Senior Library Specialist - 1024719-6689

at University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, United States

Job Description

1. Manages circulation/reference desk schedule and staffing.
2. Answers phone calls and patron inquiries. This work includes offering directional as well as reference assistance.
3. Carries out shelving as needed.
4. Interprets and explains library circulation policies.
5. Authorizes special permission loans.
6. Works shifts at the circulation desk and assists patrons with circulation transactions; covers shift gaps as needed.
7. Develops policies and supervises management of manual charges for 4000+ non-circulating items, located in Ricker's Closed Stacks, Reference Room, and Vault locations, which includes books, serials and other formats.
8. Exercises discretion in granting exceptions to general policies and procedures based on need or circumstance.

1. Through effective reference interview techniques, elicits the reference and information needs of users and identifies appropriate information resources (materials and/or personnel) for their research needs.
2. Provides one-on-one instruction for library users on the effective use of print and electronic materials in Ricker, including the use of scanner technology.
3. Provides formal and informal instruction on the use of bibliographic tools, such as JSTOR, BHA, ARTbibliographies modern, and AVERY Index to Architectural Periodicals.
4. Provides assistance and guidance in the use of the collection to patrons, explains the arrangement of the UIUC Libraries' collections, and answers complex questions regarding Ricker's holdings.
5. Provides assistance and guidance through the use of the OPAC.
6. Maintains knowledge of the resources on Ricker's website and other web sites throughout the UIUC Library system.
7. Makes appropriate referrals of users with intensive reference and instruction needs to subject specialists.
8. Assists with library tours as needed.
9. Explains Library records and interprets Library policies to patrons; authorizes override of item loan periods as appropriate for special circumstances.
10. Assists patrons with preparation of interlibrary loan requests for materials not held locally.
11. Searches and oversees data entry into unit's non-Alma databases (used primarily for discovery and bibliographic control of reference, uncatalogued, gift and new books).
12. Assists in providing user education sessions to classes.
13. Oversees unit in the absence of the librarian.

1. Maintains and provides oversight on all monographs and serials currently held in Ricker Library, ensuring best practices for workflows and accuracy are followed. These materials are in multiple languages.
2. Develops and coordinates collection management projects for monographic and serial holdings in Ricker Library.
3. Processes all new monographs arriving in Ricker Library from Acquisitions. If necessary, notifies requestors of the arrival of items.
4. Oversees, maintains, and advises on the reference and special (subject-based) collections.
5. Serves as the library staff liaison with faculty and students on the status of library materials.
6. Searches OCLC and other bibliographic sources to ascertain title changes and cessation of serials in all Western European languages.
7. Identifies, evaluates, and advises subject specialists on claims for monographic orders.
8. Identifies and advises on the transfer of materials to and from the Central Bookstacks and Oak Street High Density Facility.
9. Evaluates and prepares materials in need of repair or preservation.
10. Serves as the contact person for preservation and conservation repairs.
11. Approves Conservation repair proposals.
12. Creates Preservation and Conservation projects and processes the materials in coordination with each department.
13. Manages all aspects of the missing report lists, including supervising student employees on complex searching for lost and missing books.
14. Screens for errors and reconciles problems with unmatched or missing labels and materials. Works with ACS to establish uniform labeling procedures and resolve problems.
15. Serves as stacks manager, scheduling and overseeing shifting projects as needed as well as regular shelf reading and inventory work.
16. Supervises and/or searches for materials not on the shelves and orders needed replacements.
17. Identifies and recommends for transfer to Ricker Library volumes from other UIUC Library locations (e.g., Main Library Stacks).
    

1. Diagnoses bibliographic and holdings problems in the online catalog or the Alma modules and performs Item Holding Record maintenance on monographs and serials requiring holdings corrections.
2. Processes serials binding, updates the cataloging records and submits claims and corrections to Acquisitions and Content Access Management for titles to be held in Ricker Library, Central Bookstacks, and Oak Street High Density Facility.
3. Performs quality assurance checks and corrects bibliographic and holdings records for incoming bound serials to Ricker Library.
4. Coordinates with Acquisitions and Content Access Management to resolve the more complex holding and cataloging corrections for monographs and serials.
5. Identifies and reports problems connected with the Primo and Alma clients, as well as online research resources.
6. Vets new cataloging for monographs and monographic continuation volumes as received; verifies consistency of subject tracings with items already owned.
7. Verifies notes and links to earlier editions / earlier volumes, verifies correctness of call number assignments.
8. Searches for the correct bibliographic records for monographs and serials, using utilizing OCLC to supply cataloging records for complicated entries including uniform titles and corporate bodies.
   

