(updated 6/12/00)

The Circulation Assistant is not a minor role in the Divinity Library. The CA is the first and most regular contact patrons have with the Divinity Library. S/He spends the majority of time in "transactions" such as charging, discharging and renewing. However, the CA must also respond to special patron requests, directional questions, phone, copier and printer assistance, special project assignments and basic questions regarding the online catalog.

Training is an ongoing process, requiring frequent reminders and updates. The CA must have a personality and temperament that can balance attention to procedures, service, and this open-ended learning process. S/he must also work with others in a highly variable (noisy, quiet, slow, busy) setting. Cooperation and flexibility are important

Relation to the Public Services Librarian:

• The Public Services Librarian will insure that Circulation Assistants are prepared to work with the public through thorough and comprehensive training.
• The PSL will make available documentation and instruction on the staffweb for all circulation tasks.  
• If CA is willing to assume regular, special tasks, as part of a well-defined job, the PSL may give the CA an informal title and a higher wage. The need for the position and student’s satisfaction with it will be reassessed each semester. Special jobs will not be dissolved  mid-semester.

[For example, in the past, before ILL paged their own materials, one CA was responsible for coming in at scheduled times to handle all ILL photocopying, charging and processing. This CA was the Divinity "ILL assistant" and received a slightly higher wage than other CA’s]

• The PSL will distribute work assignments as fairly and evenly as possible, but given the variability of the environment, workloads may be uneven, and CA’s should recognize this and be flexible.  

EWS have mastery of the same tasks assigned to Circulation Assistants. While the daily responsibilities of the EWS may not seem very different from an experienced Circulation Assistant, there are major differences. One major difference is that the EWS is designated to be the responsible party in the event of emergencies. A second difference is that the EWS is part of a specific public service team. The team must work together to provide adequate circulation coverage during holiday and break periods.

The EWS has also been responsible for trouble-shooting patron problems and performing more complex tasks with patron and item records. While this will continue, it should be noted that tasks and training given to Circulation Assistants have also become more complex, allowing an experienced CA to answer more questions about patron and item record problems. The CA should attempt to help, but defer to an EWS or the PSL when the problem is outside of their experience or training.

• The EWS pay differential is merited for Evening and Weekend duties, team management of holidays and breaks, and familiarity with emergency procedures. Therefore, most of the PSL’s training and management time for the EWS should fall in these three areas.

• Scheduling of Evenings and Weekends is regular enough that a fair division and rotation can be determined by the EWS themselves. For this part of scheduling, the PSL has the role of a facilitator and arbitrator, with the EWS self-scheduling in a relatively independent manner

• Because breaks (both long and short) and holidays are "special" events, they do not lend themselves to rotation. The PSL must be the first contact for any break or holiday plans, and the final source for approval. These decisions are based on group requests; not the group’s declared availability. In other words, the PSL should receive requests for time off work; not notification of dates that an EWS has already made plans to be out. All dates will be subject to approval, so the EWS should not make firm plans to be out until the dates are approved.

Special Note: Finals times/extended-hours periods are a different situation from breaks and holidays. The EWS should have a sense of responsibility to the library, but not to the detriment of his/her own studies. In this case, the reverse of holiday policy is in effect. During finals, students should let the PSL know their availability as soon as possible, with the PSL working around their schedules to find coverage from other sources, such as the full-time staff.

• The PSL will provide emergency training, and this aspect of the job should be emphasized much more in following semesters.

The DS/K position requires special skills not required of the EWS. In addition to mastering typical circulation tasks and full EWS training, the S/K must:

• learn policy and procedures for the Kesler Circulating library,
• regularly maintain patron records using MS Access and ACORN,
• edit a newsletter,
• respond to frequent services requests by webform, e-mail, and phone,
• assist in opening procedure, and sorting reports.

To balance this list of tasks, the Kesler position does not have the same "short" break and holiday requirements of EWS. However, as a trained supervisor, the S/K may substitute for any EWS. The PSL will regularly ask the S/K if s/he is available during holidays to plan staffing needs, although there is not the same obligation that an EWS would have. Also, the Kesler position should be considered year-long. 

In other words, the PSL and the DS/K must work out a plan for summer/winter coverage between themselves, with the PSL making the final decision. The PSL may OK all break time off by utilizing other student staff, or she may determine that time, budget and training concerns prevent such an option, obligating the DS/K to be available for at least a portion of a long break.

The DS/K and the PSL must assist each other in running Kesler smoothly. The PSL must be responsive to any training needs the DS/K has during the regular semester, though it is hoped that the current DS/K will be able to train his/her successor. Where that is not possible, the PSL has full responsibility for training any new DS/K.

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