For two weeks, I was farmed out to two different branches in order to learn how the experiences differ from that of the Main library. I spent a week at Melrose Library, and then the following week I was at Raleigh Court Library. The experiences were as different from each other as they are from the Main library. Melrose is in a rather poor part of the city, and the library reflects that with the resources they are able to provide. The staff was easy to work with, but the work itself was different from what I have been used to at Main. The children and youth section had their own half of the library yet the collection of books was smaller and there were far fewer available activities for kids to work with. Regardless, the patrons were very familiar with the staff and it was obvious how important the library is to the community.
Raleigh Court library is almost as large as Main with plenty of resources but not nearly as much staff. There were usually three people maximum working, so they were very grateful to have an intern to help with everything. I did a lot of shelving and cleaning up shelves just so the librarians could stay at the desk and check in all of the books and movies that come in. The circulation at Raleigh Court seems to be so much more than at Main, perhaps because it’s all done in one place as opposed to in several sections. However it was a fun and dynamic experience, one I would be happy to repeat if they ever need assistance.
