Shushing skills not needed anymore for library jobs

London, Ont. -

With libraries in Middlesex County expecting to return to normal operations in the new year, they are looking to fill several roles across many locations in the county.

“We do have a number of vacancies. We had a number of people choose to retire or move on to other positions, you know, in the past year-and-a-half, and we are looking to increase our hours -- go back to normal hours in the new year. So we need to be at full capacity to be able to do that,” says Lindsay Brock, director of Library Services in Middlesex County.

The role of a librarian has changed over time, and with that, the skills needed have changed as well.

“Technology skills are really important for us right now. People come in to use our public computers as kind of a basic service,” she says.

Library Assistant Vanessa Rapagna says many people are using the library for various reasons digitally.

"People in the community who don't have a computer at home or don't have a smartphone or don't have internet -- so we're helping a lot with that. So what I like about is a little bit different every day you don't know what questions you're going to get."