Senior Library Specialist - Funk ACES Library

Senior Library Specialist

Funk ACES Library

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library

FUNCTION: Has direct operational management of the library and is the lead staff member during the early evening hours Monday-Friday. Directly responsible for a significant portion of student assistant hiring, scheduling, and supervision. Functions as the contact person for staff members and student assistants in the absence of the LOA. Supervises staff on and initiates collection management projects. Oversees and runs in-depth reports on collections for the Funk ACES Library. Collaborates with Funk faculty and staff to assess problems or needs, and to suggest solutions for challenging catalog and cataloging problems. Administers all aspects of the Funk ACES Library website and serves as Funk's website point person for Library IT and Funk faculty, staff, and graduate assistants.

Duties and Responsibilities

Staff and student supervision and management

• Has direct operational management of the library and is the lead staff member during the early evening hours Monday-Friday. Serves as the supervisory bridge between daytime and late-night staff members.
• Coordinates with LOA and unit head on probationary evaluations and annual evaluations of the staff members whose work is supervised by this position.
• Coordinates staff interviews for open late-night positions as part of a three-person committee making hiring decisions.
• Enter and manage student schedules in LibStaffer and assists in managing student assistant swaps and absences to ensure adequate coverage for the 100+ hours per week that we are open.
• Works with LOA to interview student assistant applicants.
• Works with LOA to create schedules for 18-22 student assistants each semester.

Collections management and catalog record maintenance

• Supervises late-night staff on collection management projects; oversees and initiates shifting activities in the library to make space for collection expansion, special projects, and expanded study space.
• Coordinates weeding and transfer activities for Funk collections; works with faculty and LOA to implement plans and strategies.
• Conducts high-level review and analysis, complex problem-solving, and detailed correction of ubiquitous holding and item level errors as they occur.
• Routinely interacts with head of Acquisitions and Cataloging Services to assess and resolve complicated access issues.

Website coordinator and technical support

• Responsible for administering all aspects of the Funk ACES Library website, which includes but is not limited to integrating external tools used to render information on the website, like LibAnswers and LibCal; monitoring web content for currency and accuracy; and facilitating proactive and timely communication via website banners.
• Collaborates with the unit head and other Funk faculty, staff, and graduate assistants to develop strategic plans for Funk's website.
• Serves as the primary contact person for Library IT to resolve problems and implement new solutions on the website.
• Provides WordPress training and assistance for Funk graduate assistants.
• Prepares statistical reports for and contributes to assessment of Funk's services, including the website, patron counts, and loanable technology collection.
• Provides crucial and timely support for applications and hardware routinely used by all unit employees.

Circulation Desk supervision

• Intensively trains and supervises student assistants in circulation procedures, searching the catalog, retrieving items, shelving, customer service, technology troubleshooting, and developing appropriate responses to a wide range of patron inquiries.
• Staff supervisor at circulation desk for some portion of every working day. Manages student assistants, oversees circulation and reserves, troubleshoots technology, manages classroom and study room reservations, responds to patron inquiries and needs, and interacts with graduate assistants, faculty, and other staff.

Minimum Qualifications

1. High school diploma or equivalent.
2. Any combination totaling two (2) years (24 months) from the following categories:
1. work experience in a library or equivalent setting.
2. college course work in any field as measured by the following conversion table:
• 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)
3. A total of two (2) years (24 months) work experience in a library or equivalent setting performing progressively more responsible work consistent with the next lower level of this series.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• High-level and comprehensive grasp of complex cataloging rules and variations. Equally high-level ability to correct those problems and/or suggest solutions and alternatives.
• Ability to perform sophisticated and useful collection analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to use technology and applications, including web content management systems, scheduling software, and spreadsheets.
• Ability to respectfully and productively supervise and direct the work of library staff colleagues, graduate assistants, and student assistants. A key skill is to model that collaborative behavior for all unit employees.
• Demonstrated ability to work comfortably with patrons and address their needs and resolve a wide variety of patron issues.
• Ability to perform collection analysis, shifting, transfers, and other similar processing activities.
• Ability to provide positive customer service.
• Ability to work collegially with colleagues.

Responsibility

Supervisory Controls: Incumbent is under supervision of the Funk Library LOA (Library Operations Associate) but is expected to perform duties independently and in a timely manner. Work is prioritized by incumbent who may refer problems or request assistance from other Library staff and librarians.

Guidelines: Guidelines are set by the University, University Library, and the unit head.

Difficulty

All elements of the job require precision and scrupulous accuracy. Collection maintenance and cataloging require complex problem-solving skills and an extensive understanding of cataloging conventions. In addition, a flexible approach to providing solutions to the myriad number of problems these systems can present to working faculty and staff, and the ways that these problems can inhibit patron access.

Personal Relationships:

Personal Contacts

• Interactions with University faculty, staff, students, and public, in person and via phone and email.
• Daily contact with Funk Library faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
• Occasional contact with College of ACES personnel, University Police, and F & S.

Environmental Demands:

Physical Requirements: Position involves bending and moving from location to location throughout the Funk ACES Library. The ability to move books and library material from location to location as well as moving carts filled with books that weigh up to 50 pounds.

Work Environment: Funk Library is a safe, pleasant environment in which to work. The job is performed in a staff work area and at the Funk Circulation Desk.