Library Student Employees

Library Student Employees Matt Anderson

Library Student Assistants • Make it possible to be open at odd hours • Can do routine work, freeing librarians to do more complex tasks • Can work brief shifts • Bring valuable, hard-to-find skills (like foreign languages or technical skills) • Are not replacements for full-time people

Library Student Assistants • Student assistants in the past: • Emerged in 1800s • Didn’t work with the public until the 1930s • Usually handled card-filing and basic preservation of materials • Were in demand in the 1970s to help improve cultural diversity of the library staff • Source: Sweetman, K.B. (2007). Managing student assistants: a how-to-do-it manual for librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman.

Library Student Assistants • In access services: • 75% of ARL libraries have more student employees now than they did in 1995 • Often fill positions as: • Acquisitions assistants • Circulation desk assistants • Government information assistants • Interlibrary loan aides • Reserve desk assistants • Shelvers

Why Students Work in Libraries • As a student, what would make you apply to work in a library?

Why Students Work in Libraries • Students want to work at libraries because: • They can work night and weekend hours • There is access to materials they need • They see libraries as a place where they can socialize with their friends

Why Students Work in Libraries • The primary reason students choose to work in libraries: • 42% “learning to balance my time between work and studies” • 21.1% “purely to earn money” • 21.1% “training myself to be a responsible person” • 15.8% “gaining some work experience” • Source: Yang, Z.Y. (2007). “Survey of interlibrary loan and document delivery student assistants' job satisfaction: communication and feedback.” Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Information Supply 17 (4), p. 149-159.

Why Students Work in Libraries • Studies indicate on-campus jobs increase the likelihood of graduation

Your New Job • When you interview for an academic librarian job, do you ask about the library’s student employees?

Your New Job • It is important to adapt to the library’s culture at first, rather than imposing changes • People do not want to hear about how different things were at your last library • Asking existing employees about themselves is like an informal interview • Identifying each individual’s needs is important

Recruiting and Interviewing Students • Students can have many different statuses, including: • Volunteer • Research assistant • Intern • Hourly • Fellow • Federal Work-Study

Recruiting and Interviewing Students • Federal Work-Study • Allows students to earn money while attending school without having to repay • Students must be at least half-time • At some institutions, FWS makes for a higher hourly wage • Institutions only end up paying 25-50% of the wage • FWS employees can be reassigned

Recruiting and Interviewing Students • The interview should address: • Experience (but not be totally based on experience) • Technical knowledge • Creativity • Experience working with the public • What the student likes about the library and the collection • Future plans (but realize that many students change their plans fairly often)

Training a Student Employee • Employees without much work experience need A LOT of training and repetition • Training two 20-hour students takes more time than training one 40-hour employee

Training a Student Employee • Nothing can ruin the student’s experience faster than miscommunication with a supervisor

The Student’s Experience • Yang’s survey of 19 (17 undergrads and 2 grad students) student assistants at Texas A&M found: • Only 5.3% felt daily job assignments were too large • 15.8% said their supervisor had not trained them thoroughly • 57.9% thought they worked as hard as their supervisors • Fewer than half would like to have a student training manual • 84.2% preferred supervisors to offer feedback in person

The Student’s Experience • 68.4% felt free to voice frustrations to supervisors • 89.5% felt free to voice frustrations to other staff members • Source: Yang, Z.Y. (2007). “Survey of interlibrary loan and document delivery student assistants' job satisfaction: communication and feedback.” Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Information Supply 17 (4), p. 149-159.

The Student’s Experience • Problematic student employees: • Complain • Procrastinate • Become lazy • Have low morale • Are absent or late • Have personal problems • Have personality problems • Refuse to do things • Gossip • Dress inappropriately

Communication • When communicating with student employees face-to-face: • Listen • Smile • Acknowledge their good work

Communication • When communicating with student employees via email: • Avoid rambling • Proof what you send them • Make sure your audience can understand what you mean • Don’t work too hard on trying to impress

Good Student Assistants • Will have a more positive academic experience for having worked in a library • Will help you get work done • Will make you a better librarian

Library Student Employees • Questions? Comments?

Library Student Employees