Library Service Blog

Hosting work experience students in Library Services

Meet Asil and Baxter who joined Library Services in July for their work experience program.

Both students attend King Edward's VII in Broomhill and are in Year10.

Asil is studying Spanish, geography and food tech GCSE and hopes to travel and attend university in the future. Outside of school, Asil likes to play volleyball with her brother and father, she paints and sketches too and enjoys TV series.

Baxter meanwhile, is studying German, history and geography and wishes to do something history related. He enjoys binge watching movies!

They joined us at Adsetts Library where they were introduced to Library Services teams and got to experience how the library contributes to student success at Sheffield Hallam University.

From meeting librarians, exploring library spaces, discovering our online resources, learning how a library resource is procured, received and made available for readers to discover as well as seeing how we support students day to day; we wanted to show Asil and Baxter the full range of work that happens in Library Services.

We asked them about their time with us and what their future plans may hold.

Did you have any expectations of the library before you came? 

Asil: I didn’t think it would be very complicated in how they work. I thought a lot of the work was going to be practical or simple.
Neither did I expect the building to be very big!

Baxter: I expected it to be more “chilled” than other jobs!

What have you enjoyed the most about your time in Library Services? 

Asil: The Print Shop – everyone’s very nice and their work was fun to experience. The Assistant Admin team – everyone’s friendly and helpful – practical work was quite satisfying and straight forward.

Baxter: Being able to experience the different areas of the services.

Did you learn anything unexpected about Library Services? 

Asil: They had a special collections room which I never knew existed and there were really interesting artefacts and items that could be back from the 1500’s and onwards. Pictures and books show the history of Sheffield and effects from different events.

Baxter: The complexity of the co-operation between different teams and the different tasks they carry out.

And in your own words, tell us a little about your time with us! 

Asil: Sometimes I may struggle to with a certain task in the first two days of work but after a while, I became familiar with it and I improved my skills in it. I developed my skills in adaptability, time management, resilience and learning. I witnessed many meetings and how things went, giving me and idea of what to expect when I’m older. I learned about a lot of resources that could help with assignments and essays or dissertations – very helpful. Overall, I really enjoyed it and it opened me to a whole complex side of work just to provide students with all the things they need.

Baxter: I personally enjoyed being able to meet everyone and find out their different roles.