Our summer staff share their experiences on spending the summer days in the Swem stacks, placing RFID tags on over a million books!
Name: Max Markel
Year: 2022
Pronouns: he/him/his
Department/Position: Circulation RFID Team
What do you think about the RFID project?
I’m really excited to begin the project! I think it will be a huge boon to future patrons and help make things so much easier for the librarians as well. The tagging and scanning so many books will be a big challenge but I’m thrilled to see how it turns out!
Describe what it has been like to be a part of the RFID team.
It involves a lot of chaos but also a lot of fun! It’s chaotic in that there’s always something going on and everyone is off doing their own things and working all over the place, but it gives such a nice, energetic vibe to the whole library. The fun comes from getting to meet and befriend all the cool people who work at the library and on the RFID team, and I’ve already made some great friends while working here!
What has been your favorite experience with the RFID team so far?
Going on the special collections tour! I really loved seeing all the really old and rare books, and all the records of the college. Seeing books still in good condition from the colonial period is just so incredible and fascinating, I really loved it a lot!
What is the most interesting new thing you’ve learned about the library?
I had no idea about the library having the second largest collection of material on dogs in the country! I have also loved learning about all the different departments within the library and meeting everyone who works here. As an undergrad, I’ve never been able to see that side of the library before!
What is your favorite part about working at the library?
I really love finding new and fascinating books, I already have a pretty long list of books to check out which I’m super excited to read…eventually. I also love finding patron requests for books because it feels like a scavenger hunt to find the specific book in question. Sorting books into order is also fun because it’s pretty cathartic to see a big collection of disorganized books organized and ready to be put back on shelves.
Do you have any fun plans for the summer?
I’m really looking forward to having friends over at my new apartment and visiting friends in NOVA, and hopefully visiting museums in Richmond I’ve been dying to visit ever since COVID!
