Sharon Harding Interview

Sharon works on Interlibrary loans at Athabasca University Library.

What is your position here? 

I do the interlibrary loans here in the library. The position entails getting resources for patrons that we do not have access to. I place requests in other libraries and see whether they can provide the materials. 

What is the most important part of your job? 

For me, giving our patrons access to a much broader variety of materials is critical. It's frustrating for them if they need a journal article and we don’t have access to it in our collection. Obviously they don’t want to pay for it either since some of the articles are really expensive. It is nice to be able to give them the opportunity to get it another way from another library. 

What is the most interesting thing you have worked on?

I think the social media group, since I enjoy social media myself. It is neat to think about social media from a different perspective. Currently, I am working on some Twitter posts and I enjoy doing the graphics that go along with them.

How do you stay motivated?

I enjoy helping people, and so I enjoy helping our patrons find what they need in order for them to succeed. Another part of my job is Front Desk, so I like to help patrons better understand the library and all its resources.