Spotlight on... Sandra Springer

What is your role and what does it involve?

I am a Library Assistant at the Science Library. Essentially, my role is to ensure that library users have the best possible experience while using our services, on site or virtually. My duties include providing a reception service where we issue and return books, process click and collect requests, fines, fees, and membership applications, provide directions, advice and basic IT troubleshooting. We also roam the library to enforce rules and monitor building conditions, raising repair requests as necessary, searching for lost books, invoicing, liaising with library users via phone, email and/or Libchat, and other tasks as they arise – for example, I have been asked to sit on interview panels. I also process stationary orders for my team and several others in the Science Library, and I am a Customer Service Excellence Champion.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I started in January 2018 as a shelver at Main Library and began my current role in June 2018. Prior to that, I worked as a funeral arranger at a small funeral home, and I’ve been a full-time mum for 29 years.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

During 2020 I was part of the pilot opening of campus during the lockdown. Whilst campus was closed, patrons were returning books to the security gate house on Gower Street, and once we partially re-opened library shelvers had the herculean task of ferrying all those books to the Main Library, sifting out Main’s books, then transporting the rest to the Science Library.

Between four and eight trolleys of books were delivered daily until the backlog cleared, which took weeks. We were the only library open to users, processing books from all UCL libraries and devising a system to safely store books and ensure they would get back to their respective homes. The workload was intense, and only manageable because our team worked like a well-oiled machine while looking after each other. We also piloted the click and collect service, where patrons would order books from any UCL Library which were delivered to us for processing and shelving.

We volunteered for this work as I think we were all tired of being stuck indoors, but we did not understand the scale of the task until we started it. Later, we were the first to re-open study spaces. Some of the users were very anxious and had to be reassured whilst in the library – the stress of studying whilst in a global pandemic took a heavy toll on many, which manifested in different ways. I am immensely proud of our work to enable UCL Library Services to remain operational during that uncertain time. My manager and supervisor bent over backwards to ensure we were as comfortable as possible. Travelling through the empty streets of London was eerie – the whole experience is one I will not forget.

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?

I have recently joined the Library Services Customer Service Excellence Champions Team, and I am studying our handbook to identify an aspect of customer service excellence that I can devise a training session around to deliver to my team. On a personal level, I am working with The Raze Collective to professionally record one of my stories, so I am furiously editing.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

I can’t pick an album, it’s too hard! Currently I would say my favourite book is Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo.

Who would be your dream dinner guests?

Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Freddy Mercury, Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison, Betty White.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Stay in college – having a baby won’t prevent you from getting those grades.

What would it surprise people to know about you?

I’m a writer and am currently working on my first short story collection.

What is your favourite place?

I love libraries so I feel very happy to be working in one. Apart from that, my local pool, completely empty.