Student Employment at Central Library
How to Apply
To apply for a student job, please fill out a secure online application form.
Qualifications for Employment
- Applicants must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at Vanderbilt University.
- Applicants must read and agree to listed employee expectations.
- Previous customer service and/or library work experience is preferred, but not required.
Central Library Employee Expectations
Student employees are representatives of the Central Library and are expected to conduct themselves appropriately. You are expected to follow the directives of your supervisor and be flexible in job assignments.
- Attention — We want to leave a positive impression on all patrons using the Central Library, so it’s important to handle all patrons' requests in a timely, courteous, helpful, and caring manner and to be attentive to their needs.
- Responsibility — Show responsibility in every aspect of your job while on duty. Cover your assigned shift or find a replacement if you cannot. Dress neatly and appropriately. Attend scheduled meetings. Overall, know your specific job-related duties, and ask questions if you are unsure.
- Service — The Central Library strives to provide a comfortable place for numerous programs and activities. By promoting courtesy and open communications, you should convey a customer-service attitude that views each library user as a valued member of the community.
- Knowledge — You are expected to demonstrate competent knowledge of your area, to have a basic understanding of the role of the Library, and to be committed to promoting that role. You should know the policies and procedures that govern the Library, what activities are taking place, where things are located, and who to call if you don't know. Having access to this knowledge will make your job easier and show a caring attitude.
- Privacy — The Central Library provides materials representing many points of view on current and historical issues, and our patrons conduct research on a variety of topics. In keeping with the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, it is essential that you respect Library patron privacy. Please note that as an employee of the Central Library, you will be asked to read and sign a Confidentiality Statement pledging not to disclose any patron information to anyone.
- Commitment — When you accept your position, you become a representative of the Central Library to the public. You should act as a good team player and carry out your responsibilities to the best of your abilities, always trying to improve yourself and the services we provide.
Basic Job Duties Common to All Library Student Positions
- To provide outstanding service to our patrons by remaining alert and responsive to their requests. Customer service is our highest priority.
- To provide information about the Library, its resources, its academic and non-academic functions and the community in general.
- To direct visitors to the proper locations within the building.
- To abide by and enforce all Library policies and procedures.
- To attend all scheduled meetings.
- To assist in monitoring activity in your area.
- To be able to follow supervisor's instructions.
- To handle phone calls in a professional manner, which includes taking messages and forwarding calls to proper staff members.
- To assist Library staff with additional projects, as requested.
- To conduct yourself in a professional manner, which includes dressing neatly and appropriately and maintaining a neat and clean work area.
Job Descriptions
Central Library Service Desk
Requires frequent public contact and interaction with library users. Service desk employees will greet, assist and direct library visitors as well as Vanderbilt staff, faculty and students and alumni.
Hours needed:
| Monday – Thursday |
8 am - midnight |
| Friday |
8 am - midnight |
| Saturday |
9 am - 10 pm |
| Sunday |
11 am - midnight |
Student employees will work a varied shift that may include weekend rotations. Must have the ability to provide excellent customer service skills for this position. Duties include:
- Checking out books and other library materials including reserve materials and materials requested from the Library annex to users.
- Checking in books, emptying book returns and sorting books that have been returned in preparation for re-shelving.
- Providing information to users on the phone and in person.
- Giving directional information about locations within the Library.
- Machine assistance such as computers, copiers, assistance in printing or in providing paper for copiers.
- Providing information of a more specific nature such as assisting patrons in finding books and articles for their research projects.
- Assist patrons in finding missing books, searching for overdue books and retrieving books for patrons as necessary.
- Collecting fines and money for photocopying and printing.
A supervisor is always present for consultation. Accepting a position in the Central Library requires a commitment to work through the exam period of each semester.
Central Library Collection Maintenance
Love books? Prefer working independently and behind the scenes? Want to use a little muscle as well as your brain? Want to be able to listen to music while you work? This could be the job for you.
The hours are primarily day shift (anytime between 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.) and the scheduling can be fixed or flexible depending on your availability. Attention to detail is required. The tasks can include any of the following:
- Discharging books, sorting books and preparing books for re-shelving.
