Pros
I learned that high turnover at a workplace is a red flag (Circulation Assistants at Vaughan Public Libraries [VPL] have a very high turnover). I also learned never to apply to VPL again...
Cons
This library system does not value its employees. So many of my fellow Circulation Assistants had injuries from not receiving proper training for the numerous physical demands of the job. Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) does not even come close to how busy the Toronto Public Library is, but the higher ups at VPL must have convinced themselves that it is the busiest library system in the world, in order to justify what they put their employees through… When I was a Circulation Assistant, I was frequently pressured to work beyond my limits (and even to skip breaks) in order to meet a quota of carts shelved or to complete all my tasks during my desk time. To this day, I do not understand why those duties required so much pressure... I found that Circulation Assistants were looked down upon and were heavily micromanaged by almost everyone, including Information Assistants, Librarians, and ESPECIALLY Clerks. Information Assistants and Clerks are not Circulation Assistants' supervisors on paper, but some certainly acted like they were. (At the branch where I worked, one Clerk would even give new or more naive Circulation Assistants her work to do...) There were also often unprofessional discussions in the workroom, such as some employees openly talking behind other employees’ backs, and discussions about political topics that would be more appropriate to have elsewhere. There is also little opportunity for growth at VPL, particularly for Circulation Assistants. I truly believe that the higher ups at VPL do not care about Circulation Assistants, and this attitude is a major reason for the mistreatment of Circulation Assistants at VPL, and also contributes to the high turnover for Circulation Assistants there. This minimum wage job is not worth the mental toll or the damage to your body. If you are interested in library work, I highly recommend that you apply to another library system...