I heart my public library

Hmmm, I need to do something about this, it's Sunday again & I haven't posted anything all week, so now I'm playing catch-up again. Definitely more motivation needed mid-week.

I'm putting it out there - I'm a librarian who loves my public library (and yes, I also read books, lots of books). I Love Melbourne Library Service. I have worked in a large public-library system & I loved that job - I loved the people, I loved the fulfillment & I loved the opportunities I had to express my creativity. But, the system itself had its problems (as most bureaucracies do). So I was very excited when I moved back to Melbourne & was able to become a public library customer for the first time as a 'professional' myself.

Here are the things I love about MLS (these are mostly comments about City Library, because that's the branch I use):

• The location is perfect. Right across the road from my office.
  
• The opening hours are convenient. They open at 8am weekdays, so I can go in before work & get everything done before it gets too busy.
  
• The Library Management System is brilliant. I can do everything online - place holds, renew items & suggest new purchases.
  
• It's free. I know - all public libraries are supposed to be free, but most have lots of different fees - for reservations, Internet access & other things - not the case here - they have stuck to the true ethos of a public library service.
  
• The collection is good. They get new titles pretty quickly (at least compared to my old system) & they buy pretty much everything I suggest for purchase.
  
• They send me email notifications. When my reservations are available to pick up & 2 days before my items are due back.
  
• The reservation system is self-service & they have self-checkout machines. This means that when I go in at lunch time & there are people everywhere I don't have to stand in a queue for 30mins.
  
• They have free wireless. Enough said.
  
• It feels funky. The architecture is interesting, the furniture is cool, even the shelving is a little different.
  
• They hold lots of creative events inside the library. Like music & craft markets.
  
• They have a piano in their gallery space that members of the public can come & play. (There are restrictions, like, you have to be able to play :-))
  
• There is a great cafe with awesome coffee right in the foyer

I think that is enough to give you an idea. This is a library that I believe is perfectly set up for people like me - young, busy professionals.

There are a few small things I think they could do better:

• There should be more lounging places. Sometimes I just want a free place to go & sit & read my book & I can't do it there anymore. I heard the manager, Barry, give a talk once; he said they had to remove the lounges because people were falling asleep too often (which prompted complaints from other customers) & they also needed more study space, both reasons I can accept as perfectly logical. Emotionally, though, I prefer libraries with lounges.
  
• The Reference Desk should be downstairs. I understand that it's upstairs with the collection & that moving the library around isn't really feasible, but when I imagine that I'm a new customer not familiar with typical library layouts I know I would find it difficult to locate the desk.
  
• They recently interfiled the Young Adult fiction with the Adult fiction. I read a lot of YA fiction & I'm disappointed that I can't quickly browse the collection anymore.

So, there you have it, my love story about my public library. Seriously, though, there are many, many public library networks in Australia & I think that most could learn something from MLS.

[Photos courtesy of Flickr user Timothy Grieg]

P.S. If anyone feels like giving me a job at MLS I would happily accept. I have been watching for 2 years & haven't seen any librarian positions advertised - not one. The staff must really love it there :-)