Law Library Assistant PT

Lancaster County•Lancaster, PA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a specialized paraprofessional position assisting in the daily operations of the Lancaster County Law Library. The role involves a variety of tasks to support the library's functions and assist patrons. The position reports directly to the Law Librarian.

Requirements

Education equivalent to completion of high school.
Some coursework related to libraries and/or the law.
Three to five years of paraprofessional experience in a judicial or law-related setting OR three to five years of paraprofessional experience in a specialized library setting, preferably a law library.
Working knowledge of the U.S. and Pennsylvania legal systems and relevant legal terminology.
Working knowledge of library methods, practices, and procedures, including a basic understanding of MARC coding and library classification systems.
Ability to file replacement pages in looseleaf materials and manually update library materials.
Ability to manually sort check-out cards for the library circulation system.
Ability to calculate fines for overdue books and handle cash payments for fines.
Ability to work independently and complete tasks with minimal supervision.
Ability to reach and bend to retrieve and replace books on shelves.
Ability to effectively use a computer for word processing, data entry, etc.
Ability to effectively conduct online legal research using both Boolean and full-text searches.
Ability to interact with library users, including attorneys, judges, court staff, and the public.
Ability to answer the telephone and relay messages.
Ability to type and use various office machinery such as a fax machine and photocopier.
Ability to assist the librarian in various projects.
Must pass a pre-employment background check.

Responsibilities

Filing replacement pages, pocket parts, and other updates in law library books.
Preparing materials for binding.
Reading specialized call numbers and working with complex pagination.
Checking in and checking out library books and materials.
Re-shelving returned books.
Sending out overdue notices and collecting fines for overdue books.
Recording fines collected in an appropriate ledger.
Sorting library mail and checking in/processing new materials.
Assisting in collection management by weeding old/superseded publications and shifting/rearranging books.
Performing basic/routine acquisition tasks, including receiving and making claims.
Answering basic reference questions from attorneys, judges, court staff, and the public regarding material locations.
Interpreting legal cites and abbreviations.
Assisting patrons in the use of online legal reference services, the online catalog, and the online database of local judges' opinions.
Explaining library policies and procedures.
Assisting patrons in locating other Court offices.
Performing various clerical tasks, including answering the telephone, typing labels, entering/editing/retrieving data in the library's online catalog and judicial opinion database.
Sending and receiving emails.
Creating signs and other documents in Word and Excel.
Sending and receiving messages on the fax machine.
Making change for the copier and for payment of overdue fines.
Collecting money for copies made from online services.
Operating and maintaining the photocopier.
Performing various additional tasks in the absence of the Law Librarian.