Some may think of work experience as a teenager’s first step into ‘the adult world’. If this is truly what that world is like, then I’m ready for it! I’m Lorna Spada, a fifteen year old student and this year, everyone was told they must attend a work placement for one week similar to the career they wish to pursue. It’s been my ambition for some years now to be a novelist, so what better way to spend the week than with books?
If I was asked to describe this week in three words I’d tell you books, inspiring women and… tea! This was clear to me from the moment I walked into the Women’s Library. I’d spent Sunday night worrying about work experience, reading up on women’s literature and surfing the library’s website. Don’t get me wrong, the revising came in handy, but there was no need to be as anxious as I was. I was welcomed in by Adele, who offered me tea and showed me around the library. Endless tea and books are pretty much my idea of heaven, so I was very happy. A few hours later, I was thinking back at how silly I’d been; I was surrounded by lovely women who all made me feel very welcome. No eating in a corner alone like I feared! This is particularly true to when I told the staff that I want more than anything to be an author. They were encouraging and seemed genuinely interested in my ambition.
Today is Friday, and I haven’t got too much to be occupied with as I’ve completed a fair lot this week. The first couple of days spent with Adele were filled by browsing the library and the archive, selecting books to borrow, adding books to the wish list, doing a book review for the website, welcoming visitors from Sweden and learning how to register borrower’s cards. On Wednesday, I met the librarian Wendy, who I’d been in contact with prior to this week. She was just as friendly in real life as on the e-mails, and we got to work straight away. Well, after our routine cup of tea that is…
I was super busy with Wendy for the next two days. If you visit the library then you can see that for yourself: I put up a new display on feminism and created little notes on each section recommending the library’s best books from that section, which is helpful for those readers who are slightly stuck on which book to borrow. Another thing I did was after reading the site’s Book Of The Month page: I chose an empowering quote from each book, printed the quotes out, laminated them and they are now on display along with the book they derive from next to them. Aside from the creative tasks I completed in the library, I have also done a fair bit of writing. On the website, I posted New books of the month for December and New books of the month for January.
Thursday was definitely the best day of the week for me, I wrote, read and used my imagination, which are some of my favourite things! As if that wasn’t enough, the staff here got me a cake and a card, which made me feel appreciated and like I was really a part of the library for this week.
I don’t even need to ponder if I will return to the library, if it wasn’t for school I’d be here on a regular basis. School doesn’t prevent me from returning completely though, as I’ve already been invited to an event for writers next week which I will be thrilled to attend, and I’ve taken out a few books already.
I didn’t come to the library in hope to learn about being a librarian, I came in hope to expand my knowledge of women’s literature and to learn how to promote books through book displays, books reviews and that is exactly what I’ve done. I wasn’t making tea, washing up and tidying like most people’s work experience. Wendy and Adele gave me tasks that would help me in the future and that wouldn’t bore me, and I am very grateful for that.
