ‘oh why do libraries exist, we have ebooks or Amazon’ but that’s not the lived experience of a lot of people.

Talk of library closures…

…doesn’t really scare me because anytime it does come up you hear the response from the public and especially local communities. Library users are library lovers and they are very passionate about this public space.

Library late fines no longer exist…

…You will have to pay the price of the book if you damage or lose it but we no longer have fines, we are fine-free. If you have requested a book and you haven’t picked it up by the date then you will be charged a flat rate of $1.25 for not picking up your book because it’s a lot of staff time to process these books.

Books are ordered by…

…three collection librarians who work centrally at the Millennium Library. They are in charge of the different collection areas so they do all the ordering. It’s a massive job. Branch librarians do have a say — we are in constant communication with the three collection librarians and we can tell them about the books we are removing, or damaged books to be reordered — but we don’t do specific ordering for the St James-Assiniboia branch.

When you come to the library always bring your…

…library card, a dedicated library book bag and an open mind. We also have a Winnipeg Public Library App and if you download that app you can sign in to have access to your barcode so if you do forget your card you can use your phone to borrow books.

If you’re in a book store…

…and you find a book and you’re wondering if we have it in our system, if you have the app downloaded you can click on the spot that says “scan an ISBN Barcode.” It will open to your phone’s camera and you can scan the back of the book, where the ISBN number is. If we have it it will automatically direct you to our catalogue and you can click on the item and it will hold it right then and there.

Note: Unfortunately, the current Winnipeg Library App is out of commission due to legal issues. The team is working on developing a new app for early 2024.

There is a lot of variety in this type of work…

…I get to work with the collections a little bit, I work on reading projects, we run programs at the library, I oversee the adult programming. Every day is different, which is great.

There are many great programs across all the branches…

…like early literacy programs for babies and toddlers; book clubs that are a specific in genre that read graphic novels, cookbooks and mysteries; computer classes; knitting circles, cookie cutter and puzzle swaps and Next Page Live! an online program where library staff share their recommended reads with you. We also have a podcast called Time to Read – there is a new episode each month where library staff discuss a book.

It’s like a virtual book club. The complete list of programs can be found here.

To do this job…

…you need to be organized! I think becoming branch head here has really tested my organizational skills because there is so much to know and so much to learn. You also need to do a masters in library and information sciences. That’s the key.

People think that…

…being a reader is the only requirement to being a librarian but that’s not the case. People think “Oh I love books and that’s what I am going to get to do.” It never hurts to be a reader because we help connect patrons to books, but no, not one second of my day is spent pleasure reading.

Growing up…

…I remember on the first day of summer vacation I would beg my mum to go to the public library. The old Charleswood Library was my branch. We would get our package for summer reading club and sign up for all the programs and take out a bunch of books.

When I go away on holiday…

…I check out libraries. I have been to the main branch of the New York Public Library and that was gorgeous. I did feel badly for people who were trying to study because it’s such a gorgeous building and there are so many people just touring around trying to look at it.

The top three libraries in Winnipeg…

…other than my own are Cornish right over Maryland Bridge and St. John’s on Salter Avenue. I have library envy, they are so beautiful and I love older architecture. I will say the new Charleswood Library for old times’ sake.

Being a librarian is… very fulfilling work.

Some local authors we should be reading right now…

…there are too many to name but some of my favourite books by local authors are St. Boniface Elegies, a poetry collection by Catherine Hunter; The Reason You Walk by Premier Wab Kinew; In Search of April Raintree by Beatrice Mosionier (the 40th anniversary of this extremely important book was just celebrated); A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews and Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related. (by Jenny Heijun Wills).

The best and worst thing about this job…

…is the same thing: people. Dealing with a challenging patron who is maybe having a hard time themselves, experiencing their own challenges, making sure that they get what they need… can be a challenge but it’s also the absolute best part of my job. It’s a feeling probably most of our staff would agree with when you’ve helped somebody find what they need.

I love that…

…I am able to say “Hi” to people and use their first name and be on a first name basis with so many people that come in every day. That’s really heartwarming to me. I remember when I first started here the previous branch head said hi to somebody, used their first name and I thought “Oh that’s so nice that she has that relationship” and now I am in that position. Having these connections with people is a really great part of my job.

Being a librarian is…

…very fulfilling work.

 

av.kitching@freepress.mb.ca