One of the few joys in my life is working as a student shelver in the QUT law library. But there is a little more to that than simply put back books on the shelves.
When I’m the first into the library, the day starts by accessing the library floor via the lift using proximity card access.
This is how the library entrance looks prior to opening.
Again, access to the library is gained by way of proximity card access through special doors.
The discussion area of the law library is prepared, by ensuring the tables and chairs are in place and presentable.
Air-conditioning is turned on to ensure a comfortable environment.
One thing I’ve never been able to understand about Malaysia is why does every single indoor place needs to be set to Arctic Circle. Pretty much most indoor places in Malaysia with air-conditioning requires people to wear jackets and scarves.
Until you walk out of the door, where 35C heat and 90% humidity engulfs you. Glasses fog up, and it is the fastest way to come down with colds.
Much of our energy (price) woes could be resolved by simply turning up the air-conditioning to a comfortable level. And having centralised air-conditioning that actually circulated fresh air from outside rather than just refrigerating and recirculating stale air which has more carbon dioxide than oxygen.
The crew of Apollo 13 had too much carbon dioxide because the lithium hydroxide scrubbers in the lunar module couldn’t cope with 3 people (it was only designed for 2 people) in it. Malaysians live in such “poisonous situation[s]” on a daily basis, breathing in stale air that has been chilled and rechilled over and over again.
I’m acknowledge that air-conditioning is a life saver in the tropics, but what I can’t understand is the seeming obsession to recreate the arctic circle in every office and shopping mall.
What is wrong with keeping it at a sensible 24C?
The library can be quite dark without the lighting, even during the day.
The power and ethernet LED status lights of the computers cast a eerie glow in the low light.
It must be said that there is something oddly satisfying flicking a set of switches and having all the lights in the place come on.
The noise of lots of fluorescent tubes coming and flickering to life at the same time pushes some right buttons in me.
I wonder what is it that makes the flickering sound through.
Once the lights are all on, a “Presentation of Excellence” is done, where I go around the library to ensure that everything is in place, reporting any faults, and looking for anything that warrants reporting.
Its called maintenance people. Instead of waiting until an array of lights give up to the ghost at the same time, a constantly flickering light is replaced when it is reported.
Once the library is open, and people start coming in, the shelf stacking starts.
More often than not, there would be a pile of books that are waiting for me to be returned to their rightful place on the shelves. Usually they are unsorted.
I start off with sorting them in call order.
Once it is done, and the books are returned to their places, a count of how many books are shelved are kept. A separate count is kept for the different types of law printed materials: primary sources (legislation and case reports), secondary sources (books and more books) and reference material (usually the journals and periodicals).
If I’m lucky, I can get multiple copies of the same book to shelve at the same time.
The weight and thickness of some of the books can be quite obscene. I’d wager that hurling some of that at a person could kill them.
And it is not as if the books are written in font size 20 with oodles of margin space on the edge, and bound with hardcover. Carter’s annotated Criminal Law (shown above) is written with a font size of 10, with words till the edge of the onion thin paper that make up its pages. And it weighs a fair bit each.
Still, Carter’s annotated Criminal Law does bring back some good memories for me.
And that is largely it. Find books. Sort them. Put them back in the appropriate position. Repeat. Until its all done.
But its not all just putting books back on the shelves. At predetermined time points a head count of the number of people in the library is done.
We can have rather substantial numbers of people in the library.
The red spot shelf, holding the 2 hour loan books which are most commonly used. It can get pretty busy during the exam period. During the slow times it is a handy source of things to grab to read, as it is just behind the main library counter.
My tasks also include going round the individual study carrels, cleaning up after the students. Scrap paper, bottles of drink, snack wrappers, the lot really. Oh, and taking any books left by students (and non-students) and putting them back on the shelves.
Unlike most law libraries in Malaysia, the QUT law library is open to all, including members of the public. Anyone (and a few people do) can walk in and take books off the shelf to read. Even if you’re not a law student or professional you’re welcome to just sit in the study carrels to do your own thing.
