32232: First day back in the library after 3 month lockdown

I'm the library assistant at St Hugh's College Library. The library closed at 5pm on 17th March, after which I worked from home for about 3 weeks until I was furloughed. From the day of closure until 22nd June, I didn't leave South Oxford. I never got on a bus, I didn't visit the city centre, and I didn't go to my library. So when I did return, it felt like a grand day out. Getting on the bus no longer represented a tiring commute through slow traffic, but a luxury. Even though I was just going to work, looking like a bank robber with my black face mask and sunglasses. And when I finally stepped back into my library, I was too happy to be intimidated by the hundreds of books I needed to return and shelve that day.

I was completely alone in the library, which was rather spooky. Some of the reading rooms creak even when nobody is around, which was disconcerting, especially before I switched the lights on. But it meant I could stick my earphones in and zoom around doing the shelving without worrying about how much noise I was making. Tiring, but a great day.