I am writing this at the start of my second week here at the Bodleian. My trainee post comes under the umbrella of the Reader Services department and at the moment has seen me based in the Staffed Reserve area of the Upper Reading Room. We receive several deliveries of stack books from the BSF (Book Storage Facility) in Swindon each day, which are processed and then taken to nominated collection points around the site. A Self-Collect service was introduced earlier in the year but many readers still order to the Staffed Reserve and any books older than 1900 have to be picked up from here as well. It’s all change at the moment with the Weston Library (previously called the New Bodleian) opening to readers later this month and the rehousing of the library’s special collections in that space.
I found my way onto Oxford’s Trainee scheme after graduating with an English degree in 2010 and moving through various customer facing roles including a year in a public library. Working with the public was a good preparation for dealing with the broad range of enquiries you face somewhere like the Bodleian. Later in the year, I will have a chance to be part of the Main Enquiry Desk team and deal with correspondence from around the world but there’s a lot to learn before I get there…
