I am going to be a reference librarian with the Library of Parliament, Law & Government Division. This is actually the second time I have applied for this job (and, incidentally, the second time I've been offered it, but I had to turn it down the last time around). It's only an 8-month contract (filling in for a librarian who's been seconded to another government department), but I've been advised that, due to various reasons, there is a good chance of another position being available for me, either in the Law & Government Division, or elsewhere in the LOP.
Don't know exactly what the job will entail yet. The Law & Government Division has about 25 or so people in it, four of whom are librarians. (Although there's only three of us right now - long story.) It's a research division providing support to Members of Parliament on questions specifically related to law and government. Some of the other members of the division are lawyers, but not all of them.
I've only ever worked as a librarian in an academic setting, so this will be quite different for me, I think. I suspect I'm going to miss the one-on-one reference sessions with students (not to mention teaching, which I miss already!), but there will surely be many challenges for me to tackle and new things for me to learn, and I doubt it will be nothing less than quite interesting.
But please, hold back your congrats on my going to work at the most beautiful library in all of Canada. Those of you not interested in libraries may not know that the Library of Parliament underwent a massive renovation a few years ago. It's the only part of the original Parliament buildings left standing, built between 1860 and 1876. In 1916, a devastating fire burned the Parliament buildings down to the ground, with the exception of the library, which was saved, at least in part, by the heavy, closed iron doors that stood between it and the fire-gutted Centre Block. Anyway, the library is gorgeous, like something out of a movie set:
However. I won't be working there. (I wish!) No, my division of LOP is off-site (as much of its divisions are), in a nondescript building near O'Connor and Queen, a good five or six blocks away. My workplace will likely look more like this:
Do you suppose I could negotiate to have Ron Livingston visit me once in a while? He can even have my stapler.
7 comments:
You might be working with a former co-worker and friend of mine - Robin Nadjiwan. Say hi to her for me if you see her!
My dream library looks like that. Or the library in Beauty and the Beast. Of course, one wonders if I would ever have enough books to fill such a space. I suppose I'll have enough textbooks by the end of my education to fill at least one shelf.
*dreamy eyed* Le sigh~
I looked up your reference to Ron Livingston, but I'm left pining for a good look at that stapler. What kind of stapler would attract Ron? Are the staplers at the non-descript off-site identical to the staplers at the fantabulous LOTR library? Oh, for a hot link to the word "stapler"...
umm, Ron Livingston had nothing to do with LOTR (though perhaps, in retrospect, that's a pity). You'll just have to watch Office Space to find out!
Very very good...yet another former Dal Law Library student assistant in a strategic location. The plan is coming together.... >:-D
Oh that reminds me. A book store, not a library, but I'd been wanting to show you this.
New reasons to go visit Maastricht, eh?
So, now that you're three or four days in - what does the job entail? Do you get to chase after cabinet ministers for overdue books?
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