Part time Library Staff Assistant

The Pennsylvania State University•University Park, FL

About The Position

Penn State Univers ity’s Common Services and Collection Maintenance departments within Pattee Library and Paterno Library are hiring for Spring semester 2026, Summer 2026, and Fall 2026. The ideal candidate is courteous and outgoing with a strong work ethic, an ability to work as a team member and independently and provide excellent customer service. Excellent communication, interpersonal, and active listening skills are . The primary goal of this position is to provide great customer service for internal and external patrons, as well as library colleagues. As a part-time employee across two units, this position will also assist in the care of physical library collections. We strive to meet our patrons where they are at, assisting them in their research needs. We are looking for staff who are willing to learn and seek opportunities to grow and build their library knowledge. Prior customer service or retail experience is preferred, not .

Requirements

Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills
Ability to follow directions and keep a schedule
Commitment to diversity
Ability to work as part of a team and individually
Must be willing to work a minimum of ten hours a week and either Saturdays or Sundays.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with information technology is strongly preferred
Prior library, customer, retail, or hospitalit y experience is preferred

Responsibilities

Customer Service
Greeting patrons with a welcoming attitude
Make referrals to the Search Bar, Librarians, and full-time staff as appropriate
Answer directional, informational, and basic reference questions in person or on the telephone
Provide group study room information and reservation assistance
Collaborate with other departments to provide additional services
Pull requested library items
Circulate library materials
Assist with circulating technology
Collection Maintenance and Operational Responsibilities
Open/Close the library
Assist in collection of unit statistics
Shelve returned library materials
Maintain care of physical collections via withdrawals, cleaning, and shifting
Assist with the maintaining of library collections.
Assist patrons with placing holds on library materials , including interlibrary items
Attend on-going reference and library trainings for professional development
Promote and engage with Common Services Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility initiatives and learning
Respond to gate and panel alarms according to procedures
Call appropriate outside agency and alert other staff in the event of an incident / injury
Contact the appropriate supervisor to resolve problems with patron behavior