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05/31/2017 08:30 AMMatt Earls went to the library every week when he was growing up, and while he was previously working in bookstores, he says he had never been happier than going to the library after work.
After getting his master of library science degree, Matt worked at Russell Library in Middletown. Now, he is head of technical services at Hagaman Memorial Library.
“We want you to come to the library,” Matt says, “We want you to read the books, we want you to take out the videos, we want you to listen to audiobooks, we want you to download e-books and audiobooks.”
The main aspect of Matt’s job is to catalogue all books and materials that come into the library, and try to make it all easy to find. His other projects include ordering all the movies and audiobooks for adults, dealing with the website, and troubleshooting all the technology in the library.
“[Library Director] Bruce George...has also encouraged me to think outside the box,” Matt says.
Matt says that the library has been able to run some fun technology programs, such as a Python programming class that he conducts with Stephen Robillard, whom Matt calls an “electronics whiz.”
“We built a game, like a steady-hand game, sort of like Operation,” Matt says, “Our next big technology project is we’re going to build a video game console—and when I say we, I mean not me, I’m hoping that the teens do that.”
The parts for the video game console were donated by the Friends of the Hagaman Memorial Library. Matt hopes that patrons will build the console themselves and pick what games go on it.
Another fun project that Matt brought up was building bristlebots—miniature robots that walk on toothbrush-type bristles.
“You put little pager motors, little batteries on them, and then we had the Bristlebot Olympics,” Matt says, “We had about 30 kids making those things; that was a fun day.”
It’s not a job that comes without problems though. Matt recalled a time when the Ethernet switch at the library broke, and had to “kludge it back together” with other equipment.
He says he has great support, such as the Bibliomation consortium, and was able to get help to isolate the problem in a matter of minutes. Asking for help is something Matt has no problem doing.
“If I can’t figure it out, I call somebody in about five minutes,” Matt says, “I mean if I can’t do it in five minutes, I know I won’t be able to do it in an hour.”
One of the things Matt has noticed from working in libraries for more than 10 years, even though it sounds obvious, is that those people who make a habit of coming to the library to read have kids who read. Kids reading is one of his favorite things.
“There are kids I’ve recommended books to when they were 10 or 12 that, when they come back from college, they’re recommending books to me,” Matt says, “That’s a very rewarding aspect of the job.”
Matt says those kids understand that the library is a place where they will be welcomed.
“They understand that the library is like the third place that they can go,” Matt says. “You’ve got work, you’ve got home, or you have school and home, but [the library] is one of the few public spaces where everyone is welcome and encouraged.”
While his specialty is technology, he became a librarian to help people solve their problems. Matt says if someone asks a librarian for help, they tend to really need it. One of the most frequent things he does when he’s at the Reference Desk is help people with their résumés.
“I think about all the people I’ve helped with their résumés, and then I haven’t seen them again,” Matt says, “I think that’s a good sign. I think most of them have moved on to get new jobs.”
Matt says he’s there to help people who are curious, and says the people who come in with curiosity are more likely to leave having learned something.
An example of that is that Matt has been helping a person who wrote a children’s book. The author is trying to publish the book through Kobo, a website for self-publishing digital content.
Matt helped him scan in the cover, and is now helping him edit the EPUB document (an e-book file format) for the book, which Matt says is a step beyond word processing.
“I’m making his life a little bit easier,” Matt says.