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Employment Opportunity - Circulation Services & Interlibrary Loan Specialist:  

Circulation Services & Interlibrary Loan Specialist

Job Summary

Manages the library building and circulation functions during evening hours, 4:30PM-1AM Sunday – Thursday, including patron assistance, supervision of student assistants, collection maintenance, equipment maintenance, and closing of the building.

Assists in the University’s resource sharing activities, including InterLibrary Loan (ILL), PASCAL consortial borrowing and lending, the digitization and delivery of university owned materials, equipment/software maintenance, and the training and supervision of student assistants.

Reports to

Coordinator for Access Services

Work is performed independently on routine work; non-routine issues or questions are referred to the supervisor.

Responsibilities

  • Closes and manages Duke Library building; ensures that Maxwell Music Library and Sanders Science Library are staffed and fully operational.
  • Supervises circulation procedures, including:
    • Verifying patron accounts, check-in/check-out of library materials, creating brief descriptions of materials as necessary, renewing, managing holds on materials.
    • Issuing library borrower’s cards according to library policy, including verifying and creating accounts.
    • Stacks maintenance, including shelving items, shelf reading, and shifting.
  • Working with Access Services Coordinator, participates in the student assistants program including: hiring, scheduling, training, assignment and monitoring of specific tasks, and evaluation.
  • ILL Borrowing – Evaluates and processes ILL borrowing requests from Furman patrons, purchases dissertations and articles directly from publishers, directs digital and physical delivery of requested materials, and levies ILL overdue fines, as necessary.
  • ILL Lending – Evaluates and processes ILL lending requests, handles digitization and transmission of electronically requested items, handles packaging and delivery of physical materials, and answers questions from borrowing libraries regarding lent items.
  • Scan & Deliver – Manages scanning of print and microform materials for electronic delivery
  • PASCAL Delivers – Ensures that borrowing and lending requests are processed, materials are shipped and received, and materials are delivered to patrons and returned to lenders in accordance with consortial agreements.
  • Participates in courier services between the libraries.
  • Assists in updating Resource Sharing Policies and Procedures Manual.
  • Cross-trains library staff to assist with normal resource sharing operations as needed.
  • Enforces resource sharing policies in accordance with library/university policies, copyright laws, and best practices.
  • Gathers statistics and generates reports.
  • Regularly communicates with colleagues from other libraries.
  • Attends meetings and serves on library/university/consortial committees, as appropriate.
  • Meets regularly with Access Services Coordinator.
  • Other duties as assigned.
  • Follows safety procedures.
  • Completes performance review process with supervisor; understands job performance expectations and how they fit into the department and university goals.

Minimum Qualifications

  • High School graduate with 1 – 2 years’ experience in related field.
  • Ability to:
    • Direct student assistants.
    • Communicate policies, procedures, requests and information to patrons, students, faculty, colleagues, etc.
    • Follow written and oral instruction.
    • Use a variety of computer software, applications, and equipment used in the library system.
    • Interpret and convert data from one format to another.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Library work experience.
  • Working knowledge of Alma, ILLiad, Odyssey, and OCLC’s WorldShare database, as well as large-format and microform scanners.
  • Bachelor’s Degree.
  • Supervisory experience.

Relationships

Periodic contact with members of own work unit, immediate supervisor, other departments, students, student assistants, staff, the general public, and faculty to exchange factual information and explanation of rules, regulations, practices or functions.

Responsibility for final decisions

Tasks involve multiple procedures with interrelated processes or steps.  Work involves choosing the appropriate option or procedure to follow and applying established rules and procedures.  Errors are readily detected in the normal course of work by standard check or crosscheck. 

Work Conditions

  • Work takes place in an office environment.
  • Work may require some heavy lifting and movement of books and other library materials.
  • Work involves possible exposure to dust and mold.
  • Hours 4:30PM-1AM Sunday – Thursday during school year August – May; 2PM-10PM during the summers. Schedule adjustment will be required when classes are not in session.

Application Procedure

To be considered for this position, applicants must submit the following:

  • cover letter
  • résumé
  • diversity statement that describes how their work experience, education, and/or professional activities might contribute to a liberal arts and sciences college community that includes a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as one of its core values
  • names and contact information of three references.

Transcript requests and background checks will be conducted in the final stage of the hiring process.

Review of applications will begin May 3. Questions may be e-mailed to Caroline Mills at caroline.mills1689@furman.edu.

About Us

Founded in 1826, Furman University is a selective private liberal arts university committed to helping students develop intellectually, personally, and interpersonally and providing the practical skills necessary to succeed in a rapidly-changing world. Furman faculty are exceptional teacher-scholars who mentor undergraduate students within a campus community that values and encourages diverse ideas and perspectives. Furman has an institutional commitment to embrace diversity as an implicit value and as an explicit practice in all of its endeavors. Following an inquiry into Furman’s ties to slavery, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a series of recommendations that will help educate the community about Furman’s history and commemorate Furman’s first African American students through educational programs, statues, historical plaques, and scholarships. Several research projects and initiatives have followed from this initial inquiry, and many faculty, staff, and students have been studying and working on these issues for several years now, with institutional support.

Our strategic vision, The Furman Advantage, promises students an individualized four-year pathway facilitated by team of mentors and infused with a rich and varied set of high-impact experiences outside the classroom that include undergraduate research, study away, internships, community-focused learning, and opportunities to engage across differences.

Furman is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty and staff, and actively encourages applications from members of all groups underrepresented in higher education. The University aspires to create a community of people representing a multiplicity of identities including race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, spiritual belief, socioeconomic background, geographic origin, ideology, world view, and varied abilities. Several faculty interest groups have formed within these underrepresented populations including African Americans and LGBTQ+. These groups encourage interested parties to interact with them during the search process. Furman extends comprehensive benefits to domestic partners of employees.

The Furman University Libraries include the James B. Duke Library, the Sanders Science Library, and the Maxwell Music Library. The Libraries have 27 employees (14 library faculty and 13 staff) and a robust collection of electronic and print materials. The Libraries are a member of the Oberlin Group consortium of liberal arts college libraries, PASCAL (The Partnership of Academic South Carolina Libraries), and use a shared Alma/Primo library services platform.

Furman University is located on traditional Cherokee land in Greenville, South Carolina, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the Southeast and was ranked #6 Small City in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine. The charming downtown features excellent restaurants, in-town parks, shops, museums, galleries, music venues, and theaters. The city also has excellent public and private schools and a vibrant international community. A 20-mile bike and running trail connects the university to Greenville and to nearby Travelers Rest, which was named one of America’s 10 best southern small towns by USA Today. The surrounding area abounds with outdoor recreational activities and has some of the most beautiful lakes, rivers, and mountains in the country. Greenville is within easy driving distance to Asheville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Columbia, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Atlantic beaches. Greenville-Spartanburg Airport runs daily flights to major cities and airline hubs.