Interview with an intern at the SABC Information Library: Agrineth Mashile

Agrineth Mashile
Intern: SABC Information Library

The SABC Information Library has acquired the services of two interns since March of this year.
The interns are here for a couple of months to acquire valuable skills, but also to help with the workflows in the SABC Information Library.

Agrineth Mashile is a qualified Librarian.

Questions addressed to the intern to understand the type of skills that they have to offer, but also get a better understanding of what they are doing now here in the SABC Information Library.

Agrineth, please tell us about your personal history as well as your studies. How did you become an intern here at the SABC?

My name is Agrineth Mashile. I was born and grew up in a small village in Limpopo province and started school at Moomane primary and continued to Ngale secondary till 2006. I went to the University of Limpopo (Turfloop campus) from 2007 till 2010 to study Information Studies and Communication studies. It was a four years degree.  Last year when I was busy with my research I got the internship advertisement from my lecturer and I applied immediately. I got a call from Thembi asking me to come to the interview. In January I got another call telling me that I went through and qualified for the internship.

What does your job entail here at the SABC?

Here at the Media Library (Information Library) we are two interns which means we have to rotate. I started by scanning SABC radio bulletins and special collections. I have to index them as well. After a month I started scanning daily newspapers. Now I work with books: circulation, accessioning, cataloguing and classification, shelving and assisting clients with the Internet and relocation of books. Next month I will be working with magazines.

What have you learned already while you have been here?

I’ve gained a lot of experience more especially with indexing. Surely I can take a post that needs an indexer. I have also acquired knowledge on how to handle people with different attitudes and expectations, while maintaining my professionalism.

What suggestions do you have for us with regards the collection of the Information Library?

I think the students from Sound Engineering should have some kind of library orientation because they are leaving the library in disarray everyday; misplacing and hiding of books. 
There must be some kind of security alarm installed when somebody goes out of the library with stolen books.

What are you planning to do after this?

 I enjoyed working here! It will be a privilege if maybe I can have a permanent job here, apart from the wish to work for big institutions like the National library of South Africa. I want to further my studies and do systems management or knowledge management.

Related post:
Interview with an intern at the SABC Information Library: Veronica Machate


Questions and blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.