For now, dusting off used books and returning them to shelves for others to browse is the perfect job for this Kansas University graduate.

Amanda Barker, 23, or “Manda” as friends call her, earned her bachelor’s degree in social welfare in 2005, but instead of becoming a social worker, she has opted to keep her job at the Dusty Bookshelf, 708 Mass., and hang around Lawrence for now.

“I don’t feel rushed, and I’m so happy and content,” she said. “I feel good about myself with what I do with my days, and I can afford bills and groceries. That’s all I need to do right now.”

The bibliophile grew up in Topeka and has worked at the bookstore about two years.

How did you get your job as a book clerk?

When I was in high school, I had come to Lawrence a few times, and I had come straight to the bookstore each time. It was my favorite place in town, and I knew that when I moved here for school that I would start begging for a position there.

Every time I would come in, I would ask if there were any positions, and I would make nice with everyone that worked there. Finally, during my last year of school, I just showed up at the right place at the right time.

Amanda Barker, a book clerk for the Dusty Bookshelf, 708 Mass., takes a quick break Friday from shelving books to pet Alice, a store cat.

What is a typical work day at the Dusty Bookshelf like?

There’s such a fast cycle of books that come through the store. Since it’s a used bookstore, people come in and sell them to us. So, there’s going to be a lot of boxes coming at us with books that we buy.

And then after we buy books, we place them in a huge tower next to the desk. Then we clean them and place them next to another pile on the other side of the desk.

Then (manager) Shannon (Jones) will price them, and then we bring them out into the store and try to arrange them as well as possible. When people come in, a lot of them just need to be pointed in the right direction.

What is your favorite genre to read and your favorite book?

I have to have something to read all of the time. I like biographies a lot – a lot. “Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay” (by Nancy Milford). It’s just the most wonderful biography I’ve ever read. It’s so well put together. Even if you don’t know about the poet, you will enjoy learning about her life.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I like seeing familiar faces come in. That’s comforting to me that I can get to know people’s names and a little bit about their lives. The music that is played there – all types but it’s supposed to be quiet. And just the feel of the place like the carpet and the wood shelves. It just feels like you are in somebody’s living room.

When you do pursue a job in your field, what will you do?

Specifically, I want to work with at-risk male teens. That’s the population I really want to focus on. I think the biggest thing in that population is more preventative work and less corrective work.

I think that at-risk male teens have a tough time because there are so many programs geared toward teenage females growing up and their self-esteem and image. With males, they are sometimes overlooked.

What do you like most about being a Lawrence resident?

I really think, coming from Topeka, it seemed like such a big town to me, and there were so many people that I would never recognize.

In Lawrence, I feel like it’s more compact. And so I’m just more comfortable here. It’s just an overall supportive town. And there are so many things to do here, for so many types of interests. I think it’s conducive to anyone.

What is your favorite leisure activity?

I’m a sit-and-read sort of person. I like to sit and read at The Bourgeois Pig. I like to sit and read at Clinton Lake or sit and read on my front porch. That’s kind of what takes up most of my time.

When I go out in town, I get really excited about the different types of music that are around.