The City of Tea Tree Gully Library has been lucky enough to have several work experience students join our crew over the past few weeks. This gave the students an insider’s view of what a public library was like front of house and behind the scenes.

As part of our Work Experience Program, each student was asked to write a post about a topic they were interested in to contribute to our blog. This was an opportunity for the students to gain new skills and learn how to express themselves through writing.

Watch this space as we reveal a series of blog posts written from our work experience students to give you a cutting edge insight on hot topics ranging from our Work Experience Program to movies, graphic novels and much, much more!

…This is Justine’s Story… Let me start off by saying that I have enjoyed every minute of working in a public library because of the books and not to mention the friendly staff who have helped me out whenever I needed it.

I love books! You will never see me without a book. If I am going on a long car trip I will have a couple of books in the back seat with me so I can not only block out the sound the car makes but also that of my parents and brother. If it is a rainy day and my mum has instructed me to stay indoors I sit on my bed and read, sometimes finishing four books!

I chose the library because I knew I would be surrounded by books all day but I also wanted to see what goes on behind the scenes. I thought all they did was scan a couple of books; serve a couple of people and that was it. The first day I was completely blown away by the fact that people are on their feet all day. I’ve learnt that time management is needed in order for the library to function to its full capacity; that organization is important to keep the books in order. I’ve also been taught how to use the phone and ring clients and that is in itself one of the most important jobs within the library. I have also developed my customer service skills working on the Customer Service Desk. Serving customers, scanning in and out library books and making sure the library receives them back on time is a lot harder than you think!

…And here’s Claudia’s Story…Have you ever wondered the type of duties that are being done at the City of Tea Tree Gully Library? There is much more than what meets the eye. There are all sorts of different jobs that occupy the employees such as serving customers, processing, chute room and shelving. Though, what’s great about this library is that the employees are always very helpful to customers whether that’s locating a specific book for a person or solving computer difficulties. One of the best parts of the library is the team work.  Every hour or so the employees switch their current activity to another. I think this system works well and is a wonderful opportunity for each employee to have experience in each area. 

As a year 10 high school student, one of the compulsory activities each student must do is work experience. I thought it would be a great idea to choose a place which relates to the future career I aspire to. So as I want to have a career in the writing field, I thought it would be a great opportunity to spend 9 to 5 hours for 5 days surrounding myself with books. I’ve learnt many things and now have a new found respect for libraries. I now know the hard work that goes into keeping the City of Tea Tree Gully Library safe and friendly for all.