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?