Senior Library Specialist - Funk ACES Library

Senior Library Specialist

Funk ACES Library

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library

FUNCTION: Has direct operational management of the library and is the lead staff member during the early evening hours Monday-Friday. Directly responsible for a significant portion of student assistant hiring, scheduling, and supervision. Functions as the contact person for staff members and student assistants in the absence of the LOA. Supervises staff on and initiates collection management projects. Oversees and runs in-depth reports on collections for the Funk ACES Library. Collaborates with Funk faculty and staff to assess problems or needs, and to suggest solutions for challenging catalog and cataloging problems. Administers all aspects of the Funk ACES Library website and serves as Funk’s website point person for Library IT and Funk faculty, staff, and graduate assistants.

Duties and Responsibilities

Staff and student supervision and management

• Has direct operational management of the library and is the lead staff member during the early evening hours Monday-Friday.  Serves as the supervisory bridge between daytime and late-night staff members.
• Coordinates with LOA and unit head on probationary evaluations and annual evaluations of the staff members whose work is supervised by this position.
• Coordinates staff interviews for open late-night positions as part of a three-person committee making hiring decisions.
• Enter and manage student schedules in LibStaffer and assists in managing student assistant swaps and absences to ensure adequate coverage for the 100+ hours per week that we are open.
• Works with LOA to interview student assistant applicants.
• Works with LOA to create schedules for 18-22 student assistants each semester.

Collections management and catalog record maintenance

• Supervises late-night staff on collection management projects; oversees and initiates shifting activities in the library to make space for collection expansion, special projects, and expanded study space.
• Coordinates weeding and transfer activities for Funk collections; works with faculty and LOA to implement plans and strategies.
• Conducts high-level review and analysis, complex problem-solving, and detailed correction of ubiquitous holding and item level errors as they occur.
• Routinely interacts with head of Acquisitions and Cataloging Services to assess and resolve complicated access issues.

Website coordinator and technical support

• Responsible for administering all aspects of the Funk ACES Library website, which includes but is not limited to integrating external tools used to render information on the website, like LibAnswers and LibCal; monitoring web content for currency and accuracy; and facilitating proactive and timely communication via website banners.
• Collaborates with the unit head and other Funk faculty, staff, and graduate assistants to develop strategic plans for Funk’s website.
• Serves as the primary contact person for Library IT to resolve problems and implement new solutions on the website.
• Provides WordPress training and assistance for Funk graduate assistants.
• Prepares statistical reports for and contributes to assessment of Funk’s services, including the website, patron counts, and loanable technology collection.
• Provides crucial and timely support for applications and hardware routinely used by all unit employees.

Circulation Desk supervision

• Intensively trains and supervises student assistants in circulation procedures, searching the catalog, retrieving items, shelving, customer service, technology troubleshooting, and developing appropriate responses to a wide range of patron inquiries.
• Staff supervisor at circulation desk for some portion of every working day. Manages student assistants, oversees circulation and reserves, troubleshoots technology, manages classroom and study room reservations, responds to patron inquiries and needs, and interacts with graduate assistants, faculty, and other staff.

Minimum Qualifications

1. High school diploma or equivalent.
2. Any combination totaling two (2) years (24 months) from the following categories:
1. work experience in a library or equivalent setting.
2. college course work in any field as measured by the following conversion table