The challenge of the new

My head is swimming with new information. I've been overloaded with it this week. the problem is, it's all potentially vital to my new job and I need to make sure that I remember it all. As the first new supervisor in living memory to actually have a handover period with a departing supervisor, I feel like I need to make the most of my time with Pat at Birch Hill before she retires and glean what I can from her. A lot of the job is an extension of what I've done at Bracknell, and I know I can do that, it's the rest of it that's the problem! Still the others have managed that in the past, so there's no reason why I can't...

Except, I'm very quickly learning that running two branches is a logistical nightmare, and I'm only four days in. Just trying to work out who's where and who will open up and close up if I'm not there to do it is a huge job at the moment. We've already discovered that on this particular week of my rota I'm supposed to be in Birch Hill and Great Hollands on Saturday morning. Since they've yet to work out how to clone me, that's just not possible. Of course, my line manager is on a course all week, and so hasn't been available to help me sort this out, so I've done it! Luckily Glynis, who has been acting supervisor at Great Hollands for the last 6 months was happy to come in and work on Saturday- but that means adding to her extensive amount of time off in lieu she's owed- but it was the only way. This is a small glimpse of what's to come. In a few weeks Pat, my librarian, will be on holiday for a fortnight and my support then will be next to nothing, and somehow I've got to keep both libraries open with the staff I've got... ha! No-one said it would be easy!

I think once I've got my head around it all I will enjoy the job a great deal. We've already made a start at improving things at Great Hollands now, just by shifting one small shelf unit out of the way of the window and taking down the posters on the same windows. It's brightened it up no end and hopefully if people can see in they're a little bit more likely to actually want to come in... well that's the theory anyway. Luckily Lyn is enthusiastic about making changes, and I'm hoping that I'll win Glynis round too. I've warned her that things will be changing over the coming weeks, because, not to put too fine a point on it, it's been shoddily run and neglected over the last few years. It's the one the powers that be will be watching and so I have to turn things round as quickly as I can. And I can!

So it's going well so far. For now at least...