Things I’ve learned about MCLS by doing a Podcast

For the past three years, my co-worker Anna and I have been doing a podcast for the Mercer County Library System. 

The concept of the Behind the Books podcast is that we do two interviews during each episode, one with a MCLS staff member and another with an author. We also do a short rundown of some of the programs going on throughout the system. And while it has been great fun getting to talk with the authors, it’s been even more fun getting to know a little bit about the staff members at the library and what they do.

I got a late start in life working at the library and have a whole new level of appreciation for what everyone on the staff does. Over the last few years my eyes have been opened to just how much the library has to offer and the great people who make everything work.

Being able to talk to so many staff members who work in all facets of the library system, here are a few things I’ve come to learn about the Mercer County Library System and the people who work here. It really is so much more than just walking into a building to get a book.

Reference Librarians can answer any question that gets thrown their way. I always knew the library had a reference department and the reference desk was staffed by knowledgeable people, but I never realized just how many questions they get every day and just how much they need to know.

If you want to know where to find a book about rattlesnakes, a staff member at the reference desk will point you in the right direction. If you need a good book about replacing your deck, they know where to find it. But I’ve also come to realize they field myriad questions about just about anything. The reference desk will get calls about how to fix an appliance that breaks. They’re asked about TV schedules, train schedules and football schedules. When the phone rings or someone approaches the reference desk the question could be about anything. And you can be pretty certain they’ll know the answer.

Interlibrary loans are amazing. The Mercer County Library System has nine branches and thousands upon thousands of books at its disposal. But there are times that patrons come into the library hoping for a book only to discover the book isn’t available within the system. No worries - the people in ILL work their magic and the book gets to the patron. It can come from anywhere in the country. In fact, one of the great things about working at circulation and checking out a book to a patron that they’ve received through ILL is their reaction to where it came from. Oh wow, they’ll say. This book came all the way from Topeka, Kansas. 

As someone who hadn’t realized it was a service that was available until I started to work at the library, I am amazed day after day by the great work of the ILL department.

A book’s road to the shelf of the library is quite the journey. We’ve had the opportunity to find out how the Acquisitions and Cataloging Department at the MCLS works and it is an incredible process staffed by a group of impressive individuals. Members of the department have been guests on the podcast and when they describe the journey of a book, DVD, or any other material, from the order process to being placed on the shelf, it is pretty amazing.

The process isn’t as simple as 'one day the books just show up on the shelf'. The items need to be ordered, delivered, barcoded, cataloged, given labels and processed before they’re sent to a branch. It’s quite an undertaking that goes on behind the scenes and the people doing the work make the whole process run smoothly

The people who work in the MCLS come from all sorts of backgrounds. Admit it. People think everyone who works at the library has spent their whole life just reading books so naturally they have to work in a place surrounded by books. But we’ve come to find that so many of the people that work in the system come from unique backgrounds.

They've come to work at the library after being teachers, scientists, social workers, professors, computer analysts, and many other careers. Some have been coming into the library for years as patrons and realize it is a career choice they’d like to make, and they have become incredible additions to the staff. 

You want creativity? We’ve got creativity. Crafts, youth programs, virtual programs, book groups. Time after time I continue to be amazed by all the Mercer County Library System has to offer. Maybe it is just me, but I feel like when you become a Youth Services Librarian you automatically have something added to your DNA that makes you remarkable with crafts. The creativity that each branch shows in their craft and youth programming is amazing.

In recent years, MCLS has added a growing list of virtual programs to its offerings and the subject matter offers a little something for everyone. Take a look sometime at the event schedule on our website, mcl.org, and you’ll be amazed at the variety of programs for adults and youth. And while you’re on the website, visit the Book Clubs page as well. MCLS offers more than a dozen different book clubs run by members of the staff.

I learn something new and exciting about the library system and the people who make it work each time we have a staff member on Behind the Books. It’s been a fun journey and I look forward to learning even more down the road.

- by Bob N., Hopewell Branch