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Schlep and tote, bend and stretch

AT THE LIBRARY

Several weeks ago, as I was helping an elderly lady and gentleman unload boxes of books from their car, I remembered a pivotal moment in my life. It was a memory of the graduation ceremony for my doctoral degree. The Dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Library and Information Science handed me my diploma and as I walked across the stage I thought, “Finally, I will never have to schlep and tote ever again.” Sliding the box of books from the couple’s car to a book truck, I thought, “How’s that never schlepping and toting working out for you, Molly?”

Again, last week I recalled this memory when I accepted a staff member’s resignation because she felt she could no later meet the physical demands of her position here at the library. I was sad but certainly understand the pain she suffered while completing each duty assigned to her.

Most folks are unaware of the physical demands of working at a library. After all, we just read and check out books, is a popular perspective, although this is far from true. What most people think they see on the surface is a small fraction of the work of Libraryland.

Granted, we work in a controlled environment with salaries and benefits comparable with other rural libraries in the Commonwealth, a big plus. But with these benefits come the bending and stretching, pushing and pulling, lifting and shifting, along with long periods of time on our feet. There is the repetitive motion that is required by the technology so integral to our daily operation.

The average book weighs about 12 ounces. A book truck, fully loaded can weigh as much as 375 pounds; and a cubic foot of books weighs in at 65 pounds. We handle, at a minimum, 300-400 books a day, not including donated materials. That’s a lot of lifting, toting and pushing.

Lest you think those books just magically appear on the shelves, shelving books is, I think, harder than an exercise class at the gym. You reach, stretch, bend, lift and tilt your head to all kinds of angles reading the spine labels to shelve the book in the correct place. For those of us who have graduated to bi- and trifocals, we do regular contortions to be able to see and read those spine labels to reshelve books where they belong.

Our shoes may not be the most fashionable because we choose footwear more for comfort and support. Some days, individual staff members are on their feet for five to six hours. Back and forth we go, helping people find books, doing computer instruction, making copies, sending faxes. Our staff who wear those Fitbit gizmos have no trouble getting their 10,000 steps a day. By the end of the day, our dogs are barking!

There are also the aches and pains in arms, shoulders and necks from the repetitive motions of using the computer and mouse to complete tasks. We’ve tried to make our work stations ergonomically correct, but that is not the complete solution.

Our furniture is commercial grade and you can get a hernia pushing, shoving and pulling, and moving tables and chairs for programs. As least the tables in the community room are on wheels but they still seem to weigh a ton. I laugh at the description of our “portable” chairs. Those darn things are at least 17 pounds of awkwardness.

Then there is the moving of materials and supplies between the two locations. Weekly, we transport about 150 pounds of books back and forth. Load the bins on a book truck. Schlep to your car. Off the cart and into your trunk. Drive to Kish. Unload bins out of your car onto cart. Push cart into the building. Put bins on floor and load books to be returned to Lewistown on cart. Reverse the steps. Get the picture? Schlep and tote.

Our children’s department regularly visits area child care centers so they drag a 3-x4-foot flannel board, five to seven books, puppets, activity sheets, etc. Yep, schlep and tote. Community outreach visits, group presentations, special events, and health fairs all involve physical activity.

Now mind you, I am not complaining. All of us love what we do. But, we do go home every day tired from the physical (and mental) demands of the job. We do make as many reasonable accommodations as possible but the bottom line — if you think you’d like to work at the library because all we do is read and check out books, I’ve got news for you. Get in shape because if you work here you will schlep and tote (even if you have a Ph.D.).

The library will be closed Dec. 6 and 7 for “The Big Switcharoo.” We will be shifting 29,000 books, and reversing the location of our fiction and non-fiction collection to create more space so we can buy even more books for you to enjoy. Oh, my body hurts just thinking about it but, hey, anything for you!

≤≤≤

Molly S. Kinney is the director at the Mifflin County Library. She is currently reading “The Escape Artist” by Brad Meltzer. We miss you Marianne and hope your retirement helps with the pain.

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