Library Technician - #231175

In keeping with the TRU Library mission, all employees are committed to connecting our communities with inclusive spaces, trusted resources, and innovative services. Reporting to the Associate University Librarian, under the direction of faculty librarians, and with support from the Public Services Coordinator, Library Technicians provide paraprofessional support in all library functional areas. Library Technicians develop and utilize excellent interpersonal and information skills to assist with the smooth running of library operations.

Under the leadership and direction of faculty librarians, Library Technicians work in functional areas such as reference and research services, borrower services, cataloguing and metadata collections and acquisitions, website maintenance, interlibrary loan and resource sharing, assessment and statistical data collection, Makerspace, scholarly communications, library systems support, shelving, and stacks maintenance.

MAJOR DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides high quality in person and virtual reference and research assistance to diverse users, applying multiple modalities while accessing a variety of information resources, and referring more complex research and instructional needs to faculty librarians.

• Responds to inquiries and provides information and guidance on library resources and services. Refers general inquiries to appropriate campus resources and services.

• Demonstrates use of library resources, tools, technology, and equipment to faculty, staff, and students.

• Supports facility-use requests ensuring library policies and guidelines are followed.

• Under the direction of faculty librarians, contributes to core library areas in all assigned functional work.

• As directed by faculty librarians, participate in strategic planning, development of procedures, communication initiatives, assessment activities, and service improvement in assigned functional areas. As directed, creates and maintains resource materials such as internal procedure manuals, step-by-step instructions for users, and frequently asked questions.

• As directed by faculty librarians, participates in the planning and delivery of library orientations, outreach, and community engagement activities.

• Ensures equipment and facilities are in working order, troubleshoots as required, and proactively reports problems.

• Maintains student, staff, and faculty data in library relational databases.

• Maintains confidentiality of student, staff, and faculty library accounts, and campus enterprise relational databases.

• Processes payments for library fines using point of sale machine.

• Sends and receives books by mail to and from libraries across North America. Scans and sends book chapters and journal articles, following copyright policy, to libraries and library patrons.

• Assists in the training of other technician staff.

• Serves on library committees and working groups.

REPORTS TO
Associate University Librarian

EDUCATION:

• Two (2) year Library Technician Diploma, reflecting the competencies as outlined in the CFLA Guidelines for Education of Library Technicians (2022) (available at: http://cfla-fcab.ca/en/programs/guidelines-and-position-papers/guidelines-for-the-education-of-library-technicians/)

EXPERIENCE:

• Two (2) years’ experience providing technical, information and/or public service in a library or related setting

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE OR ABILITIES RELATED TO THE JOB

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and deal courteously, tactfully, and discretely with a variety of people
• Demonstrated ability to perform electronic word processing and data entry in an enterprise relational database, e.g. integrated library system
• Ability to use, demonstrate, and troubleshoot basic equipment such as, computer printer, multifunctional devices, point of sale machines, and library related equipment such as microform readers, label printers, and self-checkout machines
• Ability to use, demonstrate, and troubleshoot specialized equipment such as 3D printers, recording equipment, digital cameras, VR systems, textile machines, mobile devices, or educational robots
• Ability to use and demonstrate a wide variety of software programs and platforms such as integrated library systems, library research databases, learning management systems, web editors, social media, basic survey tools, scheduling, 3D scanning, designing, modelling, and printing, virtual reality, podcasting, and video editing
• Ability to plan, organize and prioritize workload, and meet deadlines while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail
• Commitment to maintaining currency with library technologies, and ongoing professional development and training in relation to assigned work responsibilities
• Intermediate computer skills with Microsoft Office Suite products, including Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Ability to use policy and departmental procedures to problem solve
• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a team, and to demonstrate initiative

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Sitting at a desk and using a computer for long periods of time, and standing for long periods of time
• Moving between floors and campus buildings while transporting library materials on a regular basis
• Shelving and shifting books, moving book trucks, and lifting boxes or other material up to 15 kg
• Maintaining cleanliness of computers and equipment
• Working closely with the public in a constantly changing environment
• Requires night and/or weekend service point coverage on a rotational basis