Sr. Library Assistant (A) - Research Services and Projects Assistant

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The Research Services and Projects Assistant provides research services and auxiliary projects assistance in the Special Collections Department of the Otto G. Richter Library.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES & SPECIFIC DUTIES

Research and Outreach Services (70%)

• Provides reference assistance to researchers using Special Collections (SC) materials.  This includes in-person visits as well as e-mail, mail, and phone requests. Forwards in-depth reference requests to SC faculty as necessary
• Tracks in person and remote reference requests using Cognito
• Instructs researchers regarding SC policies and procedures and ensures that these are followed by all users
• Serves as backup to the Reading Room service desk as needed and attends to visiting patrons. Monitors public access areas of SC including the Reading Room and instruction areas. Assists with the retrieval of materials from SC collections area for researcher use
• Trains student assistants for a variety of tasks useful for the department, monitors their work and their payment schedule on the Workday System 
• Assists with tasks related to planning for physical and digital exhibitions under the supervision of the SC librarians.  Supports curators in following Exhibitions Council best practices guidelines
• Assists SC librarians with collection development through catalog searching and facilitation of vendor-library communication
• Assists with assigned special projects, including digital and bibliographic projects
• Assists with SC instruction services, contributes to materials selection for instructional sessions, pulls, reshelves, and documents materials for SC tours and instruction sessions
• Prepares monthly reports on service activity and maintains archival and published materials usage statistics per supervisor’s direction
• Receives and initiates processing of donated books and periodicals, following established workflows.
• Assists as needed with after-hours Special Collections events

 Collection Management Services (25%)

• Assists with the processing of archival collections under the supervision of Special Collections librarians and members of the Manuscripts and Archives Management Department.
• Assists the Special Collections Librarian with software issues and patron training as needed.
• Collaborates with SC librarians and cataloging staff on collection management projects, ensuring robust recordkeeping and processing of backlogs. 
• Creates temporary brief bibliographic records for invoice processing.
• Manages requests for photocopying and digital reproduction services and routes to pertinent departmental and Library-wide staff and faculty
• Helps with the hiring, training, and supervision of student assistants assigned to Special Collections duties

Communications, Relationships, and Service Applicable towards all duties (5%)

• Maintains helpful and supportive customer service behavior with all library customers
• Establishes effective and supportive interdepartmental relationships to increase unit effectiveness and disseminate information
• Communicates frequently and effectively with all university staff, faculty, and administrators in a timely manner regarding procedures, policies, and other necessary information
• Attends departmental meetings and writes reports as required
• Participates in library committees and task forces as needed
• Percentages may vary depending on service and operational needs of the Unit and Richter Library

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Supervision Received

• This position reports to the Special Collections Librarian

Supervision Given

•    This individual assists in the supervision of student assistants

Level of Contacts

• The individual works with all levels of University and Library staff including faculty, administrators, staff, and students as well as alumni and community users.  Within th