Job Description
Career Advancement: Not much upward mobility except for supervisory position.
Profile
I graduated from college with a BS in Economics. I expected to work in a Financial Services sector such as the Banking Industry, but ended up working as a Library Assistant in a Public Library in suburban Seattle and has been there in the last 14 years also enjoying it, low pressure, meeting all sorts of people/patrons, and get the first peek at the newest Harry Potter , among other perks!!. .
Getting married right after graduation and had a baby 10 months later and 2 more kids in 5 years , pretty much put a stop on my career dream in the corporate world. Then I found myself with a page job at a neighborhood Public library , shelving kids books during evening shift with my husband taking turns watching kids at home. When a library Assistant position became open. I applied and got it. I enjoy this upgraded position much better especially the double-pay. .
I consider myself lucky, I believe I got the best part-time work hours. My shift is from 9.00 AM to 1.00 PM everyday and two Saturdays a month, which is perfect for moms with small kids who wish to work part-time job. In my case, our kids were at school while I was at work and be home when they returned from school and still able to get involved in their extra curricular after school . We have many non-standard work hours, mostly part-time positions ( 20 hours per week) The Library offers morning, mid-day and evening work hours which is great for staff who wish to pursue other commitments such as second job or going for education.
A Day at the Library
As soon as the door opens, 5 or more patrons would file in, returning library materials, and nowadays immediately proceed to the computer terminals for some internet sessions.
During morning shifts, typical patrons are mothers with small preschool children, senior citizens, and professional who come in during their lunch hours to check out car values, investment news etc..
The most popular items to be checked –out are the best sellers, fiction and non-fictions. Elderly ladies love paperback novels, most popular are the Harlequin paperbacks with super Hunk Fabio and Sexy Ladies on the cover, believe it or not!. Men check out Chilton car manuals, and home improvement materials. .Professionals take out computer magazines, career items and other text books. Ladies check out the woman periodicals, most popular being the Martha Stewart and Oprah magazines, as well as home decorations , gardening and cooking books. Mothers pile large amount of children books to take home, most popular are science project books , as well as early reading children materials. Highly in demand are our DVD and Video collections which include foreign movies. Also popular are the Audio Cassettes and CD’s to accommodate long commuters.
Three times a week, our children Librarian has story times session for pre-schoolers which attrack 60 people ( adults and children) visitors .This weekly event is incredibly popular which includes pajama story times .
Under the supervision of a supervisor, library Assistant perform a variety of standard library and clerical duties to assist patrons; provide information, assist in locating materials and demonstrate proper use of reference materials; assist in the circulation and return of library books and materials.
Overview: Great Part-time Job and great pay for the type of duties we do and hardly any stress!!.
Pros
It’s great part-time jobs ( 20-24 hours per week). Management is very flexible to accommodate days off for staff family needs. Majority of our staff are members of AFSCME ( Association of Federal/ State/ County/Municipal Employees), thus we are considered government employees benefiting numerious paid holidays and vacations and other paid leaves. Decent medical and Dental coverage as well as 401 K .
For those who don’t enjoy desk job, this is ideal. Library Assistants are free to move about within the library. We constantly move from the Service to Check-out desk and back and other parts of the Library whenever patrons need assistance locating materials.
And for those who enjoy working with the public, this is it. Everyday, we encounter and deal with the general public from all walks of life and ethnic backgounds, with different needs, different inquiries.
If you love reading and knowledge, the Library is great place to work. There is unlimited of reading materials and information. It is the Library that general public go or call to seek out just about any information , current and past., local, national, and global.
The best sellers materials are right under your nose. Library Staff have the first availability to them.
Cons
Since this is a Library which operates on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays for some libraries), all Library Assistants and Librarians must share and take turns working on some weekend full-day shift.
Working with public and meeting people can be interesting but at the same time , serving the public in a Library setting can be a pain as well. Library Assistants must also deal with homeless and transient people comin in , treating the library as their lodging, including using the public restroom as their changing and shower facility, or having drunken men doing their business on the public sofas.
Dealing with general public also means having to put up with belligerent, rude, cheating, inconsiderate individuals. Being Library Assistant stationed at the check-out desk , sometimes also having to call 9-1-1 for attempted thefts.
Company Size
25-50 employees
Pay Range
$30,001-$40,000
Years in Job
5-10
Education
B.A. in Economics
City
Renton
State
WA
