This was Annie’s second summer with us at Brompton and we were really pleased to have her back. Annie was eager to learn, easy to get on with, hard-working and enjoyed engaging with the public, especially the kids signing up to the Summer Reading Challenge so we’re sorry to lose her again. Work experience and volunteering can be a very positive experience for both the branch and the volunteer but, as ever, you get out of it as much as you put in and, as you can see from Annie’s blog, she put in a lot!
During my summer holidays, I had the opportunity to do some volunteering at Brompton Library. I had previously completed my work experience there back in 2011 and I loved it so much that I decided to go back there again!
Whilst volunteering at Brompton, it felt like I had never left and had been working there all my life. I was given a range of different tasks which I enjoyed. I was settled in the work room where I was given a list of tasks to do such as stock work, cataloguing, transit boxes, discarding the books, reservation reports, shelving and shelf-checking. The work room was the best place to mingle with other staff which made the job even more entertaining!
My main role at Brompton this time was to help out with The Summer Reading Challenge. I had to socialize with the children and get their parents to sign them up and help them complete their challenge by providing them with their rewards each time they had completed one book.
On Thursdays, the library ran regular iPad sessions, where kids could come in and try out the new Mystical Maze app which would allow them to play games and unlock different mystical characters by scanning posters around the library using the camera on the iPad. I won’t lie to you, I myself had immense fun whilst setting up the apps and testing them!
My time at Brompton has been great. It is such a great place to work, not just for learning new skills and gaining confidence in talking to the public, but also the friendships you gain there is amazing. For every day you work at Brompton, you are never bored and are always entertained. You feel like you’re part of the team. For every task you fulfil, you feel like you have accomplished something and you learn something new every day. You get to interact with different people young and old. It makes you feel more grown up and independent.I highly recommend doing some sort of work experience at Brompton or at any other library because it’s worth it.
Leaving Brompton, I have gained so many different skills and have felt more confident in myself in terms of helping the public. I think in any place you work at, it’s important that you feel happy and feel proud of what you have achieved, and that’s what being at Brompton Library does. The team at Brompton are amazing and are such wonderful people.
Don’t worry, Brompton, I’ll be back in the future!
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