Job Title:                       Library Associate 

Department:                 Access 

Reports to:                   Department Head 

Job Type:                     Part Time-Permanent; Non-Exempt

Organizational Role 

Serves as a member of the Access Services Department, providing acquisitions, cataloging, and processing support to the library and maintaining the materials database for the physical book, media, and e-content collections. Implements user-friendly approaches to cataloging practices while ensuring accuracy and quality control. 

Responsibilities 

• Coordinate the acquisitions process, including: 
• maintaining the library’s materials acquisitions database; 
• ordering library collection materials using a variety of online tools;
• working with vendors to ensure that orders are fulfilled in a timely and accurate manner and to resolve issues concerning invoices and returns; and
• generating records for all materials ordered. 
• Perform copy cataloging and classification of the Adult and Youth Services collections, including downloading vendor-supplied metadata, editing records to conform to current RDA or AACR2R standards, and using batch-editing software.
• Maintain accurate shelf list records, cross reference files, and authority files.
• Process items as needed by applying covers, lamination, security tags, and labels.
• Provide assistance to other staff members to support department projects involving collections, including removal of infrequently used material, continual refreshment of the collection, holds management and fulfillment, new collections, donations, and gifts.
• Process Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests from library cardholders and from other libraries, maintain other libraries’ records, and assist with generating monthly ILL statistics.
• Participate in continuing education opportunities in order to stay informed about library, information, and technology trends.
• Take pride in the library, ensuring it is clean, inviting, and in good repair.
• Contribute to monthly, annual, and other reports as needed.
• Accept other duties as assigned.  

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree or some college level coursework. 
• Working knowledge of library cataloging, collection management, and acquisition systems; knowledge of Sierra software preferred.
• Adept at project and time management, and at detail-oriented tasks.
• Effective at working in a collaborative team environment and on self-directed projects.
• Excellent customer service and active listening skills, and a commitment to always providing an exemplary user experience.
• Passion about public libraries and their tradition of sharing knowledge, literature, technology, and other resources.  

Position Requirements 

• New Jersey residency required by the “New Jersey First Act”, N.J.S.A. 52:14-7 (L. 2011, Chapter 70).   If you do not reside in New Jersey, you have one year after the date you take your employment to relocate your residence to New Jersey.  If you do not do so, you are subject to removal from your position. 
• Must be able to work with or without reasonable accommodation in a shared work area, to stand and move around for three or more hours at a time and to lift 25 pounds from varying heights.
• Must be able to work 25 hours a week Monday - Friday.  (Pay - $22/hour)

Library Values 

• Learning and teaching
• Clarity and transparency
• Kindness and an assumption of good faith
• Humility and teamwork
• Creativity and collaboration
• Optimism and accountability 

Library Culture  

• We exceed our community members’ expectations. The exemplary customer service that we provide for our members and guests is what sets us apart from other libraries.
• We value diversity, equity and inclusion. The library is stronger when we bring varied perspectives to the work of serving a growing and increasingly diverse community.
• We innovate. The library’s staff, boards and stakeholders are bold and creative. We think about new ways to improve our community every day.
• We educate and enrich. We curate extraordinary collections and research tools, constantly develop our level of expertise and offer classes, lectures and events that complement these resources and services.
• We listen. We want to hear from everyone about how well we are doing in meeting their needs and how we can do better; we analyze evidence and question our assumptions and we commit ourselves fully to making thoughtful changes.
• We collaborate. We are eager to learn and love to lead. We consult with and support colleagues at other libraries and community partners in order to ensure our ability to implement the ideas that best meet our community members’ needs.
• We steward. The library is a beautiful, welcoming, versatile building and collection, a world class resource that is owned by our community, funded through public-private partnership and entrusted to the management of a dedicated and talented library staff.