Public Library Director

Jeffrey Singer is a public library director for a small public library in upstate New York.

8:45 a.m.: Get newspapers from vendor.

9:00 a.m. Unlock front door, empty book drop, turn on computers, turn on lights.

9:15 a.m.: Check e-mail, read local metro paper, skim The New York Times, request books from other libraries (interlibrary loan).

Always help patrons - patrons always come first. We may need to match a patron with their informational needs, or answer questions. Information can take many forms:

• reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, the telephone book, etc.)
• nonfiction books (biographies, "how-to" books, history, mathematics, science, etc.)
• fiction (novels, picture books, graphic novels, etc.)
• periodical articles - publications that come out periodically - newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, the Internet, etc.

Questions Asked by Patrons
• Reference questions - "When is Ronald Reagan's birthday?"
• Reader's advisory - "I really liked John Grisham's last book. What other authors write courtroom dramas?"
• Government information - "How do I get the stimulus tax package President Bush is always talking about on TV?"
• Students' papers - "I'm writing a paper on Yosemite National Park. I need books, magazine articles and web sites."

12:00 p.m.: Begin any administrative work that needs to be done that day - schedule, payroll, bank deposits, etc.

12:30 p.m.: Lunch.

1:00 p.m.: Receive mail and interlibrary loans, order books, any other administrative tasks, planning for programs, etc.

3:00 p.m.: Read local papers. I need to be informed of local, state and national news.

5:00 p.m.: Go home.