Job Title : Evening Information Associate and Resource Sharing Specialist
Location : Richmond, VA 23284 (VCU area)
Company : Virginia Commonwealth University
Salary :
Open Date : 2023-03-24
Close Date : 2023-07-24

Access Services (AS) is a newly formed department of both front-line customer service providers and interlibrary borrowing and loan services specialists at James Branch Cabell Library. This Information Associate and Resource Sharing Specialist position will split these responsibilities evenly, with 20 hours per week spent on interlibrary lending or borrowing activities, and 20 hours per week spent on assisting users. The position will report to the Evening Supervisor and Assistant Circulation Manager in IS&LS, with a dotted line reporting structure to the Interlibrary Loan Lending Specialist in ILL. This position is not eligible for a remote work schedule.

The purpose of Access Services is to introduce VCU community members to library services, staff, and information resources that will advance their academic success and research endeavors from start to finish. We value an exceptional level of customer service; building relationships with faculty, students, staff and community members; and making Cabell Library an accessible, friendly, welcoming atmosphere for study and learning.

The purpose of Access Services’ robust Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service is to support the research, teaching, educational, clinical care and administrative needs of VCU faculty, staff, students and the VCU Health System employees by providing access to and delivering materials that are either not available or licensed by VCU Libraries (through interlibrary loan), or that are available in the VCU Libraries collections or licensed by VCU Libraries (through delivery).

Front-line service employees at VCU Libraries interact with hundreds of library users each day, and the expectation is that every user will have a positive experience and excellent customer service. All VCU Libraries employees are expected to comply with VCU Code of Conduct at all times.

The Information Associate and Resource Sharing Specialist will be expected to work from 5:30pm through 2:30am Sunday through Thursday during academic semesters. When Cabell Library reduces building hours during breaks and summer, this schedule will be modified as necessary. It is expected that there will be a temporary schedule adjustment for the first several weeks of work so that training by ILL staff can be held during their regular working hours (tentative training schedule: 12pm-9pm, Monday through Friday). Once training is completed, this position will move to the 5:30pm-2:30am shift. Although primarily located in Cabell Library, this position may be expected to work at other on-campus storage locations and the Health Sciences Library on the MCV campus.

Typical Duties

Assisting users with their research needs:

• Identifying materials appropriate to users’ needs and skill levels

• Maintaining a working knowledge of the VCU Libraries’ suite of research tools and collections, as well as university and library services, policies and practices.

• Providing research service in person at Cabell Library’s main service point and via email, phone, chat, and text.

• Referring patrons to librarians and other library and university departments as needed.

Providing access to library materials:

• Circulating materials such as books, DVDs, equipment, etc. to users

• Maintaining patron records in Alma, VCU Libraries’ Integrated Library System.

• Implementing borrowing policies, and explaining them to users as necessary.

• Assisting patrons in locating library materials, using their knowledge of the Library of Congress classification system

• Processing the payment of library fines and fees accurately, and following procedures for correct cash handling.

Assisting users with all aspects of library use:

• Providing directional assistance to services and materials at Cabell Library and at VCU.

• Monitoring library facilities and reporting problems to appropriate teams.

• Maintaining a working knowledge of internet searching, and the use of public equipment (OnePrint, scanners, wireless monitors, etc.)

Interlibrary Loan Responsibilities

• Participate in the daily operations of the Interlibrary Loan team while meeting expectations for customer service and quality of work.
  
• Process material requests using the ILLiad and Alma systems; print pull slips at library locations, troubleshoot missing items, check pulled library materials for accuracy.
  
• Fill lending requests in DOCLINE, RapidILL and other services; report inaccurate holdings information to other library departments as necessary; determine eligibility of items for interlibrary lending.
  
• Locate and retrieve requested materials using resources such as Alma, Primo, PubMed, and others.
  
• Scan library materials for electronic delivery to patrons; ensure quality of scanned materials, double checking student assistant scans if necessary; monitor status of requests and make sure they get delivered properly.
  
• Assist with shipping and receiving of library materials; check condition of materials and update material status; follow up on shipping problems with UPS, USPS, campus mail and others.
  
• Assist with checking new users and clearing new accounts.
  
• Maintain attention to detail in all aspects of work.
  
• Stay current in knowledge of library policies and procedures; may assign work to or answer questions from student assistants when necessary.
  
• Communicate effectively and professionally with both colleagues and library users; respond to questions from internal and external users via the departmental email.
  
  

Typical Education and Experience

High school diploma or equivalent

Ability to deliver outstanding customer service

Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills

Ability to take initiative and work independently

Good collaboration and problem-solving skills

Ability to meet deadlines and manage competing priorities

Demonstrated flexibility when working independently and on teams

Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Previous work experience in a service environment,

Previous work experience in a library, especially an academic library.

Experience with Ex Libris’ Alma or other similar software systems

Experience with ILLiad or other similar software systems

Experience working late night hours

Experience with virtual work and supervision

Experience working in a changing environment, and adaptability to technology and software upgrades

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