Typical Day

I was asked last week in the HR class what a typical day looked like for me. So I recorded a day, though obviously not all of the interruptions and little things that need to be taken care of. So here was what I did last Thursday, March 13:

• 8-8:30 Catch up on misc. e-mails and e-newsletters from overnight


• 8:30-9:45 In-depth reference question that was initiated in an IM yesterday and elaborated on over e-mail during the night. This one obviously required a bit of work, then organizing the answer to be sent in an e-mail back to the student
  9:45-10 Catch up on misc. e-mail that built up while I was working on reference question


• 10-10:30 Preparing focus group questions for lunch later today (plus short misc. communications)


• 10:30-11 Reading High Tech, High Touch book I got through Interlibrary Loan to look at ways to improve customer service to virtual library visitors


• 11-11:45 Talking to Janet (library director) about programming classes, then looking at options for learning programming myself


• 11:45-1:15 Meeting with the SOS students to ask questions about how we can improve next August's library orientation program, be more responsive to freshmen, and general library focus group questions


• 1:15-1:45 Looking at programming education options again


• 1:45-2:05 Creating a down page on the Web site because E-Z Borrow was scheduled to be down over the weekend and I wasn't planning to be in the library on Friday


• 2:30-4 Reading High Tech, High Touch book
  
• 4-5:30 Fondue Night with the Club Franco. Yeah, life's hard :)

I have to admit my productivity around 2 took a dip if you noticed the time gap. I do plenty at home and after work on other days to make up for this. And it may not look like much is getting done while I read books or look at programming education options, but a big part of what a librarian does is read on how to improve the library. Again, this is stuff I take home and do over the weekends as well, but often get started during work hours.

I was also on call for reference during the morning, but did not get any reference questions other than the one initiated the night before.