GARDENDALE —
Gina Robertson has a lot on her plate at the Gardendale-Martha Moore public library.
She works in adult services, meaning she specifically helps adults with doing things like ordering books and videos, as well as working the front desk occasionally and cataloging books into the library’s computer system.
“I like that it can be very different day to day,” said Robertson.
Robertson was a social worker before she got her master’s degree in library science.
“You put a lot of heart and soul into a job like that, and it’s easy to burn out. I loved what I did, but I wanted a career change,” she said. Robertson said there was opportunity for social work in her library job as well.
“People come in here and they want help with resumes, and finding jobs, they can’t find their books, they need to get something for their kids... The library is a place where the community can come and all share the same resources,” she said.
The library will be having an adult reading program this summer.
Robertson said she likes to organize the books into the library’s Millennium software, which is a database of the books the library has that patrons can access.
“I like things to be correct, because if they’re not, the customer can’t find what they need and it can lead to a lot of frustration,” said Robertson. “It’s a healthy outlet for OCD.”
Robertson grew up in Gardendale, but currently lives in Irondale.
“I’m glad I got to come around and work here again. It feels like home... I have memories of Martha Moore and when the library was in another location. I’m old enough to remember that,” she said.
Going to the library was a big part of Robertson’s childhood, too. She said she has always been a reader, and her family used to make weekly trips to the library.
“My mother read to me from birth,” she said. “I’ve always been in a house full of books.”
She said the library is currently getting ready for a big book sale.
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On the Job: Librarian
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