How long have you worked here?
I’ve worked for the Regional Library since 1978. In December 2018, during the Service Awards Ceremony, I was recognized as the longest serving active employee of the Regional Library System. I began my career as a bookmobile/library clerk working on the bookmobile and as a book processor (on manual typewriters). I then moved into a full-time book processor position working with the first computer, gradually adding part-time cataloger to the mix, then full-time cataloger and processor. I finally moved into my present role as Technical Services Assistant.
What are some of the things you do as a Technical Services Assistant?
As Technical Services Assistant I do many jobs. I notify libraries of their yearly State and Federal allocated funds; track spending and number of items purchased; provide lists of approved vendors and specific instructions for each vendor; electronically place orders and reconcile packing slips/invoices for payment; and provide MARC records/cataloging for items not found in the state database.
I also provide one-on-one training to the librarians and library staff for Acquisitions or cataloging, both in person and by telephone. I am also a liaison between libraries and vendor reps.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is the satisfaction of being an integral part of providing materials to public libraries. I’ve loved to read all my life. My mom told me that I would “read” my books to anyone who would listen since I was three – no I couldn’t actually read, but I had been read the books many times and was able to recite them, word-for-word. Reading is one of my favorite pastimes today.
Do you have a favorite collection?
Large print materials and e-books are my go-to now as I am getting older. The larger font, both in a hand-held book and on an electronic device, makes reading more comfortable and enjoyable. I read a wide variety of materials so I really don’t have a favorite genre, but if I had to pick just one it would be Christian Fiction.
What makes libraries and archives relevant to modern society?
Tennessee is rich in history and much of that history is available through libraries and archives. Libraries and archives are a vital link to information for ALL people, regardless of age, race, religion, politics, or economic status. Archivists diligently preserve and catalog our past, and in a hundred years or so from now, they will still be preserving and cataloging our present day-to-day lives for future generations, too.
The Tennessee State Library and Archives is a division of the Office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett
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