Electrician Librarian

As I do not wish to dis any Library Security companies all shall remain nameless in this post however have you ever heard of an Electrician Librarian?

Well I used to be the Electronic Services Librarian (and people asked me where the batteries went!), then the Systems Librarian (and eyes glazed over when I explained what that job entailed - not good party conversation), then the Library Manager in Samoa (people were slightly more interested in this though more so for the palm trees and tropical images it conjured up!) and now I'm the Electrician Library Manager and general dogs body of all that needs fixing up in the Library!! Yes as is the way with many things here if you have absolutely no qualifications or experience, heck never mind you can do the job anyway. After all there is no one else with even half a clue so you sort of have to!

So this is how I became the resident expert in how to look after the library security system. This is the very expensive security gate system we have been trying to get up and running for nearly a year now (I kid you not!) There have been all manner of disruptions to our progress, waiting for delivery from overseas, waiting for the engineer to be able to come for the installation, waiting for someone to figure out how to configure the gates for our non conducive environment (too many metal things in the way and major electrical cables running close by interfering with the magnetic fields), waiting for errors to be fixed, waiting for a new part, waiting for the engineer to visit again to install said new part and now .... waiting again for more new parts as the display is dud and we now can't see anything!!

To cut down on some of this waiting though I am now the electrician who has to open up the cover of these gates and twiddle about with things (as instructed via email or over the phone!) Adam is known as my first assistant as I don't want to encourage other staff members to have a go in there whenever they feel the urge. When asked if I was OK with this I said "no" it made me very nervous and I hoped it did not invalidate our guarantee!! I am not keen to become the Electrocuted Electrician Librarian! Anyway I have been seen on bended knee screwing and unscrewing things, ensuring cables are connected properly, turning adjustment screws anti-clockwise, peering through holes to see if the laser light is lined up right and making sure to re-connect earthing wires! My next task is going to be installing a new LCD and cables. Will see how that goes.

Meanwhile the system is actually beeping and catching books as they go out of the library so that is something. It has been an ongoing job to get some pot plants into the library this week to block off access around either side of the gate. I still have a plant sitting in a large pot with no dirt (an no one in sight to plant this thing for me) and a plant sitting on top of a pot it won't fit in. Oh I have also requested trays for these pots as am envisioning watering plants and water seeping out and running towards new expensive nearly fully functional security gates. Maybe that does not bear thinking about!