The Boston University Libraries are seeking a User Services Assistant, who can deliver excellent, welcoming, and responsive customer service to the University and extended user communities. Providing access to library services, resources, collections, and equipment at one or more of the Libraries’ service points, the User Services Assistant actively listens to questions and requests from the user community, interprets policies and procedures, and provides referrals to the Libraries' services and resources to address users' needs.

Responsibilities

• Interacts with faculty, students, and other patrons concerning all circulation functions including loans of library materials, reserve items, finding resources at consortial libraries, resolving issues about fines and missing items, and assistance with requesting materials through interlibrary loan or digitization. Answers questions about access to materials, demonstrates how to find library resources such as journal articles, and refers patron to the appropriate librarians for consultations and in-depth research support. Routes visitors and additional members of the user community to appropriate borrowing privileges.
• Completes activities such as book searching, shelving, collecting statistics, handling financial transactions, sorting & delivering library materials and identifying opportunities for service improvements. Performs some processing of materials for stacks or reserves and works with staff to resolve problems, correct errors, and maintain the physical condition of collections or records within the library services platform (Alma). Participates in the pick-up, sorting, delivery, check-in & return of materials between library units on the Charles River Campus.
• Assists in the supervision and training of student employees at the branch. Guides student employees, assigns them work, and assists student employees as needed.
• Assists with special projects such as stacks maintenance, storage retrieval, shelf-reading, resolution of issues such as lost/missing items or library fines, delivery of mail within the branch or tracking of statistics.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 1 year of direct/related experience that provides an understanding of library or service functions (post high school education can count toward experience).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Ability to lift 40 lbs and push/pull loaded carts up to 150 lbs, move boxes, bend/squat/reach to shelve library materials, and a have a tolerance for exposure to dust.

Boston University Libraries is a learning organization that supports the work of BU librarians, archivists, and information and subject specialists to seek and share knowledge, practices, and perspectives that advance library services to the university community. Embedded in numerous vibrant regional and national library and information specialist networks, the Boston University Libraries are active members within the Boston Library Consortium, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Coalition for Networked Information, and library staff at BU serve as engaged thought-leaders on a wide breadth of library management and service areas across diverse communities.

Through the Libraries, BU also is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), the Northeast Research Libraries Consortium (NERL), HathiTrust, the Boston Library Consortium (BLC), the Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust (EAST), the OCLC Research Library Partnership, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), and the Higher Education Leadership Initiative for Open Scholarship (HELIOS).

Boston University, a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is one of the leading private research and teaching institutions in the world, with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the globe. Chartered in 1869, the University is home to more than 33,000 students from more than 130 countries, 375,000 living alumni, 10,000 faculty and staff, and 17 schools and colleges.

Please note all newly hired staff and faculty will need to be in compliance with Boston University’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Requirement within 30 days of date of hire. You must upload your vaccine documentation or request a medical or religious exemption ( instructions ). For further information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Resources site.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

CURRENT BOSTON UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES Represented by L2324 click here to apply for this position. All other applicants (both internal and external), please use the {Apply} section on this page.

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 1 year of direct/related experience that provides an understanding of library or service functions (post high school education can count toward experience).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Ability to lift 40 lbs and push/pull loaded carts up to 150 lbs, move boxes, bend/squat/reach to shelve library materials, and a have a tolerance for exposure to dust.

Boston University Libraries is a learning organization that supports the work of BU librarians, archivists, and information and subject specialists to seek and share knowledge, practices, and perspectives that advance library services to the university community. Embedded in numerous vibrant regional and national library and information specialist networks, the Boston University Libraries are active members within the Boston Library Consortium, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Coalition for Networked Information, and library staff at BU serve as engaged thought-leaders on a wide breadth of library management and service areas across diverse communities.

Through the Libraries, BU also is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), the Northeast Research Libraries Consortium (NERL), HathiTrust, the Boston Library Consortium (BLC), the Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust (EAST), the OCLC Research Library Partnership, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), and the Higher Education Leadership Initiative for Open Scholarship (HELIOS).

Boston University, a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is one of the leading private research and teaching institutions in the world, with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the globe. Chartered in 1869, the University is home to more than 33,000 students from more than 130 countries, 375,000 living alumni, 10,000 faculty and staff, and 17 schools and colleges.

Please note all newly hired staff and faculty will need to be in compliance with Boston University’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Requirement within 30 days of date of hire. You must upload your vaccine documentation or request a medical or religious exemption ( instructions ). For further information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Resources site.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

CURRENT BOSTON UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES Represented by L2324 click here to apply for this position. All other applicants (both internal and external), please use the {Apply} section on this page.