Library Access Services Specialist

Universities of Wisconsin • Madison, WI

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Access Services team at the University of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries connects patrons to the Libraries’ world-class collections, services, and spaces. Access Services manages circulation and service desks at College, Memorial, Steenbock, and Kohler Art Libraries. As the first point of contact for students, staff, researchers, faculty, and community members, Access Services staff have a dual mission of creating welcoming spaces and moving library materials efficiently. Reporting to the Access Services Neighborhood Coordinator, the Library Access Services Specialist will regularly work as the library’s Manager on Duty. Managers on Duty oversee the general functioning of library services, coordinate circulation, supervise student staff, and exercise judgement in the application of policies and procedures. When not acting as Manager on Duty, the Specialist will contribute to departmental projects and initiatives and participate in student supervision. As an evening and weekend Manager on Duty, the Library Access Services Specialist will contribute to a safe and secure environment for the library's patrons, staff, collections, and contents by responding to security and emergency situations, handling facilities issues, and managing closing duties. Access Services staff work across campus libraries. Individuals in this unit are assigned to a home library where they have a dedicated workspace but regularly work in at least one other location. The home libraries currently being hired for are College Library (1 position) and Steenbock Library (1 position). The successful candidate will perform a variety of duties, including, but not limited to: Facilitating and strengthening Access Services student staff members' relationship with the Libraries through management, hiring, training, and mentorship. Contributing to continuous improvement within the Access Services department including through policy development, aligning departmental strategy with library strategic directions, service assessment, and community building. Assisting patrons by providing support navigating UW-Madison resources and identifying areas for service improvement. Managing regular circulation services and collection maintenance tasks related to providing access to library patrons and community. Moving throughout library spaces frequently to assist patrons and address concerns. This position is eligible for partial remote work. A remote work agreement may allow for a maximum of 20% remote per week. This position is full-time, 100%. Ongoing/Renewable Schedules will vary to cover evening library hours. Some weekend evenings are required as part of a regular or rotational schedule. Evening staff will be part of an evening team that partners across our evening and late-night library locations. Typical academic year hours for this position are 3-11:30pm. Shifts may be adjusted earlier or later to accommodate changes to library hours.

Requirements

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues, faculty, students, and other stakeholders
• Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to independently prioritize workload, manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively, and follow-through on tasks
• Ability to lift 30 lbs with or without assistance, lift materials overhead, and stand or move for over 2 hours a day
• High School Diploma or equivalent required

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in a library setting
• Experience leading teams or projects
• Ability to work independently and as a part of a team across multiple locations and modalities

Responsibilities

• May assist and educate both face-to-face and remote customers in the use of technologies and tools to create, seek, use, and manage information (5%)
• Interprets policies and procedures to answer non-routine questions and resolve complex issues (5%)
• Contributes to a safe and secure environment for the library's patrons, staff, collections and content (20%)
• Provides complex library services support in absence of a supervisory authority. Acts as a resource to other library staff (15%)
• Utilizes designated library systems, tools, standards, and practices to locate, retrieve, and organize; or describe, edit, preserve, and reformat a variety of library information resources (5%)
• Hires, trains, and guides student employees and monitors student workflows (15%)
• May create invoices, process complex orders, and resolve any purchasing discrepancies (0%)
• Provides complex support to the day-to-day operations of library services to provide guidance in the use of library information resources, operations, and policies; or to acquire, prepare, and preserve library information resources for use (10%)
• Conducts reference searches to locate relevant materials and answer questions as needed (5%)
• Contributes to the development of policies and procedures (10%)
• Utilizes library software and systems to retrieve, enter, and report on data using a wide variety of applications (5%)
• Participates in committee work within the library and the university (5%)

Benefits

• This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.
• Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED