When speaking about her 14-year tenure at Bendigo Health as a Librarian, Angela said “whether you’re a porter or the CEO, or anyone in between, it’s a real team and a real sense of community, honestly”.
Angela was drawn to work at Bendigo Health to help make a difference in people’s lives.
“I love everyone, but perhaps particularly people returning to study who haven’t needed to use a computer in decades,” she said.
“You can help them a lot, you make a real difference to whether they continue studying or whether they think ‘this is too hard’ and give up.”
Angela studied in her thirties while juggling two jobs and two kids. “That helps with my enthusiasm for helping people, because the people that need us are often time-poor,” she said.
Working in the Library offers Angela the opportunity to utilise her expert information management skills. It is more than just wheeling around a trolley full of books.
“As the old saying goes, ‘there’s a thousand articles out there, and the librarian will get you the right one.’” she said. “If you have a question, ask us, and we do our best to help, no matter who you are or where you fit into the organisation.”
Her hard work does not go unnoticed. The Library receives a handful of emails each week from people expressing gratitude for what they do. But it is all part of a day’s work for Angela.
“We understand that getting articles for people at 5pm for a midnight deadline is a reality of life,” she said.
The library currently contains 1,600 books, and last year they supplied 1,500 articles to staff.
It is a familiar service for many, including graduate nurses, students, doctors, allied health professionals, and even the office of the CEO.
The library collection also contains historic photographs, medical instruments, nursing uniforms and newspaper clippings dating back to the early 1900s.
Early last year, Angela and the team worked to transfer historic medical records from Bendigo Health to their new home at Bendigo Regional Archives Centre. This has been one of her proudest achievements.
“Now anyone can go and see those records, order them, touch them, look up their ancestor… that work has been really satisfying and ongoing,” she said.
Angela’s husband also works at Bendigo Health as a painter, so she has strong family ties to the service.
“He will be painting and people will walk past him and say, ‘are you Angela’s husband?’ and ‘Angela just helped me’. There is a sense of community,” she said.
Outside of work, Angela likes to try new things. In typical librarian fashion, she has the attitude of an enthusiastic learner in all aspects of life.
Her most recent pursuits include learning to play piano and trying her hand at golf. She credits Bendigo Health as being a workplace that allows her to balance lifestyle with work commitments.
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