Henok Fanta is a library services supervisor at R.H. Stafford Library in Woodbury. He’s been working for Washington County Library since January 2018. Before coming to the library, Henok worked for the Washington County WorkForce Center.
11:45 a.m. | I check email and get updates on events and incidents that have happened while I was out of the office. Every day is something new at the library. It makes the job exciting and unpredictable.
1:00 p.m. | I take a trip down to library administration to check out the library’s new virtual reality system.
2:00 p.m. | I assist patrons on the computers. We get all types of questions, from help with editing Word/Excel documents to job search related questions.
3:00 p.m. | One task this week is to prepare for National Library Week, April 8 - 14. This is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country. We put up a board for customers to share what they love about their libraries.
4:00 p.m. | I take my lunch/dinner break. Usually I like going shopping during my break. Today I will be going to Hobby Lobby to see what new fun stuff they have. One of the greatest benefits of working at the R. H. Stafford Library is the surrounding area restaurants and shopping centers.
5:00 p.m. | I am operating our Automated Materials Handling system, nicknamed Lucy. Lucy checks and sorts the books into the right category as patrons drop them off. Lucy was named after a scene in a chocolate factory on the TV show I Love Lucy. My duty will be to check in books and empty out the bins before they fill up so operation is not interrupted. Lucy is able to sort more than 2,700 items per hour!
6:00 p.m. | I am staffing the front desk. The front desk is the most important position as it is the first interaction patrons have with a library staff. At the front desk we handle multiple tasks. The tasks can range anywhere from assisting patrons in getting a library cards to questions about books or damaged materials.
7:00 p.m. | I head back to my desk. I start by responding to emails I wasn’t able to get to while away from my desk. This is also when I try to complete any last minute projects or miscellaneous projects I might be working on before the library closes and I head home.