Student Technical Assistant- Student Worker Training LibGuide: Employee Expectations

Expectations and Job Duties

Welcome! We're glad to have you working in the Learning Commons. On your first day of training we'll go over a lot of material. This guide will be available throughout your employment at UNO Library so you can refer to it as often as you need to.

The Library Student Assistant Manual outlines expectations for all library student employees. Please read it and sign the Contract. All library student assistants participate in performance evaluations at the end of each semester. Your supervisor will give you more information about that process later on.

You should also read the Reference Desk Procedure Manual. Although much of it applied to librarians, there is some important information which applies to everyone who works at the Reference Desk. Some of the policies on this page are taken directly from that document.

The mission statement for the Learning Commons is as follows: The Earl K. Long Library’s Learning Commons provides students an informal and collaborative workspace where they have access to the technology and research support necessary to be successful in acquiring knowledge and becoming lifelong learners.

You were given some basic information about this job during the interview and hiring process. Now that your paperwork has been cleared  and you've set up direct deposit with the university, we can go into more detail.

Student Technical Assistant Job Description
Reference Student Worker Job Description

Learning Commons Student Worker Shift Duties

As a student reference assistant your primary role is to be the face of the Learning Commons and to help people find information. You'll spend most of your time at the Learning Commons Desk. Sometimes you'll be scheduled to work with another person and sometimes you'll be by yourself. You'll help people find library materials and services, provide support for printing and answer very basic research questions. You'll get a lot of questions at the desk. As part of your training you'll learn which questions you should answer and which ones you should refer to someone else.

You are expected to report to work on time for each shift. The workflow for this job changes a lot from day to day. Some days you'll have many easy questions, others you'll have only a few questions but they'll be very difficult. You need to be present at the desk or roaming in order to receive those questions. This is a very face to face job. You cannot work from home :)

Opening/Closing

Depending on the time you work, you will need to follow the procedures for opening and closing the Learning Commons Desk.

Absences

You are expected to work all of your scheduled shifts. If you know in advance that you will not be able to make a shift contact your supervisor so that the desk schedule can be changed. If you are unable to make it to work due to illness or other emergency you are expected to follow the procedure for unplanned absences.

Contact Information

Learning Commons Desk: libref@uno.edu / 504-280-6549
Learning Commons Student Supervisor: fsimmons@uno.edu / 504-280-6549

Dress Code

We do not have a strict dress code at the library. Please do not wear clothing with words or pictures that would make the vast majority of people uncomfortable. You should wear clothes that you find comfortable. You may walk with patrons, have to reach up high or crouch down low to find things at times so keep that in mind. You must wear shoes at all times. You can wear a hat as long as it does not obscure your face. You may wear headgear for religious or cultural purposes, but your eyes cannot be obscured. Do not wear sunglasses. Please wear prescription glasses if you need them to see. No masks.

Breaks

You are allowed a 15 minute break for every 4 hours worked. The workflow at the Learning Commons Desk fluctuates. You don't have to ask permission to use the bathroom. However, if the desk is busy you should let someone know you are leaving so that someone can cover for you. Breaks should be taken outside the Learning Commons Desk area.

Food and Drink

Food should not be consumed at the Learning Commons Desk. Drinks are allowed but they must have a lid. Please be discreet. It should go without saying that alcoholic drinks are not allowed. You should not come to work under the influence of drugs or alchohol.

Sharepoint

By now you should have received your library student employee email address. You'll use this email address to sign in to the library's internal website (via Sharepoint) at the beginning of every shift. You'll need this login to access most of the documents referenced on this page.  It is important that you check this email account regularly.  You can have the messages automatically forwarded to another account. Your supervisor will use this account to communicate you on a regular basis. Please make sure check it at least every two days.

Sharepoint is a software program used by units on campus to manage documents and some internal procedures. You'll use the library's sharepoint page to view the weekly schedule,  sign in and out for each shift, find links to record reference statistics and record how many scantrons and blue books you give out, find passwords for chat and other software programs and find answers to frequently asked questions. There is also an incident report form which should be filled out if you experience an incident with a patron while working at the library.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the expectations of a professional work environment as defined in the Student Training LibGuide