- Checking new books that have just been processed and preparing those for either display or shelving.
- Shelving leisure reading books, current and bound periodicals and pulling current periodicals for binding.
- Shelving books in the stacks that have recently been returned or used in the Library.
- Shifting books in the stacks to relieve overcrowding.
- Shelf-reading and straightening sections in the stacks that may be really out of order.
Government Information & Media Services (GIMS) Service Desk
Help library users with finding government information and DVDs and other media. Employees greet, assist, and provide directions to library users, including the public, as well as Vanderbilt staff, faculty and students and alumni.
GIMS Undergraduate Library Student Assistant
Hours needed: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday – Friday
Student employees should have excellent customer service skills. Duties include:
- Checking in and out videos, including those on reserve and in the Leisure Viewing Collection.
- Retrieving government publications.
- Processing incoming government publications.
- Checking the online catalog and other databases to prepare orders for new material.
- Shelving and maintaining order in the GIMS collections.
- Performing other tasks as needed.
GIMS Computer-Emphasis Library Student Assistant
Hours needed: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday – Friday
In addition to carrying out the duties of a GIMS Undergraduate Library Student Assistant (above), duties include:
- Updating and GIMS web pages on Government Information, Political Science, Communication Studies, and other pages. (Knowledge of HTML, Dreamweaver, or similar software is helpful but not required.)
- Updating LibGuides for individual subjects and classes
- Performing other computer-related duties as needed
GIMS Graduate Library Night and Weekend Supervisors
GIMS graduate supervisors help library users with videos, government Information, and other media. They must have excellent customer service skills for interacting with the public, as well as Vanderbilt staff, faculty and students and alumni. They are responsible for supervision and operation of the Government Information and Media Services department during nights and weekends. No prior reference experience is required.
Each week a graduate supervisor works at least one evening shift, one weekend shift or weekend rotation, and at least two daytime hours Monday-Friday. Average 10-15 hours a week.
Hours needed:
| Monday – Thursday |
5 pm - midnight |
| Friday |
5 pm - 9 pm |
| Saturday |
10 am - 10 pm |
| Sunday |
12 pm - midnight |
Duties include:
- Sole responsibility for opening/closing, supervision, and operation of Government Information and Media Services during evening and weekend shifts
- Checking in and out videos, including those on reserve and in the Leisure Viewing Collection.
- Assisting patrons in answering basic government information or statistical questions. (No experience needed; we train you.)
- Providing information to users on the phone and in person.
- Giving directional information about locations within the Library.
- Retrieving government publications.
- Shelving and maintaining order in the GIMS collections.
- Providing assistance for computers, copiers, microfilm scanners and printers, and DVD/VHS viewing stations, as well as with printing and with paper for the machines. (No experience needed; we train you.)
- Performing other tasks as needed.
Central Library Collection Development
Help the Collection Development Librarians (also known as bibliographers) with their mission of selecting and ordering the best new print and electronic resources that are most appropriate and relevant for today’s academic research library collection. Work is done behind the scenes with very limited, if any, public contact and interaction with library patrons. Student assistants will be trained for all tasks, and previous experience is not necessary.
We are looking for students who show initiative and who are self-motivated and capable of working independently. Attention to details and computer skills are very important. Foreign language skills, such as German, French, Italian, and Russian are very desirable.
Work hours are scheduled during the times that the Collection Development offices are open, generally between 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday only. Work schedules, once set, are expected to be followed, but when necessary, some flexibility is permitted with an opportunity to make up any missed work time.
Student assistants will be trained to assist with a variety of tasks and projects involving heavy use of the library's online catalog and/or other online resources. This may include any of the following:
- Bibliographic searching of new book titles announced for publication, as well as older gift book titles, in order to determine the library’s existing holdings and allow selectors to make informed collection decisions.
- Internet searching of publisher and vendor web sites.
- Order preparation and checking.
- Sorting and distributing catalogs and other miscellaneous mail.
- Photocopying.
- Data entry.
- Other duties as assigned.
Send any comments to Robyn Harris.