Circulation Specialist

William & Mary; United States; On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

William & Mary Libraries is seeking a Circulation Specialist to serve at Swem Library, greeting visitors and supporting access to collections. The role emphasizes leadership of student employees, dependable service, and smooth daily operations in a busy academic library.

Reporting to the Head of Circulation, you will staff the circulation desk, assist with delivery, reserves, and stacks, and coordinate building operations, including evenings and weekends as needed.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma required.
• Experience in customer service.
• Experience hiring, training, supervising or directing others.
• Ability to prioritize, interpret and apply policies, and solve problems.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of student employees by assigning and prioritizing work, answering questions, providing training, and modeling professional, patron-centered service.
• Provide day-to-day coaching, feedback, and mentoring that builds consistent service quality and supports students' professional growth.
• Ensure student employees understand and apply library policies, procedures, service expectations, and workplace responsibilities.
• Deliver excellent, welcoming service at the circulation desk: checking materials in and out, resolving patron questions, and interpreting library policies with sound judgment and care.
• Serve as a knowledgeable, go-to resource on library services, systems, spaces, and campus resources.
• Foster a welcoming environment for library users, student employees, colleagues, and campus partners.
• Coordinate delivery services with library partners to ensure timely transport of physical and electronic materials.
• Maintain the organization and accessibility of Swem Library's collections, including off-site storage.
• Plan, coordinate, and monitor stacks maintenance projects, including shifting, shelf reading, and collection management that keep collections discoverable and well cared for.
• Support billing workflows, including price lookups, work orders, and patron account maintenance in Alma.
• Support the course reserves workflow by processing requests, communicating with faculty, and ensuring timely, accurate completion in support of student success.
• Routinely serve as the person in charge of the library, ensuring the safety and security of people, collections, and facilities.
• Understand and apply building safety procedures, operate the PA system, and respond appropriately.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Supervising

Problem solving

Microsoft Office

Independent work

Education

High School Diploma

Bachelor's degree (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Requisition

JR102127 Circulation Specialist (Open)

Job Posting Title: Circulation Specialist

Department: CC00054 WM001 | SWEM | Swem Library Operating

Job Family: Staff - Library Support

Worker Sub-Type: Regular (benefited)

Job Requisition Primary Location: William & Mary

Primary Job Posting Location: Posting Location - William & Mary

Job Description Summary

William & Mary Libraries welcomes more than 600,000 visitors each year, and the Circulation team is often their first point of contact. We seek a Circulation Specialist who will serve as a knowledgeable, welcoming presence at the heart of Swem Library - someone who takes pride in excellent service, enjoys developing student employees, and keeps the daily operations of a busy academic library running smoothly.

Job Description

Reporting to the Head of Circulation, the Circulation Specialist staffs the circulation desk, supports access to library collections and facilities, and leads a team of student employees. The position plays a key role in daily access services operations including delivery services, course reserves, stacks maintenance, billing, and facilities coordination and regularly serves as the person in charge of the building. This is an excellent opportunity for a service-oriented professional who wants to grow their leadership skills while contributing to the teaching, learning, and research mission of one of the nation's top-ranked university libraries.

This position follows a rotational schedule and requires some flexibility. Shifts are typically Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. or 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., with occasional evenings and weekends as needed.

Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma.
• Experience working in a customer service environment.
• Experience hiring, training, supervising, mentoring, or directing the work of others.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize assignments, interpret and apply policies and procedures, and solve problems independently.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and adapt to changing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with a wide variety of people.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• Previous experience working in a library.
• Experience using an integrated library system (e.g., Alma).
• Experience with inventory management, collection maintenance, or library stacks.
• Experience coordinating projects or workflows.

Conditions of Employment

• This position requires a valid driver's license.
• This is a non-exempt position, eligible to receive overtime in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. This position may be subject to overtime during high peak times, etc. as directed and approved by the supervisor.
• This position follows a rotational schedule and requires some flexibility. Shifts are typically Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. or 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., with occasional evenings and weekends as needed.

Duties

• 35%- Leading and Supporting Student Employees:
  Lead a team of student employees by assigning and prioritizing work, answering questions, providing training, and modeling professional, patron-centered service.
  Provide day-to-day coaching, feedback, and mentoring that builds consistent service quality and supports students' professional growth.
  Ensure student employees understand and apply library policies, procedures, service expectations, and workplace responsibilities.
• 25%- Service Desk and Patron Support:
  Deliver excellent, welcoming service at the circulation desk: checking materials in and out, resolving patron questions, and interpreting library policies with sound judgment and care.
  Serve as a knowledgeable, go-to resource on library services, systems, spaces, and campus resources.
  Foster a welcoming environment for library users, student employees, colleagues, and campus partners.
• 20%- Circulation and Access Services Operations:
  Coordinate delivery services with library partners to ensure timely transport of physical and electronic materials.
  Maintain the organization and accessibility of Swem Library's collections, including off-site storage.
  Plan, coordinate, and monitor stacks maintenance projects, including shifting, shelf reading, and collection management that keep collections discoverable and well cared for.
  Support billing workflows, including price lookups, work orders, and patron account maintenance in Alma.
  Support the course reserves workflow by processing requests, communicating with faculty, and ensuring timely, accurate completion in support of student success.
• 15%- Facilities, Safety, and Security:
  Routinely serve as the person in charge of the library, ensuring the safety and security of people, collections, and facilities.
  Understand and apply building safety procedures, operate the PA system, and respond appropriately d