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 What is your name?
Mark Tynan
Where are you from?
Kilkenny city
Where do you work?
UCD Library
What do you spend most of your day doing?
I like the variety of the job. There's the traditional librarian work like book ordering and dealing with
queries but it's 2008 now and there's so much more to it. That's a good thing though. Libraries have always
had to move with the times. I deal with academics and students, as well as my colleagues here in UCD. I give information skills sessions to students and staff. There's so much information out there that it can
appear overwhelming. You can make life so much easier if you know where to look. A lot of people mention the Google phenomenon and the threat it poses for libraries but I don't see it as a threat. A challenge
maybe but Google is an amazing resource. Again, though, it is only as good as the person using it. I
think librarians will be around for a while yet!
Did you always want to be a librarian, and if not what did you do before you became one?
I can't say I stood up in school when I was younger and said "I want to be a librarian when I grow up".
I'd have been laughed out of class! No, I'm sure I said the usual. Footballer, rock star, astronaut. Hurler being from Kilkenny! I had journalism on my CAO form and have always had an interest in it. I dabbled in journalism when I worked in RTE for a while but overall now I'm happy doing what I'm doing. That's all anyone can ask for really. Sure there's routine but there's routine everywhere. Even Bono sings the same songs every night!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I like helping people. I like it when people come to me with a problem and leave me with no problem. I like
working in UCD too: I've worked in a few libraries now since I left library school, the public library in Kilkenny, the Sound Library in RTE and now UCD. I was a student here and now I'm staff and it's fun seeing it from both perspectives.
How do you unwind after a hard day at the office?
In the summer, it's nice to go for a walk but the weather can rule the roost there unfortunately. I read, watch television (sport mainly, or American television series like Lost, 24 or the Sopranos), listen to music (Bruce Springsteen is my ultimate hero, even more so than Jack Bauer! His music is rousing and full of hope. Can't wait for his Dublin concerts in May) or go to the cinema.
Are you a 'typical' librarian and if so, how, or does this question make you mad!
I wouldn't say I'm a "typical" librarian but I don't really know what a "typical" librarian is. I remember working in the bank when I went back to college to library school and a lot of my colleagues at the time slagged me over saying "shush" a lot and wearing a tweed jacket with patches on my elbows. If that's a "typical" librarian then I'm not a "typical" librarian and I don't know anyone that would describe. Generalities are usually way off the reality mark. It beats working in the bank though!
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