Farewell and thank you!
Wow, I can’t believe the past two months went by so fast. It seems that it was so recent that I wrote my introductory blog post when I started my traineeship at the library, and now I am in my last week. I guess time flies when you are enjoying yourself!
My time here in the library has taught me so much – starting from the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of a library. It was an eye-opening experience to see the various branches of work within the library system. A lot of people think that a library is just about reading and borrowing books: but it is so much more! A library (especially an academic one like ours) works with information retrieval, research and publications, knowledge sharing, scientific writing and publishing, customer service and many more. All the little tasks I did, from shelving books into their respective places, to adding keywords of new books into the online system, to the information retrieval courses I evaluated, were so methodical and well-thought-out, and it was fascinating to learn about the little details that go into the functioning of a library.
My book exhibition about Animal Intelligence and Behaviour which launched a few weeks ago was a success, and I do hope that you will go check it out if you haven’t already. It can be found in the ‘picks from our collection’ section on UEF Primo. Do also keep an eye out for the next book exhibition which will be summer reading recommendations from the library staff! I hope that you will pick some of these recommendations to enjoy during your summer vacation.
Speaking of the library staff, I must mention here what an absolute pleasure it was to work with the passionate, friendly and hard-working individuals at the UEF library. I felt so welcome and comfortable with them, and I am grateful to have spent the past two months learning from them, whether it was about library related things or just about Finland and its unique traditions. The UEF library is the incredible place it is because of these individuals, and if you have any questions or concerns regarding the library services, I can promise you that you are in the best hands.
To any students reading this, do make use of the incredible library services available to us through the UEF library. I guarantee there are important facilities and opportunities within the library system that you may not be aware of. The library webpages are incredibly informative so do check them out and utilise the various services that they provide. Be sure to also follow the library social media pages so you don’t miss out on any fun events, book exhibitions or interesting book recommendations!
My traineeship at the library was truly a great experience which enriched my life in many ways. My only regret is that I could not spend more time at the premises and meet all the library staff, something that would have been possible if it wasn’t for COVID-19. Either way, I now have a newfound admiration for libraries and their services, and will always look back at this memory fondly.
Parami Peiris, trainee