service advisor

service desk support

specialist

library assistant

branch leader

Halifax Public Libraries

I've been volunteering here since January (a little over seven months), as a Leading Reader volunteer which I plan to continue being as long as possible and also as a general Teen Volunteer. This has been my first volunteer experience, so, needless to say, I was a little nervous at fist, especially since I was going to be constantly working with children. 

However, my anxiety proved to be completely unfounded from the first session. Before we even started, my group of volunteers attended an orientation session which was very helpful to us and gave us the tools to succeed at what we were doing. We work with reluctant readers, making books fun through one-on-one reading, games, and other activities. The hardest part of the job would undoubtedly be occasionally having to work with difficult children, but this really isn't as big a problem as you might think. Most of the kids we've all worked with have been great. The most enjoyable part of the job is easily the pure joy you feel getting a child excited about reading, when he brings in his favourite book to share with you and won't let you read because he wants to!

Our supervisor is lovely, cheerful, and is always there to help us. Indeed, as volunteers, we're treated very well and you can truly feel the gratitude HPL has for its volunteers. They host the occasional Volunteer Appreciation party for us with pizza and a movie (doesn't sound like much, but believe me, it's the best), will write killer reference letters, are understanding when you can't make it and genuinely care about you. My "co-workers", my fellow volunteers, are great people as well, and the veterans have all grown close.

Simply put, this is a fantastic place to volunteer. And for those of you looking for employment, well, all I can say is that I know I would absolutely love to work here. I'm sure the work environment is just as rewarding.

Working at Halifax Public Library as a Technology Intern was an interesting experience, as depending at the Branch you work at, you may be on your feet all day or you may be struggling to find things to do. I personally enjoyed working at the Tantallon Branch because it was a happy in-between the two modes of work I described above. 

The atmosphere of Halifax Public Libraries if often a very calming one, and if you enjoy working with books and technology as well as people, it can be an extremely fun place to work. This is especially the case if you're in a Library and Information Technology program, and you're looking for a field related job in-between your 2~4 years of education. 

Both the staff and the patrons are almost always calm and collected from my experiences, and they make the Library itself a safe place to work during the day and study with friends when you're not. 

One thing I personally struggled with was the structuring of the Libraries' internal hierarchy, as because I was a Technology Intern, I was not supposed to spend time on jobs such as shelving or circulation, however, I would do this to fill time when I didn't have other ongoing projects or patrons to attend to. 

Overall, I would recommend the Technology Internship at Halifax Public Libraries to anybody looking to get into the Library field, even just to get some basic experience before deciding if you want to work in a Library for the rest of your life. Personally, I really enjoyed my internship as well as the experiences I had and the connections I made, and I look forward to returning to the Library field whether in a Public Library, or a different section of the field.

Some branches are very stressful to work at as most are short staffed and currently many unsettling changes taking place. Management isn’t transparent in their goals and administration have no interest in the type of daily situations staff are exposed. Cuts are taking place and the general public isn’t aware of this as when someone retires their job is remaining vacant. Front line deals with violence verbal abuse and threats of violence but management refuses to take it seriously and staff is encouraged to not call police as the face shown to the public should not be marred under any circumstance.

I love working for Halifax Public Libraries.  I work in circulation and children services.  My day starts with working in children services by preparing and participating in the program for that morning.  I work along side my colleague to ensure the program runs smoothly.  In the afternoons I am in circulation. There I work on the desk helping patrons with any inquiries they may have, processing their accounts and checking materials in and out.  Out back I process requests, holds and any other tasks asked of me.  I love my job because I enjoy the work, the community and my colleagues.  I find my job fulfilling and love being in the library environment.

Usually had a very busy work day. Great co-workers, some whom I still see even though I'm retired from that job. The best part of the job besides the people, was seeing the new library materials come in on a daily basis. I was the first person to handle them! Hardest part was during our down time, when work would be slow.  l like to keep busy. Being idle is hard for me. I like to be active.

This place has a good workplace culture and is very connected to the Halifax community. But there are a lot of MLIS grads working as clerks, and it can be hard to land that first Librarian job. But people are supportive, and the unionized environment is a big plus.

I love the working at the library but not enough hours. The job requires great working skills to work with people of all nations and background I have to be able to deal with many different issues daily and able to come up with solutions on the spot to correct things.

Seasonal position to register children for summer reading program. Nice learning environment. Slow paced. Enjoyable environment. Typical day included returning movies back to their proper location and helping make crafts for summer programs.

Typical task: give proper information to people about the event. 
Management: Unfortunately, it was very poorly managed. Some of the volunteers did not have any task to do because they were hired after the registration was already closed.

Always something different, constant learning, creativity and love of people are a must. Lots of opportunity to learn new things. Technology is important to the role. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Service advisor 21 salaries reported	$29.03 per hour
Service desk support 12 salaries reported	$25.60 per hour
Specialist 1 salary reported	$33.38 per hour
Library assistant 1 salary reported	$16.75 per hour
Branch leader 2 salaries reported	$40.33 per hour

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