Librarian Jobs

LAC Federal is seeking a General Librarian also knows as an Access Services Specialist to provide front-line access and informationn services to students, employees, and community users.

In fulfillment of the access, circulation, and information services duties, access services specialists maintain an in-depth knowledge of both college and library-wide operating procedures, policies, and capabilities. They create a welcoming and inclusive environment and demonstrate a high level of customer service to ensure user needs are fulfilled at the time of need to support student success.

Location: Montgomery College - Germantown, Maryland

Work hours include the library’s extended hours during peak study times (e.g., the week prior to finals and the week of finals) when the library is open until midnight. The schedule for these hours will be determined by the campus access services supervisor.

Your Impact

• Checks the library management system’s circulation module and the College’s enterprise financial system to ensure outstanding fines are verified for all three campuses before the College’s business office sends fines to the collection agency
• Compiles statistics and analyzes data related to coordinating areas of responsibility in support of library goals and to support evidence-based decision-making by management
• Prints exception reports and corrects errors within circulation module
• Uses appropriate tools in the College’s enterprise financial system to post library fines and coordinates with the finance department to create accounts for community users who do not have an MC account
• Contacts the cashier’s office(s), as needed, to reconcile issues with accounts
• Trains student employees on operational procedures in each functional area as needed
• Provides guidelines and instructions of each functional area to library employees and library users
• Resolves problems and complaints related to overdue fines, lost items, and damaged items via phone, email, and in person
• Creates fine and fee notices (as well as courtesy, overdue item, cancellation, and pick-up notices), using the library management system

Periodicals Maintenance

• Maintains labels on shelves and ends of shelving ranges to facilitate locating materials
• Receives and processes periodicals and serials in all formats. Ensures that new issues are made available to library users in a timely manner
• Maintains back issues of periodicals in accordance with each title’s retention schedule and manages the annual weeding project in collaboration with the collection development librarian
• Inputs data and identifying information in library management system’s serials module to support accurate and timely claiming of missing periodicals

Stacks Maintenance

• Reviews materials for damage and determines whether to repair or, in consultation with the collection development librarian, discard. Completes minor mending and repairs to library materials. Reprints call number labels as needed. Reports issues to the collection development librarian as needed
• Maintains labels on ends of shelving ranges to facilitate locating materials
• Ensures that items in the library collections are available and that items are properly located on shelves by understanding and applying the Library of Congress Call Number system
• Oversees inventory and weeding projects in collaboration with the collection development librarian and campus access services supervisor

Technology

• Responsible for creating and following up on OIT Service Desk work orders for user-facing services
• Acts as the expert for the scanners, one button studio and collaborative workstations by training users and employees on their use and features
• Serves as the primary contact in access services for the OIT Service Desk

Displays and Events

• Assists with outreach on behalf of the Access Services Division through planning, creation of materials, and staffing tables at appropriate events
• Designs and creates displays (including complementary print and online resources, as appropriate) and assists with planning programming in support of Student Services and the Academic Area Liaison and Embedded Librarian Program
• Works with appropriate library and College offices to provide programming on specific, required themes

Other Areas:

Reserves

• Removes materials, including personal copies, from the reserves collection and returns items to the course instructor, as appropriate
• Consults with faculty about course materials to be placed on reserve using the course reserves management system and the library management system
• Maintains the physical reserves collection, e-reserves, related web pages, and manages the reserves module in the library management system
• Troubleshoots course reserves problems reported by faculty, employees, and students
• Identifies, locates, obtains, and processes requests for both print and electronic reserve items for faculty. As appropriate, retrieves/recalls items, scans and uploads articles or book chapters, requests items from other campus library locations, and provides direct links to electronic resources
• Ensures that course reserves requests follow U.S. copyright law
• Maintains the textbook reserves program in support of Academic Affairs affordability initiatives

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

• Compiles and analyzes borrowing and lending statistics
• Processes borrowed materials upon receipt to make them available to library users in a timely manner. Communicates with users regularly via email, phone, and in person
• Follows-up on overdue materials and recalls with library users and with other libraries
• Builds cooperative relationships with other libraries to ensure successful borrowing of materials at no or low cost to Montgomery College
• Coordinates retrieval and mailing of items with employees at all three campus libraries for distribution to requesting libraries
• Verifies eligibility of requests and bibliographic information. Conducts complex bibliographic searches to complete citations and conducts in-depth searches on the web and in library databases to locate resources. Places and follows up on requests through the ILLiad system, troubleshooting system errors as necessary
• Utilizes OCLC resource sharing tools, the library management system, research databases, and the interlibrary loan management system to fulfill borrowing and lending requests from MC Library users and other libraries
• Ensures that ILL practices align with U.S. Copyright Law as well as the National Commission on New Technological Use of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) guidelines

Intercampus Loans (ICL)

• Explains library guidelines regarding intercampus loans and troubleshoots problems with requests
• Demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of the library management system’s call slip functionality to provide intercampus loan materials to users in a timely manner
• Verifies request eligibility and bibliographic information
• Retrieves and processes requests with other Montgomery College campus locations to ensure quick turnaround for users

Other Duties

• Stays current with relevant skills through professional development, such as through involvement in professional organizations, regional library organizations, and attending professional meetings, conferences, or workshops
• Prepares and shares information learned from library professional development activities (conferences, trainings, webinars, etc.) with colleagues
• Serves on library and College committees, as appropriate. Reports out important information to library stakeholders
• Stays current with customer service training
• Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills in communication with students, colleagues, and employees as an individual or on a team

Requirements

Your Qualifications

• Strong analytical and project management skills with a demonstrated ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and complete tasks and projects on time with little supervision
• Strong interpersonal communication skills and a demonstrated commitment to delivering high-quality customer service
• Basic knowledge of U.S. copyright law and “fair use” guidelines
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to install, test, evaluate, and troubleshoot hardware/software and devices
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse population in a busy public service setting
• Ability to assess situations, exercise judgment, and interpret guidelines to mediate situations, as necessary
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment
• 1 year of full-time work in a library or 2 years of customer service experience
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Knowledge of current technologies
• Associate Degree from an accredited institution

Preferred:

• Experience working in a library

Working Conditions

Over fifty percent of a Library Assistant's time is spent staffing the Circulation Desk which requires a high level of interpersonal interactions with students, staff, faculty and the general public. Library patrons can be demanding, angry, profane and violent. Some patrons exhibit signs of emotional and or mental health problems that Library Assistants are ill-equipped to handle. This creates a stressful work environment.

The library is dusty and has poor climate control.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to reach top shelves and shelves at floor level (stoop, stretch, climb onto a step stool)
• Ability to lift and shelve books (approximately 10 lbs., maximum)
• Ability to utilize standard office computers and equipment
• Ability to push book carts

Benefits

• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Wellness Resources
• Training & Development
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)