Library Office Assistant II | Patron Services

City of Grand Rapids•Grand Rapids, MI

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Grand Rapids Public Library's Patron Services Department is seeking a full-time Library Office Assistant II to assist with customer service operations, facilitate interlibrary loans, and support Operations Managers in managing part-time staff. This position involves regular direct public service work and is primarily scheduled at the Main Library. The role requires providing professional and friendly service to patrons and coworkers, assisting with circulation, issuing library cards, resolving patron account issues, and troubleshooting routine processes. Additionally, the position involves providing feedback and direction to department staff, coordinating day-to-day tasks for part-time staff, coordinating training schedules for new employees, and potentially preparing schedules and tracking time-off requests. The role also includes executing clerical procedures, data entry, report generation, overseeing material processing, and managing interlibrary loan functions, including running reports, generating invoices, and processing payments. Troubleshooting MeLCat issues and maintaining correspondence with participating libraries are also key responsibilities. The ideal candidate will quickly learn and adapt to new digital tools and platforms and perform additional duties as assigned.

Requirements

High school diploma or a GED.
2 years of experience in general clerical or office work, public libraries, or customer service; or any equivalent combination of training and experience as determined by GRPL management.
Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish.
Ability to provide consistently friendly, accurate, and efficient service to GRPL patrons and staff.
Ability to make independent and reliable decisions related to patron experience.
Demonstrate strong de-escalation skills to effectively manage challenging patron interactions.
Communicate professionally with diverse groups both verbally and in writing.
Provide and model engaging and consistent customer service.
Select, evaluate, train, mentor, and provide feedback to staff.
Learn and keep up-to-date on GRPL policies, procedures, and documentation as they relate to circulation functions; communicate and train around these functions and relay accurate information as needed.
Learn and follow library policies and procedures as well as state laws governing library services, specifically those laws dealing with the confidentiality of patron records.
Capacity to learn and apply library procedures, principles, and methods, as well as develop an understanding of work flow analysis and systemic improvements.
Set priorities and meet deadlines; adaptability and judgment to reprioritize as needed.
Perform standardized processes; ability to follow procedures in processing forms and other communication.
Understand systems and maintain an organized and effective work process; flexibility to review and improve upon processes as they become dated or new information becomes available.
Prepare clear and concise reports.
Establish and maintain working relationships with other staff and the general public; ability to work collaboratively.
Travel efficiently between branches during a shift.
Manage emotions in the workplace and maintain professional composure and judgment.
Work with supervisor and process feedback regarding job performance.
Understanding of general office procedures, processes and equipment; ability to operate a variety of office equipment including computer workstations, typical electronic devices, and software.

Nice To Haves

A college degree.

Responsibilities

Provides professional, friendly service to library patrons and coworkers in person, over the phone, and in writing.
Assists patrons with circulation of library materials, answers questions, issues library cards, and resolves patron account issues.
Serves as a point of contact for customer service input, collaborating with library staff to resolve material and account disputes.
Provides quality assurance and troubleshoots routine processes including both customer service and materials handling functions.
Provides informal feedback and direction to department staff; coordinates day-to-day tasks and recurring assignments for part-time staff.
Coordinates training schedules for new part-time employees and may assist with onboarding or lead training around specific topics.
May prepare and update employee schedules, send weekly schedule reminders, and track employee time-off requests.
Executes complex clerical procedures, data entry, and report generation using various software tools and electronic devices.
Oversees material processing, general workflow coordination, and special projects as needed.
Exercises independent discretion to troubleshoot routine operational issues and suggests improvements to circulation and customer service workflows.
Manages interlibrary loan functions, including running daily/monthly reports, generating invoices, and processing payments.
Troubleshoots MeLCat issues, responds to staff inquiries, and maintains clear correspondence with participating libraries.
Quickly learns and adapts to evolving digital tools, platforms, and office hardware.
Performs additional duties of a similar nature as assigned to support overall department goals.