Meet Paul, Library Manager at Aylesbury Library…
Tell us about your role, Paul…
In my role, I supervise a busy team of sixteen Librarians and four volunteer staff within Aylesbury Library. It is my responsibility to keep staff up to date, ensuring we offer an outstanding service to the public. Around half of our work relates to books, whilst the remainder of our time is spent helping customers access services — whether that’s via PC access and Wi Fi or signposting them elsewhere.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Positive customer feedback is something that really motivates me. This can come in many forms, whether it’s verbal feedback, such as after helping someone download one of our free library e-book apps, or formal recognition for putting together a particular project that has been successful. I also enjoy training my staff, so that they can go on to help the customers. It gives me great pleasure when I see the people I manage putting training in to action in the workplace.
The public still view the library as a place to access verified information. Our service users entrust us to advise them with all manner of issues. For many of our customers we are a lifeline. Not only are we a ‘safe place’ and a ‘warm space’, but we have weekly drop ins for different organisations such as the Aylesbury Homeless Action Group. We have helped many rough sleepers over the winter find shelter and have handed out ‘Warm Boxes’ to keep locals from getting cold. We are a first port of call for many residents’ council related enquiries, and we even have a dedicated telephone that locals can use to speak directly with the department they require.
What makes you feel that you are ‘part of something bigger’?
During Lockdown, I took a break from my traditional library management role to support the vulnerable residents of South Bucks. Using my local library in Hazelmere as a base, I made regular calls to people who were shielding due to health conditions.
As part of the ‘Hub’ team, I checked that our clients had adequate supplies of medication and food, and where this wasn’t the case, I would organise delivery of emergency food parcels and arrange a volunteer to pick up their prescriptions. It was a great way to feel you had made a positive contribution and helping others during the pandemic. It also provided me with a focus and structure to my day whilst the library was closed as we were unable to welcome visitors.
I also became involved in the project to set up a vaccination centre at the University in Aylesbury, using the vacant library premises in Aylesbury to train the vaccinators.
We provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. The service operates in 29 locations through a network of county, community supported and volunteer-led Community Libraries. The Library Service contributes to a range of council priorities, from early years outcomes to supporting people to live independently. Several libraries are also Council Access Points. For me, this is what it looks like to be part of something bigger.
How are you supported to ‘be the best you’ in your role?
We have a clear hierarchy of management and an appraisal system within the library services which means that there is always someone to turn to when you need support whether this be your line manager, the stock or the systems team. Alongside this, the library service has a structure for learning and development in place, and I often take the opportunity to further my knowledge. Under the direction of our Reference and Information lead, I undertook training from Bucks Vision on how to enhance the lives of people with visual impairment. I taught people with visual impairment how to use voice assisted technology to empower them to carry out tasks they may have otherwise been unable to accomplish.
I have also been supported to take time out from my role to visit a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school and learn how to deliver sensory stories to children with learning disabilities. It is these accomplishments that add to the library’s offer to welcome and enrich the lives of people from all walks of life.
Do you want to be part of something bigger? Find out more about working for us by visiting: https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/
