Arcadia’s
acclaimed reporter, John Woolf, sits down with LAS’s Winter 2016 Savoy Library Assistant,
Eleni Zaptses, where she gives us the truth behind the secrets of Savoy Library.
John Woolf: Tell me a
bit about yourself. Leysin is not an easy place to find on a map. How did you
find your way here? What was appealing about a library assistant position at an
international boarding school?
Eleni Zaptses: Well,
I am about to enter my fourth year as an Arts and Business student at the
University of Waterloo. I am also double majoring in English Literature and
Rhetoric, so the idea of working with books all day was very appealing. But how
did I get here? Well, I actually heard about this job opportunity through a
friend first before I found the job listing on our university job posting
board. Although I found it to be an amazing opportunity, what pushed me to
actually apply was the fact that I was studying abroad in the U.K. the term
before. I knew staying abroad for the rest of the year would work with my
school schedule, and it would be the only opportunity I had to do so. I
applied, was interviewed, selected… and here I am! (laughs)
John Woolf: Did you
experience any initial culture shock when you arrived in Switzerland?
Eleni Zaptses: I
definitely did a bit. As soon as you land in Geneva airport with the mountains
in the distance, the first thing I marveled about was the fact that I couldn’t
believe I was here! I’m not a person to pinch myself, so I just kept looking
around a lot and was very excited. If anything, I experienced a stronger culture
shock from integrating into a boarding school culture rather than the culture
of Switzerland. Working in such a small community, and living in the same place
as you work was an adjustment. I went to public school in Canada. When the
final bell rang everyday you’d go home. It’s completely different when you have
to stay at school.
John Woolf: What was
it like being immersed in boarding school culture?
Eleni Zaptses: It
was weird because I wasn’t entering the school as a student. Entering the
culture after you’ve already completed high school creates a new perspective of
institutions. It also weirdly brings up high school nostalgia unexpectedly.
John Woolf: What was
your favorite aspect about working in the library?
Eleni Zaptses: I
love books, and I cherish my collection back home. Taking care of the books was
probably my favorite aspect. Books are treasured to me, and it pains me to see
one abused or destroyed. I’m pretty sure I’ve touched every book in Savoy Library at least once, and I can confirm that I’ve touched every book in the
non-fiction section twice! Preserving our recording of knowledge is very sacred
to me, and I took it very seriously.
John Woolf: What is
the grossest thing you’ve found in the library?
Eleni Zaptses: Oh
where do I begin? The first week I found two dead flies behind the fiction
books on the shelf. I found other dead insects, but I couldn’t tell you what
species they were. All I can say is they were surprisingly large and crunchy.
The worst thing I found in the library was this red sticky/oily liquid on the
tip of a hard cover Arabic book. I was stamping the book, when all of a sudden
I see this oily trail of red on my arm. I dropped the book, and ran to the
bathroom. I think I washed my arm and hands three times. It took me over a
month to touch that book again.
John Woolf: What is
the most common question asked by students?
Eleni Zaptses: That’s
easy. It’s either “Miss, the printer is not working. Can you help me?” Or “H-How
do I print?” I’ve only been out of high school for four years now, and it’s
astounding how much has changed. Specifically, the attention span and patience
of kids has declined significantly. If kids can’t solve a problem in ten
seconds, they automatically give up. It’s kind of sad actually.
John Woolf: What’s
the strangest situation you’ve encountered at the library?
Eleni Zaptses: Whenever
a French speaker came to the library looking for a specific person was always
interesting because of the language barrier, but I think the strangest
situation was actually at Belle Époque library, where I had Sunday night duty.
I had to break up a few couples that thought the library was the perfect place
with the right ambience to be intimate. It was strange for me because I’m only
a few years older than them, but I had to be the authoritarian and break them
up. It was definitely the most awkward thing I had to deal with. I definitely
won’t miss having to deal with that!
Wait, I just remembered something!
(Laughs) Last Friday, I somehow saw this
pink cassette that came with this Barbie I used to own when I was six on the Internet.
Don’t ask me how I got there. Anyway, the cassette only played one song called
“Think Pink”. Naturally, my six-year-old self would sing that song religiously
every day. The cassette was two-sided. The first side had the song, and the
second side had the instrumental version. I brought this up with Mrs. Leonhard
[Rebecca], and I sent her the YouTube link. She began to play it, and I started
singing along with it- don’t judge me, but I surprisingly remembered most of
the lyrics (laughs). Then, Mrs. Flynn
[Joan] walked into the library and started dancing to it. I’m pretty sure that
qualifies as strange.
John Woolf: What
surprised you the most when you learned what was required to run a library?
Eleni Zaptses: I
didn’t fully conceptualize how much work goes into running libraries behind the
scenes. It’s not so much about shelving books, but it’s more about managing,
organizing and storing written resources. It’s a very important job that’s
overlooked.
John Woolf: Any
advice for any future library assistants at LAS?
Eleni Zaptses: Enjoy
it! There are thousands of books in the library holding tons of information.
Don’t waste the knowledge that surrounds you. Check out a book and read!
