The Library Page

November 23, 2010

Since many people are unsure what a library page does, I decided to describe what we do. When patrons return items they’ve checked out, the clerk will check the items in and place them on a cart. When the cart is full, it goes to the page section for sorting.

Pages check to be sure each item on the cart belongs to their Branch. If not, it is set aside to send to the branch it belongs to. Pages then sort the items to be filed in the correct area or section of the library, such as Fiction, Non-Fiction, Young Adult, Juvenile, Large Print, and New Books (new for 6 months). Accuracy is more important than speed for a page, although with time, speed is acquired.

A page has many other duties, such as pulling items for the Pick List. When you request an item that wasn’t available at your Branch, it goes on a Pick List for all the MCPL branches. We might pull a book at Claycomo that a patron requested at Lone Jack. Then, there are lists to check for missing books or to permanently pull old ones, and we make new labels for books with damaged or faded labels.

Many times, a page is the first contact a patron has with the staff. Our patrons sometimes seem more like family and friends, kind of like the old General Store of decades ago when people would sit around the pickle barrel and visit, and we try to keep the library as neat as possible by straightening before closing.

I love knowing every part of our library, being on the floor most of the time, filing or sorting, and being available to our patrons when they need help. Mid-Continent, YOU ROCK!

Jeanette B.
Claycomo Branch