1. Suggests new materials to be ordered based on knowledge of the collections, consultation of bibliographic sources, and observed user needs.
2. Conducts preordering searches for materials in Western European languages using a wide range of bibliographic tools (Primo, OCLC, domestic and international library catalogs), books in print sources (domestic and international), and publishers' material (print and online) to determine author and title information, publication data, availability, and price for use in ordering materials. Researches potential orders and performs complex bibliographic searches to determine if materials under consideration are already available in alternate form or edition or previously appeared in another language, as part of an encyclopedia series, or as a journal special issue.
3. Preordering searches in secondhand catalogs (print and online) in Western European languages for ordering out-of-print material.
4. Monitors publication of standing order monographic continuations; identifies and initiates claims for standing order titles not received.
5. Firm orders requested and replacement monographs as well as unreceived serial issues ineligible for claiming.
6. Provides training and ongoing support to library faculty and graduate students in acquisition policies and procedures.
7. Processes gift book donations under the direction of the Library Head and drafts gift letters. Conducts workflow processes to send gift book candidates to Melanie Rusk to be processed for the UIUC collection.
   

1. Supervises the Library Specialist, including hiring, training, and evaluation.
2. Supervises the Graduate Hourly Evening/Weekend supervisors, including hiring, training and evaluation.
3. Provides ongoing, constructive feedback to unit's LS regarding the Library Specialist's job performance and ways to improve performance.
4. Approves the Library Specialist's and graduate hourly supervisors' timesheets, time off requests, sick leave.
5. Coordinates with the Head of the unit on projects for the graduate hourly workers.
6. Supervises stacks maintenance projects conducted by student assistants.
7. Oversees and develops recommendations for student wage budget, in consultation with the Library Specialist.
8. Serves as a resource to unit's other LS in resolving complex questions or concerns regarding scheduling, circulation, reserves, student assistant wage budget; and/or supervising undergraduate student assistants; explains policy and historical basis for current procedures.
9. Reviews and/or vets the updating and development of new procedures for circulation and/or reserves processing that are initiated by unit's LS.
10. Liaise with Library Facilities on equipment, physical space planning, and problem solving in Ricker Library and coordinating these activities with the unit Head and library staff.
11. Serves as primary contact person for all facilities concerns in Ricker, including security, HVAC, lighting and equipment.
12. Coordinates distribution of library keys to staff and sets policy regarding key distribution.
13. Provides troubleshooting for all IT issues. Primary contact person for all IT issues including creation of Alma accounts, printers, scanners and library workstations.
14. Resolves problems by evaluating new and unusual situations and adapts policy and procedures in solving problems.
15. Identifies emerging user trends and advises on the development or revision of library policies and procedures to support traditional and emergent services to users.
16. Develops and administers policies and procedures with regards to circulation and customer service in conjunction with the unit Head for efficient operations for Ricker.
17. Coordinates library emergency procedures relating to Ricker.
18. Coordinates the collection and reporting of statistical data including circulation statistics and library user counts for the Library Administration.

• 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months)
• Associate's Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months)
• 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months)
• Bachelor's Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years (36 months)

• Ability to apply methods, practices and policies developed for the library setting, and the skill necessary to synthesize, supervise and train others in these aspects.
• Organizational skills for managing a public service unit, as well as the good verbal and written interpersonal skills to interact with a diverse community of coworkers and users.
• Ability to work independently, to analyze and adapt to varied and changing operational situations is essential.
• Competence with and the initiative to learn, computer-based skills used in the performance of the different duties of the job is essential.
• In-depth knowledge of digital and print resources is critical to success in this position.
• Ability to work with and, when judged necessary, to develop and implement new Library knowledge management systems and infrastructure desirable, including the structure and functions of reference tools and online indexes, classification systems, circulation policies, and related facets of librarianship.
• Knowledge to perform complex searching and validation and correction of catalog records.
• Knowledge sufficient to assess the condition of older or fragile items in collection and be able to identify those items requiring immediate attention and repair.
• Ability to handle bibliographic information, records, and queries in English and several modern European languages.
• Working knowledge of all aspects of unit operations, sufficient to oversee and assess work completed in unit.
• Ability to make recommendations to head librarian on student wage budget.
• Competency to manage unit personnel (training, work assignments, scheduling, evaluations) and to define unit procedures for operating and ability to analyze workflow.
• Ability to interpret and verify complicated bibliographic records and has an eye for detail.
• Knowledge to interpret complicated bibliographic and holdings records and to understand and recognize application of policies and best practice cataloging to create such records.
• Knowledge and skills to conduct advanced reference interview with end users and to help them find answers to complex questions relating to scholarly art and architecture resources; requires in-depth knowledge of both general (e.g., Alma, Primo, WorldCat, JSTOR) and art and architecture specific (e.g., Avery, ABM, BHA, Art & Architecture Source) tools.