A Day In The Life Of Susan Vickery,
Associate University Librarian

Morning

… it always reminds me how things have changed since I was a student here in the mid 1980s.

Susan at Macquarie in the 80s

Not being a natural early riser, I’m not really at my peak in the first few waking hours of the day. I live relatively close to the University, which still involves a forty-minute commute. Sometimes I am joined by my daughter and her friends who are in their third year at Macquarie. If I’m half asleep, then it’s normally a quiet trip, but if we do talk it always reminds me how things have changed since I was a student here in the mid 1980s. Not just the buildings and carparks but also their attitudes, competing priorities and how they view their time at MQ.

My morning activities normally start with a couple of strong coffees (thank you Library Café) and can include anything from representing the Library at various University Committees or touching base with a project manager of one of the Library projects I sponsor, such as the Alumni Resources project, the Library Spaces evaluation project or the laptop loan kiosk.

Day

My portfolio covers the Library’s advisory services (including discipline-based librarians, and the Learning Skills Unit), and access services (keeping the Library open 122 hours a week).

That’s pretty broad but variety is one of the things I really love about my job. That and the number of interesting people I meet! It might sound corny, but it is true and given the nature of our work, hopefully shared by many working in a University Library.

Once a month I try to work for a few hours at one of the Library’s service points. It is a great way to understand firsthand the frustrations, and successes, of anyone who use the Library’s services, collections and spaces, as well as hearing from Library staff about what is working well and what could be better.

One of my passions is connecting.

It is no surprise that the two projects I have recently lead are the Connecting Literacies projects and co-chairing the Converged Services working group. Both of these initiatives are about bringing together staff and resources across the University, to provide a connected and quality support to students, sharing great practices, new ideas and staying informed.

Later

By late afternoon I feel like I’m really hitting my stride. As it gets quieter in the office I can normally get some uninterrupted work done, giving the traffic time to settle down before I head home.

I don’t really like cooking – but luckily my husband loves it, so I normally come home to a fantastic meal, greeted at the door by my two crazy dogs (a cavoodle and a bordoodle).

Later at night, when my family head for bed, and I’m still wide awake, I might take the opportunity to check in on work emails and clear the deck for a new day.

Weekends normally involve catch-up with home life including managing my youngest daughter’s netball team, sorting out my husband’s business accounts and always involves a big meal with family and friends.