In our ongoing A Day in My Life series, Emyr Lloyd, assistant librarian at Aberystwyth Library, takes us through what his job entails.
I worked in a supermarket in Aberystwyth to begin with but then the opportunity arose to join the world of books.
In 2003, the chance came to try for a part-time job in Tregaron Library where I worked two nights a week from 4pm to 7pm and every Saturday.
When I told my mates that I’d got a job in the local library, the response I got every time was, “What, a library? What do you know about books?”
I started to ask myself if I understood enough about books? However, after a while, the job came natural to me and I learnt a lot about authors, how the library worked and what people enjoyed reading.
Then, the big step came when my part-time work turned into a full-time role.
Eira Griffith, the librarian at the time, said “Emyr, go for it!”, and that’s the best advice I’ve had.
As the library was part of the secondary school, part of my daily duties was to attend meetings with the school staff. Being amongst all the teachers was a strange feeling!
This period of working in Tregaron was great because I’d been brought up in the area, and therefore I knew the majority of people and children who used the library.
It was lovely to work with the school staff too. I could share many a story of the fun and mischief that we’d had! Unfortunately, due to the financial cutbacks, the library had to close.
As a result, I was offered a job in Aberystwyth Library. It was a completely different world, moving from a small town like Tregaron to a library that was lot bigger.
A year or so had passed by working in the library when I got promoted to being the manager of the branch – a role I’m extremely proud of.
One aspect of my job that I enjoy doing the most is meeting people and holding events for them. It gives me great pleasure talking to the public and being able to help them with their questions.
From day to day, I run the Aberystwyth branch and ensure that there’s enough staff available, that the place is tidy and that the displays are attractive and up-to-date.
Read the full feature in this week’s south papers, on sale now