Since its opening in 2007, the Grauwyler Park branch of the Dallas Public Library has been my school, my home-away-from-home, and even my neighborhood bar (metaphorically), where everybody knows my name. Now, it’s also my workplace. Here’s what happened.

 

In late summer of 2014, I seriously started to think about returning to work full-time. I wasn’t sure what I might want to do, so I hadn’t begun an aggressive search yet. As it happened, I didn’t have to. On one of my routine visits to Grauwyler, customer service representative Yenni Mercado announced to me that the library was hiring. “Naturally, we thought of you!” she said. Over the years, through my regular patronage and volunteer work, the staff and I had become well-acquainted. I’m sure I must have mentioned in passing how much I would love to work at the library. (I was there all the time, anyway.) Now, an actual opportunity was presenting itself, and I was thrilled.

 

But there were stumbling blocks. While I knew that looking for work is a full-time job itself, I simply wasn’t prepared for the technical difficulties I would face. The online application process was tedious: it seemed that every time I tried to enter pertinent information, I’d encounter an error and couldn’t move on. Furthermore, having had a fortunate career path in which one job led to another, I had never acquired the skills necessary to put together a resumé. I felt like giving up.

 

Yenni would hear none of it. She insisted I was more than capable of creating a resumé and proceeded to coach me every step of the way. Her technical savvy and the Oasis Connections handbook also got me through the application process I had found so intimidating. To top things off, Yenni even gave me a few interview pointers to help me feel more prepared. Talk about customer service! Is it any wonder I love my library?

 

After two interviews with the Dallas Public Library and a few weeks’ waiting period, I finally got the much longed-for job offer. I’m happy to report that as of November 2014, I’ve been a library associate at the Bachman Lake branch of the Dallas Public Library. One of my favorite aspects of the job is the variety of tasks involved. Another is the freedom of self-direction in fulfilling my duties. Now it’s my turn to be a source of information and enrichment to the community I serve. Thanks, Yenni!

 

Editor's note: The Dallas Public Library offers technology classes with the Oasis Connections curriculum.  View their calendar to see upcoming classes.