Supervisor, Firestone Circulation Services

Princeton University; Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 73,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits eligible

Job summary

Princeton University Library seeks a Supervisor for Firestone Circulation Services. The role oversees staff, schedules, and daily desk operations in a busy library service desk, with evening and weekend on-call duties and responsibility for fines, records, and patron support.

The position emphasizes leadership, workflow planning, and service excellence in a large academic library environment, with a standard 36.25-hour week and eligibility for a comprehensive benefits program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of supervisory experience, including hiring, training, and evaluating staff.
• Strong commitment to serving library patrons and customer service excellence.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to foster a diverse, equitable environment.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule and handle confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Supervises four full-time staff and 15 student staff when needed.
• Prepares manuals and maintains internal policies and procedures.
• Creates weekly desk schedules and adapts to the academic calendar.
• Answers questions, handles patron issues, and staffing emergencies evenings/weekends.
• Oversees processing and distribution of library materials for patrons.

Skills

Customer service

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate degree in library science (ALA)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Princeton University Library (PUL) seeks candidates for the position of Supervisor, Firestone Circulation Services. This position reports to the Manager, Circulation Services and is responsible for overseeing the staff and services of Firestone Circulation Services, a very busy service desk in Firestone Library.

PUL is one of the world’s leading research libraries, supporting a diverse community of 5,500 undergraduates, 3,100 graduate students, 1,200 faculty members, and many visiting scholars. The Library employs a dedicated and knowledgeable staff of more than 300 staff working in a large central library, 9 specialized branches, and 3 storage facilities.

Work Schedule: The normal work schedule is Monday - Friday 11:00am - 7:00pm, although flexibility is required for staffing issues that occur outside of the work schedule.

During Sept. 2026 - Dec. 2026 the schedule is Monday - Tuesday & Friday 11:00am - 7:00pm and Wednesday - Thursday 1:00pm - 9:00pm.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Supervises four regular full time staff members and has oversight for 15 student staff when their primary supervisor is not available.
• Prepares and maintains manuals and internal Wiki with policies and procedures.
• Creates and revises weekly desk schedule, when necessary, due to absences or changes to the academic calendar.
• Remains "on call" and available to Circulation staff and students to answer questions, provides advice for patron issues, and handles staffing emergencies on the evenings/weekends.
• Oversees the processing and distribution of Library material for patrons.
• Charges/discharges books; creates/updates/terminates patron records; collects and records fees. Discusses and interprets Library policy concerning loans, fines/fees, claim returns and billing. Manages payment of daily fines/fees.
• Provides basic assistance in the use of Library catalog, E-Resources, website, and in the location of Library material.
• Maintains responsibility for departmental email accounts and LibApps.
• Oversees processing of the Dixon, Faculty and Travel collections material, ReCAP material, paged material and departmental hold shelves.
• Monitors and maintains paging and departmental work orders in Alma.
• Provides training in circulation functions and procedures for department staff and staff of other library units.
• Maintains patron records in the Library system including personal data, circulation transactions, and financial information. Utilizes PeopleSoft Campus Community database, PayConex, SCSB, and communicates with TigerCard Office staff to reconcile and update information.
• Assists Manager of Circulation Services with planning responsibilities. These include planning for changes in our services, staffing, technology, systems and environment.
• Assigns Alma Fulfillment privileges through Service Now ticketing system.
• Manages Senior billing project, billing of long overdue material and summer searching projects.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and three plus years of strongly related experience including a minimum of three years of supervisory experience that includes hiring, training, and evaluating staff.
• A strong commitment to serving library patrons.
• Demonstrated relevant experience in customer service.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to cultivate a positive, constructive, diverse, and equitable work environment.
• Ability to work a flexible work schedule.
• Demonstrated strong organizational and interpersonal skills and keen analytical ability.
• Demonstrated ability to work with sensitive and confidential information.
• Ability to work independently and effectively with others in team environments.
• Able to organize and prioritize work for self and others with the capability of working quickly and accurately and to meet deadlines.
• Capacity to constructively recognize, interpret and resolve complex problems.
• Able to adapt to changes in priorities and workflow.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite of applications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in a large academic library environment.
• Knowledge or experience with diverse integrated library systems, such as Alma or related library systems.
• Graduate degree in library science from an ALA-accredited institution, or advanced degree in a relevant field.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.

Standard Weekly Hours

36.25

Eligible for Overtime

No

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Probationary Period

180 days

Essential Services Personnel (see policy for detail)

No

Physical Capacity Exam Required

No

Valid Driver’s License Required

No

Experience Level

Entry Level#LI-SB1

Salary Range

$73,000 to $80,000