*Servie Learning Journal Entry #2*

Last Thursday evening was my first night of volunteering at the library. It wasn't exactly like I expected, but then again, I didn't know what to expect. Basically, I did typical library work, like shelving books and pulling movies for a new display. (I'm pretty sure I pulled every Oscar-winning show since the beginning of time). After I had done those two things, however, it seemed I had finished my duties... the problem, however, was that it only took two of my four hours. Since I didn't volunteer to leave then, they had to find something else for me to do, which involved checking to make sure the CDs were all in order, which they were, and finally cleaning the cases of all the movies I'd pulled. They really did need cleaned, but it made me feel almost more of a burden than a help. I was warmly welcomed by everyone there, both in the Children's section, where I spent the first hour, and by everyone at the Circulation Desk, where I spent the rest of the evening. Despite their lack of planning for me, which they apologized for, it was a pretty good evening. I think that from now on they will keep me busier. Thursday also happened to be the last day for one of the girls in Circulation. The remnants of her goodbye party, as well as a teary goodbye, told me a lot about the dynamics between the employees there. From everything I saw, I concluded that they must be a fairly close group, at least in their section. The employees from other areas that dropped by seemed to be less connected, but most were at least aware that it was her last day. Basically, they seem like a tight-knit group, but not so much that they are rude to outsiders. Overall, it was a good experience and I felt welcomed by everyone there, even though they seem very unused to volunteers. The biggest downside of it all was that walking out to my car was incredibly scary, since the library is on the wrong side of town and apparently a bit of a haven for the homeless... at least until nine o'clock. I was actually really surprised that there was no security whatsoever, and there was only one man working in the whole library. Despite a little boredom and nervousness, I think my first night went pretty well, and I think that overall it will be a great experience.