Don Brennan.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DON BRENNAN is spent multi-tasking: serving people in line, answering phones, tracing books, handling email requests about renewing or recalling books and selling vending cards for copiers and printers. Brennan is a library assistant in Access Services, working primarily at the main loan desk. His is the voice on the public address system announcing the library closing every night.
“At the loan desk, time goes fast. On an average day, we check in or out more than 2,500 books and answer about 1,800 questions. Our job is public service,” he says.
Staff take turns “discharging” books: checking them when they are returned, readying them for shelving. Claims return processing involves searching for a book that may have been returned but slipped through the system without being checked off. “With over 1.9 million books and approximately 33 miles of shelving, this can happen,” Brennan explains. “If a borrower tells us they returned the book, we search for it. We either find it or we contact them again, diplomatically, to confirm they did return it. It can be delicate.”
Don started at UVic in 1984 as a mature student in theatre and writing, did a co-op in journalism and was active at the Martlet. He started working at the library in 1989 to pay off his loans. The loans are gone, but he finds the library a stimulating place to work. “It’s a great resource; a real hub. I have a real respect for borrowers doing their own scholarly endeavors —whether it’s an eminent researcher or a pensioner looking for historical data from their hometown. There are so many people who come here for the sheer love of learning.”
Outside work, Brennan teaches guitar and performs occasionally on guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and Irish bouzouki. He also loves sketching and has produced a series of greeting cards of island scenes.
“People ask if we get to read books all the time because we work at the library. I think we all have a shelf of library books at home we intend to read, but don’t often get around to it!” he laughs.
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