Library Assistant - South Buncombe Branch

This posting is for a part-time Library Assistant position (19 hours per week) at the Skyland/South Buncombe Library, part of Buncombe County Public Libraries.

The Skyland Library is one of the busiest branches in our system, serving a rapidly growing community on the south side of Buncombe County.

This position is not eligible for hybrid or remote work.

The schedule for this position is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (19 hours per week) at the Skyland Library location. Some flexibility may be possible but is not guaranteed.

Anticipated hours are:

Tuesday: 11:30am-7pm

Wednesday: 11:30am-6pm

Thursday: 11:45am-6:15pm

The primary role of this position is to provide front line service and assistance to patrons of Buncombe County Libraries. This includes staffing the customer service desk, shelving, and clerical work as needed.

Purpose of the position:
The purpose of this position is to perform a variety of functions for the Buncombe County Library System including staffing customer service desks, office support, clerical work and activities involved in providing public and technical services across multiple library locations.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire):
High school diploma or GED, and one (1) year library experience or two (2) years in an office setting requiring forward facing customer service duties; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Physical Requirements:
The work is performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to change and responsiveness to changing goals, priorities, and needs. Requires the ability to move throughout library facilities; stand and walk for extended periods; bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and reach to shelve and retrieve materials; push and pull loaded book carts; lift and carry library materials and boxes weighing up to 30 pounds; and perform repetitive hand and wrist motions associated with computer and circulation tasks.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Perform a variety of clerical tasks to include but not limited to: Answering phones, responding to routine information requests, assisting patrons in completion of forms, assisting with maintenance of records and other related documents, typing various forms and memos, and filing; Perform cash register transactions for library fines and fees and reconcile cash register receipts with end-of-day proceeds.

• Performs physical tasks associated with shelving and retrieving library materials, reading the shelves and organizing materials into their proper sequence.

• Assist in providing patrons with instruction in the use of various library tools and reference resources, identifying appropriate sources and locating reference needs; Take requests for reserve and inter-library loan books.

• Check materials in and out, maintain files of materials in circulation, and notify patrons when materials are available for pickup.

• Assist with preparation of written and visual promotional materials for flyers, press releases, and social media posts.

• May assist with library programming.

• Create visual library displays that promote literacy and programs.

• Repair torn pages and reinforce spines in damaged books; apply plastic jackets to books; replace damaged cases for audio and video materials; repair and maintain both circulating and reference materials and recommend items for replacement.

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to deal tactfully and courteously with the general public.

• Knowledge of books, magazines, and related materials available to the public.

• Knowledge of library routine and procedures.

• Knowledge of the operation of the library’s online catalog and various types of informational materials in the main or branch library.

• Skill in data entry into a computer and operating general office equipment.

• Ability to follow established procedures and to perform work requiring some detail.

• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with the general public.
  

Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.

It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age, or disability or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. EEO practices and employment decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, assignment, promotion and compensation shall not be based on any of these protected classes. In addition, the County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.