Part-time Evening and Weekend Circulation Assistant

About Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts:

At MCLA, we're here for all - and focused on each - of our students. As a 2023 Top Ten Public Liberal Arts College, classes are taught by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive on every level of their lives. Nearly 93% of our graduates land competitive jobs or are accepted by some of the best grad schools in the country. We engage in the most nationally relevant conversations by hosting some of the most celebrated thinkers and speakers on our campus in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, an area known for its mountain ranges, hiking trails, and panoramic views. Our home town of North Adams is brimming with creative energy and the regional economy is booming as a result. In nearly every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed to elevate you as an individual, a leader, and a communicator, fully empowered to make your impression on the world.


Job Description:

Freel Library at MCLA seeks an engaged and service-oriented part-time Circulation Assistant who enjoys working with students and collaborating with others on various projects. This part-time position provides general library assistance to students, faculty, and staff during evening and weekend hours, including circulation, reserves, and basic information services; creates a welcoming atmosphere for MCLA's diverse community of learners; offers responsive, high-quality service; helps oversee all evening library operations and secure the library at closing; periodically walks through the library to conduct surveys, monitor building conditions, and assist visitors; shelves books and retrieves holds; operates library equipment; works on on-going and special projects such as displays, library events, book repair, shelf reading, and shifting in collaboration with staff; helps supervise student library assistants when needed; and provides substitute staffing to cover staff absences when possible..

Responsibilities include:

• Provides general library assistance to students, faculty, and staff during evening and weekend hours, including circulation, reserves, and basic information services.
• Works with library staff to create a welcoming and inclusive library experience for MCLA's diverse community of learners.
• Interacts with students and other library visitors in a friendly, professional manner; ensures library service is responsive to student needs and meets high standards of quality and consistency; resolves problems according to procedures and policies.
• Collaborates with other staff to determine workflow and make decisions about security and service; oversees all library operations and provides general security when serving as sole staff person in the library.
• Performs closing procedures, secures library equipment, and locks library doors at closing during assigned evenings.
• Periodically walks through the library to conduct surveys, monitor building conditions, and assist visitors.
• Assists with on-going and special projects such as displays, library events, inventory, and book repair; participates in shelf reading, shifting, and other stacks maintenance activities.
• Works at the Circulation Desk to register users, check items in and out, maintain circulation and attendance records, answer telephone inquiries, and complete tasks such as shelving, holds retrieval, and van delivery processing.
• Operates and troubleshoots library equipment including printers, scanners, and microfilm readers; assists students and library visitors with use of the catalog, microfilm reader, and other library equipment.
• In the absence of Reference Librarians, helps patrons locate items and perform basic database searches to find information; refers patrons to the Reference staff for further assistance.
• Maintains knowledge of Freel Library circulation policies and resources, including the catalog and subscription databases along with other resources available to MCLA students.
• Helps supervise Student Library Assistants who work evening or weekend hours.
• Helps staff the library during campus closures due to inclement weather.
• Provides substitute staffing for staff absences, when possible.
• Assists with other general library duties as requested by the Associate Dean of Library Services.

Requirements:

• BA or BS degree from accredited institution of higher learning preferred
• General knowledge of library operations and procedures
• Experience with library circulation software and basic knowledge of Library of Congress classification system preferred
• Familiarity with current technology and knowledge of Word and basic Excel
• Ability to work with detail accurately and learn new computer applications
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience interacting with library visitors or customers effectively
• Ability to work with a diverse population and help create a welcoming, inclusive library environment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and with others in a collaborative environment
• Reliability, flexibility, and commitment to provide excellent customer service required
• Basic understanding of research principles, database searching, or experience in academic library a plus

Physical Requirements:

• Work involves constant light to moderate physical activity including walking and standing for extended periods of time
• Ability to bend, reach, climb stairs, push book trucks, and lift materials weighing up to 40 lbs. is necessary
• Sufficient vision is essential to read, sort, shelve, shelf-read library materials, create and maintain patron records, and use multiple computer programs
• Moderate to extensive computer work required

Additional Information:

• This position is scheduled to work approximately 30 weeks per year during the fall and spring semesters when classes are in session; this position is not scheduled to work during breaks in the academic calendar (Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break) or summer.
• For Fall 2023, it is anticipated that this position will be scheduled to work 12 hours per week; exact shifts to be determined, but they will fall between the hours of 4-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday.
• There will also be opportunities to provide substitute coverage for staff absences throughout the library's weekly operating hours.
• The library is open on most state holidays (e.g., Indigenous People's Day; Veterans Day), and this position is expected to work any regularly scheduled hours on those days.
• The number and timing of hours scheduled for this position may change in response to the library's staffing needs.

The salary for this position is $15.50/hour.

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts strongly encourages employees to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control recommendation is that everyone aged 6 and up should get 1 updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of whether they've received any original COVID-19 vaccines.

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. Should you need to request a reasonable accommodation for the application process, please email Barbara Chaput, Chief Human Resources Officer.

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is deeply committed to fostering a community of excellence, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We provide equal access to educational, co-curricular and employment opportunities for all applicants, students, and employees regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital or parental status, veteran status, or membership in any other legally protected class. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts does not discriminate on the basis of sex in any educational program or activity that they operate, which extends to admission and employment.

Inquiries about Title IX, Equal Opportunity, or ADA/504 and other non-discrimination policies may be directed to MCLA's Title IX Coordinator and Equal Opportunity Officer, to the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, or both.

Patrick Connelly
Title IX Coordinator and Equal Opportunity Officer
375 Church Street, North Adams, MA 01247
Phone: (413) 662-5127
patrick.connelly@mcla.edu

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
33 Arch Street, 9th Floor Boston, MA 02119-1424
Telephone: (617) 289-0111; FAX: (617) 289-0150; TDD (877) 521-2172
OCR.Boston@ed.gov


Application Instructions:

Interested individuals must electronically submit a resume and letter of interest by clicking on the APPLY NOW button below. Applications will be reviewed immediately and will be accepted until the position is filled.