Library Assistant I

Purpose

To provide friendly, high quality customer services to library patrons in the Children’s Department, including creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for children and their caregivers, and fostering a love of literacy and learning rooted in positive library experiences.

This position requires availability to work two evenings per week and two Saturdays per month.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Create and maintain a safe and welcoming atmosphere for children and families
• Follow opening and closing procedures for the main library building
• Perform general circulation duties, including but not limited to
  • Checking materials in and out
  • Helping patrons to locate library materials
  • Placing materials on hold and making interlibrary loan requests for patrons
  • Pulling hold requests for patrons and routing them to the correct pickup location
  • Collecting lost and/or damaged fees from patrons
  • Registering patrons for library cards
  • Explaining library lending rules
  • Provide customer service in person and over the telephone
  • Sorting materials for shelving, mending, and inspection
  • Shelving items and shelf-reading as needed
• Answer questions about the children’s collection on behalf of children and caregivers, including selecting books for remote patrons, or refer patrons to other staff members as needed
• Answer questions about library services and programs, or refer patrons to other staff members as needed
• Assist children and caregivers with use of library computers and technology, including navigating related apps and accessing electronic resources (Libby, Hoopla), or refer patrons to other staff members as needed
• Plan, prepare, and maintain informational and promotional displays and passive programs in the children’s area
• Plan and/or prepare materials for children’s programs, including in-person activities and take and make kits
• Maintaining the appearance of the children’s area, including decorating the space and tidying toys and materials as needed
• Other projects, including but not limited to
  • Creating booklists and resource lists for patrons
  • Participating in staff team meetings and professional development
  • Giving tours of the children’s area
  • Assisting in the creation of virtual and/or remote programs for patrons
• Other duties as assigned

Education and/or Experience

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the following education and/or experience:

• Must be of eligible legal age to work in the State of Indiana, with ability to work the needed hours
• Experience with public libraries—either as an employee or as a frequent library user—is highly preferred
• Fluency in a second language, such as Spanish, sign language, or another language spoken within our community would be helpful, but not required
• Previous experience working around children is highly preferred

Schedule Availability

• The person in this position will work a minimum of one to two weekday evenings per week and at least one Saturday a month. Work hours are part time( 20-24 hours/week)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Customer Service- Provides prompt, attentive, and friendly customer service in-person, by phone and via digital means; represents the organization well; maintains personal accountability and ownership for providing excellent customer service; seeks and responds to feedback from customers to improve service; follows up and meets commitments; shows willingness to go out of his or her way to help patrons. 
• Teamwork- Cooperates and works together with all coworkers; collaborates with and supports coworkers by helping out where needed; creates and maintains positive relationships with coworkers; asks for and listens to coworker feedback and incorporates feedback into revised processes; completes work on time and with proper quality; supports cross-training and shares learning with others; understands we are all stewards of the taxpayer dollars. 
• Communications and Media- Able to use online software to schedule appointments.  Proficiency in spoken and written English. Communicates ideas and thoughts clearly, accurately, and respectfully; listens to others and seeks to understand other’s perspectives; has knowledge of communication techniques and methods, including but not limited to email, Internet and social media sites. 
• Adaptability- Willingness to take on new challenges and responsibilities; open to change and variety within the workplace.
• Image- Portrays a positive image of the library; is a strong public ambassador and promotes library programs and services during customer interactions and within the community.
• Technical- Proficiency in using PC. Experience with using smartphones or tablets and curiosity to learn more about digital resources.  Able to teach others how to operate this equipment and software. Knowledge of photocopiers, printers, and fax machines.

Physical Demands                                                                                                                                       

• The employee frequently is required to:
  • Use computers and touchscreen devices
  • Communicate with others
  • Carry stacks of items weighing up to 15 pounds

High School Applicants

If hired, applicants who are in high school can expect:

• to work 2 evenings per week and at least one Saturday per month, with some flexibility regarding extracurricular activities and school events;
• to be trained to carry out all job functions described above;
• to spend the majority of scheduled shifts shelving materials in the Children’s Department;
• to occasionally spend shifts or portions of shifts covering the Children’s desk;
• to work with an adult (aged 18+) during shifts