Work experience student Emma was initially apprehensive about her placement at Tea Tree Gully Library. But she soon discovered she had nothing to fear, as she enjoyed the tasks and working in a team. She shares her account below.

I can’t be dishonest. My initial thoughts about work experience were all unsure, nervous, and overall I was rather afraid to participate.

After walking through the door of Tea Tree Gully Library, I’d completely changed my mind! Those thoughts became excitement after meeting the community – the environment was friendly and welcoming and made me look forward to arriving each day.

I found there was quite a large variety of activities for me to do during my time there. Working at the CSD turned out to be far more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Even though scanning and sorting might sound tedious, I felt good about being able to contribute to this amazing community. The sensor pad also captured my interest – you can place a number of books on it and they will all be scanned at the same time.

Alongside this was work at the Info Desk, as well as dealing with shelving and holds. Placement orders seemed difficult to understand at first, but once it was explained, I got used to it quickly. Working in the chute was very similar to the CSD, the only difference being that it worked as a 24-hour collector (as people can return books and CDs after-hours).

I also helped out during Story Time for toddlers. After reading the story, we allowed them to do a colouring activity.

There was never a point where I sat down and felt bored. There was constant movement in the library, and always something to do. If there was too much work, someone would come in to help. It is a system that relies on teamwork.

By the end of it all, I can proudly say that I am happy I took part.