PT Library Associate / Lending Services

Public Library Of Princ; Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 35,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Public Library Of Princ seeks a friendly public service professional to assist patrons at the checkout desk and via phone and email. The role includes reader advisory, data entry, reporting, and collection maintenance, with opportunities to lead special projects and outreach.

Strong communication and collaboration are essential. Responsibilities include answering questions, processing check-ins/outs, managing holds, assisting with memberships, and promoting library services.

Qualifications

• Experience in delivering excellent customer service in a public setting.
• Ability to assist with reader advisory and information needs.
• Proficiency with Google applications and Microsoft Excel.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Create a friendly, welcoming environment for library visitors.
• Answer questions and assist via desks, phone, chat, and email.
• Process daily materials delivery and manage holds, check-in/out, and payments.
• Assist with signing up for library cards and creating online memberships.
• Research and recommend books, movies, and music for all ages.
• Maintain accurate data in the user database and generate daily reports.
• Train and onboard new staff and volunteers.
• Lead process improvements to enhance customer service and efficiency.
• Ensure safety and security of staff and patrons, and keep the library clean and inviting.

Skills

Customer service

Reader advisory

Google apps

Microsoft Excel

Spanish language

Education

Associate’s degree with customer service or direct library experience

Job description

Serves as a member of the Lending Services department, providing assistance to library users at the library’s checkout desk, and via phone and email. Conducts reader advisory, data entry, reporting, and collection maintenance, including shelving materials and refreshing book displays, and leads special projects. Encourages library use through meaningful conversation about the library’s collection, services, and events. Knowledgeable about all aspects of the library, approachable, adept at communicating effectively, and committed to providing an excellent customer service experience.

Responsibilities

• Create a friendly, warm, and welcoming environment for all library visitors;
• Answer questions and provide assistance via the public service desks, phone, chat, and email;
• Process the daily delivery of library materials, including check-in and check-out, managing holds, troubleshooting issues, and processing payments;
• Assist visitors with signing up for library cards and creating online membership accounts;
• Research and recommend the latest books, movies, and music for people of all ages;
• Open and close the library efficiently and effectively according to departmental procedures;
• Perform data entry to maintain the library user database, generating daily statistical reports;
• Assist with onboarding and training new departmental staff and volunteers;
• Develop and implement new processes that improve customer service and increase departmental efficiencies;
• Maintain constant awareness of the safety and security of staff and members of the public, taking steps to correct potential problems;
• Take pride in the library, ensuring it is clean, inviting, and in good repair;
• Promote library services via outreach events, as needed;
• Participate in training and continuing educational opportunities;
• Contribute to monthly, annual, and other reports, as needed; and
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree with customer service or direct library experience, or an equivalent combination of training and experience;
• Passion for public libraries and for sharing knowledge and appreciation of literature, technology, and other library resources;
• Demonstrated technology literacy, with specific knowledge in Google applications and competency in Microsoft Excel;
• Commitment to effective and creative collaboration;
• Adept at making quick, sound decisions, and at demonstrating ingenuity and exercising independent judgment;
• Adept at project and time management, and at thinking methodically and paying attention to detail;
• Excellent customer service skills and commitment to always providing an exemplary user experience and a culturally competent approach to working with the public;
• Active, patient listener who quickly and accurately understands people’s needs.

Position Requirements

• New Jersey residency required by the “New Jersey First Act”, N.J.S.A. 52:14-7 (L. 2011, Chapter 70). If you do not reside in New Jersey, you have one year after the date you take your employment to relocate your residence to New Jersey. If you do not do so, you are subject to removal from your position.
• Must be able to work a minimum of one evening per week and two weekend days per month;
• Able to work with or without reasonable accommodation in a shared work area, to stand and move around for three or more hours at a time. This position will keep you ‘on the move’ every day: You need to stand, walk, sit, bend, stoop, kneel, twist, climb and push/pull. You will need the ability to lift up to 25 pounds.
• Must have the ability to reach, move book crates that could weigh up to 75 pounds when full, and move book carts that could weigh up to 200 pounds when full.
• Able to work in areas that contain cleaning odors, dust and other possible allergens
• Able to perform extensive alphabetizing beyond the first letter of a word.
• Ability to perform numerical filing beyond the initial digit of a sequence of figures.
• Must be able to work of one evening per week and two weekend days per month;
• Bilingual Spanish language skills are highly desired.

Library Values

• Learning and teaching
• Equity and inclusion
• Clarity and transparency
• Kindness and an assumption of good faith
• Humility and teamwork
• Creativity and collaboration
• Optimism and accountability

Library Culture

• We exceed our community members’ expectations. The exemplary customer service that we provide for our members and guests is what sets us apart from other libraries.
• We value diversity, equity and inclusion. The library is stronger when we bring varied perspectives to the work of serving a growing and increasingly diverse community.
• We innovate. The library’s staff, boards and stakeholders are bold and creative. We think about new ways to improve our community every day.
• We educate and enrich. We curate extraordinary collections and research tools, constantly develop our level of expertise and offer classes, lectures and events that complement these resources and services.
• We listen. We want to hear from everyone about how well we are doing in meeting their needs and how we can do better; we analyze evidence and question our assumptions and we commit ourselves fully to making thoughtful changes.
• We collaborate. We are eager to learn and love to lead. We consult with and support colleagues at other libraries and community partners in order to ensure our ability to implement the ideas that best meet our community members’ needs.
• We steward. The library is a beautiful, welcoming, versatile building and collection, a world class resource that is owned by our community, funded through public-private partnership and entrusted to the management of a dedicated and talented library staff.