Being a librarian involves more than just shelving and issuing books. Many see themselves as custodians of knowledge, there to serve the public.
They’re also doing jobs that are evolving with technology, and for some that means data wrangling instead of book stacking. They have to create and innovate.
The Wireless spoke to young librarians from around the country about their work.
Kelsey Jones, 23, is a library assistant at Christchurch’s South Library.
Kelsey says she's always loved libraries. "Growing up, I've found them inspiring places. They just have great atmoshpere."
“The library today is somewhere where you can go and hangout as a meeting place, a focal point, rather than somewhere you go and get a book.”
Everyday is completely different, she says. “I love interacting with the community and just helping them get what they want and fulfil their information needs.”
Sam Ludemann, 29, is a community learning librarian for Christchurch City Libraries.
Sam achieved masters in documentary photography and applied for a job as a library assistant and has never looked back. “It's a pretty wholesome and ethically sound place to work.”
“It’s hugely apparent after the earthquakes what an important part libraries played within the community. The physical space providing people with access to information which they couldn’t get elsewhere and also that friendly face people know and trust.”
Amy Hackett, 23, is a library assistant at the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Amy has always wanted to work in the heritage field, so she jumped at the opportunity when a job came up. She loves working with all the unique items from manuscripts, letters, paintings and drawings every day.
“The little everyday things that we do is actually making a difference in the future. So in 100 years something that we might have come across, or might have set aside for conservation work, can still be used and still be accessed by people.”
Danielle McQuoid, 30, is a community library manager at Epsom Library.
Danielle accidently fell in love with her job after she completed a degree in music and English. She became a library assistant and found she ‘completely loved it’ and started library school and went on the get her master's degree.
“In a team within a library there is so much diversity, and there is that stereotype created by movies and television that librarians wear cardians and are shushing people, but that’s not the reality. Quiet often we are the loudest ones in the library.”
Danielle says the library is a place to reconnect people with the digital world. “I think there’s a massive gap in our communities where people are being left behind and libraries are that connection between people that are being left behind and the people that are leaving them behind.”
Laura Caygill, 29, is the library manager at Parnell Community Library.
Laura worked as a journalist before she found that her true passion was under the roof of a library.
“I’m struck by the fact that when I was at school and when I was studying no one said to me you should be a librarian and it’s the greatest job - and even my mum didn’t say that to me and she is a librarian. I think it is an overlooked profession and I think that is a real shame because there are great opportunities in librarianship as a career.”
Jared Davidson, 30, is a research archivist at Archives New Zealand.
After graduating, Jared worked on a history project as a designer. While doing research at Archives New Zealand he was surprised by how much amazing stuff was in there and decided he wanted to be an archivist.
“There’s a perception of Archives New Zealand being this stuffy boring Government archive, but in reality there’s some amazing records here. We’ve got maps of what Wellington would look like if an atomic bomb was dropped on it that was created by the New Zealand Army.”
Morgan Ashworth, 24, is a learning facilitator at the National Library of New Zealand.
Morgan has been around libraries her whole life in one way or another, as she follows in the footsteps of her mother, who was a children’s librarian.
“I like loud libraries. I think there is a need for quiet areas but I think a completely silent library which is fun-free is old fashioned and not relevant. If you want people to come to your library you’ve got to make it a fun place to be.”
David Taine, 29, is a discovery systems assistant at Victoria University's library.
David is passionate about where libraries should be heading in the future. “I want to see libraries at the forefront of technology trends, making ways to access things and put it in the hands of the community, like 3D printing.”
He loves the variety of what the library gives people access to. “Eighty per cent of what the library has is digital content and a lot of what my job involves is massaging all those things and wrangling them in a way that will be useful.”
Chantalle Smith, 28, is a library assistant at the National Library of New Zealand.
Chantalle has always loved books and research so it made sense to move to working in a library after finishing her BA at Waikato University. Now her job keeps her busy collecting items for the public to view.
“It’s nice to know I can help people especially in today’s world where it’s so hard to find information cause there is so much out there to try withal it down to actually what you need.”
“Before working at the National Library I never knew that it was just so easy to access anything from the library. It’s just as easy as visiting your school librarian or your public library. Boy, if I had known that before I would have gotten lots.”