While most conveniences, such as borrowing rights, the use of the library computers etc are controlled by membership, the QUT law library does provide photocopying facilities to anyone. The photocopying machines are card controlled, but just come over to the desk, ask for a prepaid photocopy card, top up with some (non-refundable) funds, and one can make copies of law materials.
This is in stark contrast to some law libraries in Malaysia I’ve been into. Some refuse entry from the outset if they don’t recognise you. Even clarifying that I’m a law student does little to secure access. Others require you to surrender some kind of identification so they can use your identity to legalise illegal immigrants. I have been denied entry to a library for the sole reason that I was not the student of the said institution.
Getting into a library in Malaysia is like entering a ivory tower clique at times. And Malaysians wonder why they can never move forward. Not when information is still treated like the Catholic Church in the 16th century.
I’ve had easier access to the libraries in Australian universities than some “public” libraries in Malaysia. Information has always wanted to be free. (See Wikileaks) Unless you’re in Malaysia, where the populace seems to relish in ignorance and the bile of misinformation.
Having Malaysia as a yardstick makes me thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to work in a well stocked library. The law library collection is constantly updated. New books come through all the time, the catalogue is audited to ensure it reflects the current book holdings, and there is something nice about being one of the first few people to read a new book to the library.
Its rather diverse too. Law reports from Canada to the International Courts. Journals from all Australian states to the Yale law review.
And the Malayan Law Journal keeps me abreast of legal developments in Malaysia.
The open access nature of the law library does cause some resentment amongst some law students. While there have been calls to limit access to the law library to law students only, I’m pleased to note that this is not under consideration.
QUT and UQ could do with some more student spaces through. It does get quite busy in both the law and general libraries of both QUT and UQ.
The law library also has a copy of the Illustrated London News, which shows the famous advertisement that led to the landmark Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company [1893] case.
Its amazing what can pass for medical cure sometimes.
A close up. Its a bit like looking at a advertisement for non-evidence based “treatment” solutions when you think about it.
According to a UK inflation calculator, £100 in 1893 is at least £8430 in 2010 money.
But its not just putting books back on the shelves. Occasionally I do spend some time behind the front desk looking pretty. The remaining time is spent checking out books and laptops, and directing people. And answering any queries that may come.
Most people by and large are sensible when they approach the front desk. Oh, and did I mention there is no dress code for the law library? I’ve served people in singlets and flip-flops. On the other end I’ve checked out a laptop for a burka clad woman. (At least, I think it was a woman. It wasn’t so much dealing with a person as a walking mass of cloth. Its amazing how disconnected you feel when you can’t see the eyes, let alone the face, of a person)
The oddest query I’ve ever experienced was someone asking for a fork to eat his cup noodles with.
When I am not needed at the front desk, and all the books have put to bed on the shelves, its shelf reading time. Essentially I walk along the aisles and rows of books ensuring that the books are in the correct place, and ensure they are presentable.
Its really funny what people will do to hide books, especially during the assignment and exam periods. I’ve seen the thinner ones hidden in the larger books. Underneath and between the shelves. Textbooks in the loose leaf folders.
But having been a student once, I can understand, even if I cannot agree, on why students do such hijinks. I can personally testify that there are never enough copies of the book you need.
Like everything else, all things must come to an end. An announcement is made over the PA system 30 minutes before the library closes to remind patrons of the library’s closing time. 15 minutes before closing time all services are closed, and all loans should be back by this time. 10 minutes before closing another announcement is made to tell patrons to leave the library.
At this point I would walk around the library to ensure that no one is left before we close up. Most people get the message when I walk past them.
Usually its a fairly efficient way of doing things. You do get a few stragglers who don’t seem to get the message, or the ipod generation who don’t hear the announcement over their earphones. Generally most people get the message when I start turning off the lights.
I truly loved this position in the law library. Truth to be told, I was made for the job. I love the hours of quiet and solitude, giving me time to think and relax. Being surrounded by books, and reading some of them, in bits and pieces. Finding new and interesting books one doesn’t assume would be in a law library. Helping people find resources and discovering new things when a query is asked.
Its a shame really, that all this will end. Given the chance I would really want to continue my days with the library.
