Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery

Purpose: Provide support to the Reference Department

Reports to: Reference Technician

Duties include:

• Routine pickup of the reference room (this includes books, microforms, journals, and other materials housed in this area)
• Sort materials and return non-reference materials to the appropriate areas
• Arrange reference books by Library of Congress classification, Abstracts and Indexes alphabetically, Federal documents by SuDOC classification, and Maryland documents by Maryland depository classification
• Shelf read Reference collections two to three hours per week and straighten the book shelves
• Sort and distribute mail
• Clean computer equipment in the department and public areas
• Perform other routine tasks, i.e. photocopying, retrieving, filing, shifting, etc
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills required: The student must have basic computer skills, including knowledge of word processing. Training will be provided for the layout of the reference room, various classification systems, and other assigned duties. The student must have the ability to work with minimal supervision and be able to pay attention to detail. The ability to lift heavy books, push book trucks, and shelve materials at various heights is required. Other duties as assigned may require the student to have a basic understanding of how information is organized, technical competence with computers and databases, word processing, Excel spreadsheets, HTML, PHP, and production software.

Schedule: Student will work ten hours per week. Work hours are flexible within the time frame of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pay Scale: Entry level

Rev. 8/10/2006

Purpose: Provide support to the Reference Department by processing Government (Federal and/or Maryland State) documents.

Reports to: Drew Alfgren, Reference Librarian

Duties include:

• Unpack, receive and process incoming government document materials
• Shelve and arrange materials by Federal documents by SuDOC classification, Maryland documents by Maryland depository classification, and maps in appropriate order
• Shelf read Government Document collections two to three hours per week and straighten the shelves and storage drawers
• Shift collection when necessary
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills required: The student must have basic computer skills, including knowledge of word processing. Training will be provided for the layout of the reference room, various classification systems, and other assigned duties. The student must have the ability to work with minimal supervision and be able to pay attention to detail. The ability to lift heavy books, push book trucks, and shelve materials at various heights is required. Other duties as assigned may require the student to have a basic understanding of how information is organized, technical competence with computers and databases, word processing, Excel spreadsheets, HTML, PHP, and production software.

Schedule: Student will work ten hours per week. Work hours are flexible within the time frame of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pay Scale: Entry level

Rev. 8/10/2006

Purpose: Provide support for Reference Department by working with the public at the Reference/Information Desk.

Reports to: Reference Technician

Duties include:

A. Work at the Reference/Information desk.

1. Provide answers to directional questions
2. Offer assistance in basic research strategies
3. Instruct in use of catalogusmai
4. Provide basic instruction with online databases
5. Collaborate with librarians on difficult queries
6. Other duties as assigned.

B. Assist with clerical tasks.

C. Shelve materials and perform stacks duties.

D. Work on special projects as assigned.

Skills: Must have above average communication skills. Must have ability to listen and verbalize very carefully when interacting with users (in person or via telephone). Must be responsible and adhere to posted schedule. Must undergo extensive training to learn basic Reference service and locations of reference resources; must understand Library of Congress filing procedures for arrangement of books on shelves. Must be able to work independently and with minimal supervision.

Schedule: May require specific morning, evening, and weekend hours. Minimum of 10 hours per week.

Pay Scale: Entry level, plus additional compensation after reference service training complete.

Rev. 8/8/2006

Purpose: Provide support for Reference Department by assisting with web development activities, compiling data, and producing reports.

Reports to: Janet Hack, Reference & Web Services Librarian

Duties: The Reference Student - Web Assistant will assist the web librarian by:

• Assisting with database design and maintenance
• Assisting with editing/creating web pages and services
• Assisting with usability studies and focus groups to assess the library's website and services, including conducting surveys and interviews with library patrons and UMBC students
• Compiling results of assessment activities and assisting with other special reports
• May also have the opportunity to participate in and provide support for various other reference-related projects.

Skills required: The assistant should have a basic understanding of how information is organized, technical competence with computers and databases, word processing and common office software, experience with HTML, and ability and aptitude to learn basic PHP and MySQL. The assistant should also be motivated, able to work in a team-based collaborative environment or independently, and possess excellent oral and written communication skills. The assistant must also display demonstrated professionalism, good judgment skills, excellent public service orientation, and exceptional interpersonal skills.

Schedule: 15 hours per week during the Fall and Spring semesters; work hours are somewhat flexible.

Pay Scale: Special Reference Student

Rev. 11/19/2007