More like a real day of work. I am so tired! And I can't even remember the last time I sat in a chair all day. Every other job I have had since the Yiddish Book Center (and actually, lots of what I did at the Book Center) has involved being on my feet and running around all day.
Figuring out the rhythm of the tasks I do. It's a lot of tiny steps to get a single, small thing done. When everything goes smoothly, it requires almost no thought. But each box and each file that I open is different and may have any number of complications. I'm not sure if my insane level of attention to detail and meticulousness is PERFECT for cataloging (!) or if it makes me work annoyingly slowly and ask Beth too many questions. (Working for "free" is funny in this way...What's the incentive for doing a good job? Besides the fact that I am a perfectionist...) I do want to work as quickly as possible on the straighforward files because I have personally made it my goal to finish ALL the vertical files by the time the internship is over. It seems appropriate, as the last M-LEAD intern, to be the one to complete the collection of institutional files.
Being able to get familiar with my workspace and my routines enabled me to observe Beth's way of working and interacting...which is rather anti-social. Especially when it comes to the acquisitions assistant, who is, I think, one of those nervous talkers who over-explains everything. I think it's kind of too bad that they are required to have regular contact with each other because their personalities could NOT be more incompatible. Beth is so quiet I can't even hear her breathe! If she weren't tapping away at the keyboard all day, I wouldn't know she was there. I am beginning to develop an understanding of the technical librarian stereotype.
Hours worked: 9am-5pm.
Records created: 24.
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