POOL: Public Services Student Assistant - Spencer Research Library

Center for Public Partnerships & Research; Topeka (KS); On-site; USD 13,000 - 18,000; Part time

Job summary

The Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas is seeking a student hourly to support stacks maintenance, public service, and research assistance. You will handle paging, shelving, and care of archival materials, while staffing the reception and reference desks on a rotating schedule.

Special projects may include events, exhibits, and blog posts. The ideal candidate should be familiar with KU libraries and handling rare materials, with the ability to move books and lift up to 40lbs.

Qualifications

• Availability to work at least 2 hours at a time.
• Previous library experience.
• Experience with rare books/manuscripts/archival material.
• Experience in customer service.
• Reliability and keeping a weekly schedule.
• Great attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Paging, shelving, and careful maintenance of archival material, rare books, and manuscripts.
• Cleaning stacks and public areas, lifting up to 40 lbs as needed.
• Covering the reception desk, answering calls, registering patrons and assisting reference staff.
• Assisting in setup/teardown of events at Spencer Research Library.
• Assisting with special projects and writing blog posts related to collection materials.

Skills

Library experience

Rare books handling

Customer service

Reliability

Attention to detail

Job description

Position Overview

This position is in the Spencer Research Library which houses rare books and manuscripts. The building is located behind Strong Hall. The position duties include paging, shelving, and carefully maintaining the materials. Students will staff the reception and reference desks on a rotating schedule. Cleaning, shifting, and special projects will be assigned on a regular basis. Special projects can include setting up events, assisting curators with collections, shifting in the stacks, developing temporary exhibits, and contributing to the Spencer Blog.

The ideal candidate will have a knowledge of KU libraries and of microfilm and reproduction equipment.

This position requires moving books and some heavy lifting (up to 40lbs).

Job Description

50% - Stacks Maintenance & Collection Care

• Paging, shelving, and carefully maintaining archival material, rare books, and manuscripts.
• Cleaning and maintaining stacks and public areas.
• Shifting books and some heavy lifting (up to 40lbs).

40% - Public Service & Patron Assistance

• Covering reception desk: answering the telephone, registering and interacting with patrons.
• Assisting Reference Librarians in Reading Room as security backup and helping patrons with handling materials as well as microfilm and Bookeye machines.
• Assist in set up and tear down of special events held at Spencer Research Library.

10% - Library Research Support (As Assigned)

• Assisting Spencer Staff in special projects by collecting and transcribing data.
• Writing blog posts and developing small displays related to collection materials.

Required Qualifications

• Availability to work at least 2 hours at a time, as evidenced by application materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous library experience, as evidenced by application materials.
• Experience working with rare books, manuscripts, and/or archival material, as evidenced by application materials.
• Experience working in customer service, as evidenced by application materials.
• Experience requiring being reliable and maintaining a weekly schedule, as evidenced by application materials.
• Experience requiring great attention to detail, as evidenced by application materials.

Position Requirements

During the semester term of the appointment, the student hourly must be enrolled in no fewer than 6 credit hours. For summer periods the student hourly must: (1) have been enrolled in no less than 6 hours in the past spring semester or (2) be pre-enrolled in the upcoming fall semester in no less than 6 hours or (3) be enrolled in summer session or (4) be admitted to study in the upcoming fall semester. Student Hourlies may be undergraduate or graduate students. (Exceptions granted for GRA/GTA/GA appointments DO NOT apply to Student Hourly appointments).

Work hours are between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Students must be available to work Saturdays (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM) on a rotating schedule during the fall and spring semesters (approximately 3-4 Saturdays per semester). The library is open during university breaks.

This position requires moving books and some heavy lifting (up to 40lbs).

Employment Conditions

• Student employees are not eligible for remote work arrangements unless an exception is approved by the unit leadership and HR.
• This is an hourly/non-exempt position. A student employee cannot hold an hourly/non-exempt position and a salaried/exempt graduate or undergraduate position (GRA/GTA/GA/RUA/RGA) concurrently.

Additional Candidate Instructions

• Resume
• Cover letter addressing how the required and preferred qualifications are met
• Names and contact information for 3 professional references.

Application deadline is Tuesday, 9/1/2026, by 11:59PM Central Standard Time.

Contact Information to Applicants

Grace Brazell

[e-mail]

785-864-1487

Advertised Salary Range

$11.00 per hour

Anticipated Start Date

Monday October 5, 2026