Research & Public Services Assistant (6759C) Library, #87420

University of California; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 44,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

UC benefits

Part-time 20 hours/week

Job summary

University of California, Berkeley is seeking a Research & Public Services Assistant to provide in-person and virtual public service support within the Social Sciences Division libraries, assisting with reference and research guidance through LibAnswers and other resources.

You will help develop research guides, support students and faculty, and collaborate with library colleagues to ensure smooth public service operations; training for student employees will also be part of the role.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience in an academic library.
• Strong reference and research support skills.
• Ability to train student employees and supervise staff.

Responsibilities

• Circulation desk support and public service assistance.
• Provide advanced reference and research guidance to patrons.
• Develop and maintain web resources and research guides.
• Train and assess student employees; ensure continuity of service.

Skills

Academic catalogs

Library databases

Office software

Communication

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

LibAnswers

Research databases

Job description

Research & Public Services Assistant (6759C) Library, #87420

At the University of California, Berkeley , we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and MacArthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond. Together, we change the world.

At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth . We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups.

The Social Sciences Division (SSD) includes the Business, Environmental Design, and Social Research Libraries, as well as extensive collections in Doe. The SSD supports research and teaching in all social sciences at Berkeley, and includes collections and research support for Latin America, Africa, and the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Position Summary

The Research & Public Services Assistant provides in-person and virtual public service support within the library, including reference and research assistance through multiple service channels such as LibAnswers. This position contributes to the development of research guides and web resources that support student and faculty research needs. The Research & Public Services Assistant supports students, faculty, staff, and independent scholars by assisting with the development of research strategies and navigation of a wide range of research databases to meet diverse research needs. Additionally, this position collaborates with library colleagues to ensure effective public service operations and provides instructional support for student library employees at circulation and public service desks.

Responsibilities

Circulation - 45%

• Monitors Circulation functions and supports student library employees as Social Sciences Library Service desks; conducts complex circulation functions and assists patrons with directional questions. Works with Student Supervisors to ensure student staff follow best practices and proper procedures for opening and fulfillinf circulation duties Assists patrons with informational questions, check outs, paging library materials, returns, and other circulation functions. Maintains in-person support for opening procedures at Social Science Division Libraries (Business, Environmental Design, and Social Research), rotating as needed to support varied staffing levels. Follows Library protocol for reporting and appropriately escalating safety and security issues in Social Science Libraries, under the direction of the Chief Operations Manager.

Reference - 45%

• Provides advanced research support to patrons using the library's databases and resources in a variety of formats and Social Science disciplines. Provides online research guidance to UC Berkeley and public patrons via the LibAnswers chat and email platform. Triages social science research questions to connect patrons with subject experts. Under the direction of librarians, creates and maintains web-based resources to support research and instruction, and handles specialized reference queries.

SLF-N processing and support - 5%

• Assists in pulling, processing and packing materials in the Social Sciences Division for storage.

Assists with the training and assessment of student employees - 5%

• Under the direction of the Chief Operations Manager, this position will work with Student Supervisors to ensure student staff follow best practices and proper procedures for opening and closing procedures at the Business Library, and provide continuity of service at Business when students are not present.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with academic library catalogs, databases, and research resources.
• Experience with standard office software.
• Ability to communicate effectively (verbally and in writing) and work in a team.
• Ability to complete detailed work accurately.
• Experience working in a library.
• Advanced problem solving and decision-making ability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience providing customer service.

Education / Training

• Bachelors degree in a related subject and/or equivalent experience/training

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $30.55 9step 1.0) - $31.97 (step 3.0).

• This is a non-exempt, bi-weekly paid position.
• This is an 10-month, part-time (20 hours/week), Limited [temporary] position that is eligible for UC benefits.

Other Information

• This position is not eligible for remote work.
• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.
• This position is governed by the terms and conditions in the agreement for the Clerical & Allied Services Unit (CX) between the University of California and Teamsters Local 2010. The current bargaining agreement manual can be found at: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/cx/index.html

Misconduct

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

“Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.