Graduate intern update: Elisabeth

Graduate intern Elisabeth Prestgard updates us on what she’s been up to in the last month or so…

Since I wrote my introductory post, there have been a few changes. I still work with DDS from home, and also work onsite with the customer services team. However, now that the summer is here and more of the staff are taking their holidays, I am working more at the library. Mondays and Tuesdays are the busiest days of the week. When working at the front desk, there are more queries to answer, as there are more students coming to the library. I also noticed on Wednesday, whilst bringing the returned books to the quarantine room, that there were a lot less books.

I have now been working with the customer services team for three months and work more hours at the help and information desk. I really enjoy assisting others, as well as learning all the different kinds of queries. It is daunting, but exciting at the same time because you never know what question will come up.

One of the perks of working here is that you don’t need a gym membership! There is plenty of exercise, whether it is pushing trolleys full of books for shelving, having a nice walk all around in the library to ensure all the sanitation bottles are filled, or checking the library’s air quality. 

This month, I am scheduled to provide online customer service via LibAnswers and    LibChat twice a week. It used to only be Monday mornings, but now I also do Tuesday afternoons. This gives me more opportunities to become familiar with the variety of questions and gain more knowledge.

In DDS, I am still in charge of receiving rapid articles, and I work with my colleagues with chapter and article requests. I’ve also been providing DDS requests through RapidILL. While working in this sector of the library, there are times when I feel like a book detective. Readers do not always give us the ISBN or ISSN which is key to finding the right book. Remember: by giving us those numbers, we will find what you are looking for a lot faster. As Sherlock Holmes would say: “That is elementary, my dear Watson.”

😉

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post, and I look forward to seeing you at the Bill Bryson Library.