Dear Colleagues,
Last October, I asked the list for advice about employing students as library assistants on the campus at which they study. Apologies for this late summary. 7 of the 10 replies reported on current practice. 6 of these are single site libraries. 2 have under 1000 students; 2 have 1000-10000 students and 3 have over 10K students. One large university uses students solely as shelvers.
Advice summary:-
Type of students employed and whether supervised:
2 only employ graduates, one of these reporting that they are unsupervised and do not work on the issue counter as a self-issue system is used for loans. These students have access to panic buttons, security and the librarian’s phone number for advice.
The others employ postgraduates and mature undergraduates for the service desk and shelvers, a number seeking students with previous customer-orientated experience. One reported that postgrads are more reliable. One uses a pool of 12 supervised students to cover 57 hours per week. One uses a PhD student to supervise student employees.
Pros:
3 reported the positive effect of employing students: raising the library profile, positive effect on customer service, students relating to the users, getting valuable feedback on service and proposed changes.
Cons:
The amount of time required to employ and manage the student workforce requires serious consideration. 4 reported problems with turn-over and unreliability caused by clashes with other commitments, e.g. assignments, which can result in early closure. “They are supposed to find their own cover from within an approved team, but it doesn't always work.” One reported that each year there were 500+ applications for 3 posts to be sifted through. Another stated that a large investment of time in training is required for a temporary staff. Two highlighted the potential to demoralise the permanent staff, who may feel their posts under threat.
Other advice:
Recruit via panel interview, provide a proper induction and conduct probationary meetings, in line with good HR practice – these help retain student employees. One had been concerned about the potential for undergraduates to abuse access to personal data, but this proved unfounded. One stated that students sign formal contracts, with entitlements to paid leave and sickness benefit.
Regards,
Ralph Cox
Head of Library and Archive, Dance Faculty
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Laban
Creekside
London
SE8 3DZ
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