Abigail Evans, English Faculty Library

A bust of J.R.R Tolkein
A bust of J.R.R Tolkein

Hello! My name is Abby and I’m the graduate trainee at the English Faculty Library (also known as the EFL). Most of my time is spent processing all the new books and periodicals which arrive at the library, including wrapping them in sticky-back plastic – something I’m slowly getting better at!

I graduated with a BA in History in 2018, and I worked as a fundraiser for a while before deciding to go back to university to study for a masters. I finished my MA, also in History, last summer and was then left wondering what to do next. It was at that point I realised that, although I love books and libraries are one of my favourite places in the world, I’d never actually considered working in a library before. I wanted to get a feel for what library life might be like before applying for the traineeship though, so I volunteered for a few months in my local library and started working part-time in a university library.

A view of the desks and shelves in the English Faculty Library
A view of the desks and shelves in the English Faculty Library

 

I’m really enjoying the traineeship so far – it’s hard to believe we’re a month in already! My favourite part has been getting an insight into all the work that goes on behind the scenes, from unpacking deliveries of books from the BSF (that’s the Bodleian Storage Facility in Swindon) and processing new books to putting together displays and writing blog posts. Now that we’re in 0th week, more and more readers are coming through the door every day, and it’s lovely to see the library getting busier. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds!

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