A day at work, and half of it spent at the reference desk. There was the odd flurry of requests for information, then a lot of time where I was able to work on my other work, namely developing a wiki for staff professional development, drafting editorial guidelines for staff in my organisation who are responsible for web content and all the other things a librarian is called upon to do- the printer not working? You need to photocopy on both sides?
It can get frustrating sometimes after having done an undergraduate degree, followed by a graduate qualification to be actually called a librarian, that your professional life becomes enmeshed in recalcitrant photocopiers and printers, as well as the irate users of said machines. I learned quite quickly that the theory of being a librarian did not quite mesh with the reality 
.
Admittedly though, the theory and practice is coming together slowly in my current job. Returning to study has also opened my eyes to new roles that information professionals could adopt, particularly those in a corporate environment. I have just got to convince our users that we can do more than photocopy articles and fix photocopier jams…
Also vale McGills, a Melbourne institution- a victim of information moving into the online environment and competition from bookstore chains.
