Nov. 26th, 2006 11:28 am
It Was Twenty Years Ago Today!
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jeffreyabOr twenty years ago this week anyway that I started my career at the Sarnia Public Library and Art Gallery as a librarian.
Back then I did not know that I would be here for the next 20 years. I thought I would gain some experience and find another job some where else, but life has a way of turning out other than what you have planned.
When I started you still looked up books in the card catalog.
If you wanted more recent information you had to go through magazine indexes looking for articles.
Students would come to the library to do homework and socialize most nights because there were no messengers and computers to talk on and do work on.
We had exactly 2 personal computers in the building. One in the office for wordprocessing and spreadsheets and I had one to process interlibrary loans and that was it.
I was the youngest full time librarian with the library and I still am.
The year I started the library had employed a number of single young women in their twenties, now it employs a number of married women most who are older than me and not the same women that were there in when I started.
The library is shifting from being a custodian of information in the form of books, magazines and microfilm to a provider of services mainly but not all computer services. We spend more and more money on subscriptions to computer services and less on actual hard resources.
Its been an interesting 20 years and 20 years from now I will be retired, so I guess you can say I am just pst the mid point of my career.
Back then I did not know that I would be here for the next 20 years. I thought I would gain some experience and find another job some where else, but life has a way of turning out other than what you have planned.
When I started you still looked up books in the card catalog.
If you wanted more recent information you had to go through magazine indexes looking for articles.
Students would come to the library to do homework and socialize most nights because there were no messengers and computers to talk on and do work on.
We had exactly 2 personal computers in the building. One in the office for wordprocessing and spreadsheets and I had one to process interlibrary loans and that was it.
I was the youngest full time librarian with the library and I still am.
The year I started the library had employed a number of single young women in their twenties, now it employs a number of married women most who are older than me and not the same women that were there in when I started.
The library is shifting from being a custodian of information in the form of books, magazines and microfilm to a provider of services mainly but not all computer services. We spend more and more money on subscriptions to computer services and less on actual hard resources.
Its been an interesting 20 years and 20 years from now I will be retired, so I guess you can say I am just pst the mid point of my career.
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20 years
My first job was in a public library, so I remember the "one computer" days (it was in the central office, not the branch, and I used it for generating catalog cards.) That was 1986 I believe. Gee, 20 years ago!
Congratulations!
It was a public library branch, and I was a page. I shelved the 700s and repaired books. Two things that I still do today! I am the Queen of book jacket covers, too, by the way.
Of course, as a lowly page, I had nothing to do with the actual running of the library. I do remember computers sitting around on many desks though, and certainly out at the circulation counter and reference desk. I also remember the lead librarian, in some detail, but can't recall her name. Probably because I always called her "Mouse" in my head. And that's exactly what she looked like!
Re: Congratulations!
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