Barbara Walker would disagree with those who think working in a library includes endless hours of quiet and boredom.

"You never know from day to day what's going to happen," said Mrs. Walker, manager of the Nancy Carson Library in North Augusta.

Whether she's perusing book reviews and looking for new books, working at the circulation or reference desk, creating budgets or filling in for preschool storytime, Mrs. Walker said it's hard to be bored in her job.

"I look forward to the 'dull' days at the library," she said.

Although she's the manager, Mrs. Walker still likes to work at the circulation desk and check books out for patrons.

"I want to get an idea of what people are checking out," she said.

And it never fails -- if she's behind that desk, then the library starts to get very busy.

Technology plays an important role in library services. There are computers at Nancy Carson, but many people don't know how to use them.

And despite the advent of the information age and the availability of information on the Internet, many people still call with reference questions, she said.

Mrs. Walker said she's not the best person at the library to talk to about technology. She can still find the answers to most questions in the pages of a book.

While some people can't fathom the Internet, teens and young adults often have the opposite problem. They would rather find the answer on the Internet and don't always know how to look it up in a book, she said.

Mrs. Walker hasn't always worked in the public library setting. She spent several years at New Ellenton Middle School and Aiken High School as a media specialist and teacher.

"It was for my daughters. I wanted to be on the same schedule they were on," she said of her teaching career.

Mrs. Walker said she enjoys working at the Nancy Carson Library. "It's fun. You deal with people, and people are so varied," she said.