Pros
This job is extremely fulfilling – especially in community libraries. People in the neighbourhood genuinely regard library staff as pillars of the community. It is quite normal for my coworkers and I to get recognised in the public (e.g. supermarkets, malls) by regular patrons; they approach you sometimes and say "hey you work at the library." The mantra we live by is "Everyone belongs at the library" and we truly provide an essential service. You can truly feel the impact you have. The library has a strong culture of equity, diversity, and belonging. I appreciate its culture of mutual respect. Some employees who have worked longer at the library tend to be very cynical about management. However, they lack any perspective of the "outside world" or the current labour market. Having worked at other companies, the culture here is remarkably different; it's positive and warm and inviting. In terms of pay. To be quite frank, we are significantly overpaid compared to other library systems in the province – including our colleagues at Edmonton Public Library. The job is extremely flexible, you are able to take sick days (albeit unpaid) on short notice (useful if you genuinely feel bad that day), you end work at a reasonable time, and the work is predictable and reliable. There are always opportunities to take more shifts and turn this part-time job into full-time hours.
Cons
This job requires a lot of emotional labour. We are civil servants at the end of the day, and some patrons have an expectation that library staff are meant to service every demand. For example, we provide limited free printing every month for patrons. However, half of the time the printing service doesn't work. Some patrons will literally take it out on staff for not making printing go faster (even though it's outside our control). This entitlement by the public runs counter to the fact it is a free service. You pay for the service you get; it's very entitled to demand more from a free service. Other times, they assume we have experience as a social worker; and somehow we are experts at government forms (e.g. disability benefits, passport applications, immigration documents). Some patrons get visibly upset we don't all posses a Bachelors in Social Work and the skills that come with it. There are moments you have to deal with vulnerable populations; they sometimes share traumatic stories of their lives. And it's emotionally draining to have someone trauma-dump on you; and you are expected to just listen. It's important to take care of your mental wellbeing at this job. It can be quite difficult because you have all these expectations as a public servant. And yet, you are also at the end of the day, a library worker.