Types of Work Available

Access Services
Student workers in the Access Services Department perform a wide range of tasks. These include:

Working at the Circulation desk checking out books, placing holds and recalls, renewing books, fielding general information questions.

Working in the Stack areas shelving library materials according to LC call number, checking books in, and keeping the shelves neat and orderly.

Students who work in Reserves perform the same duties as those working in the Circulation and Stacks areas.

Interlibrary Loan Office:
• Searching Quest for BC material
• Pulling books from the stacks
• Processing incoming material
• Notifying BC patrons when their material arrives
• Answering patron queries

Document Services Center:
• Photocopying
• Staffing the Copy Center Desk

Acquisitions
Student responsibilities are:

• Receipt of firm orders and shelf ready approval materials
• Search authority record in OPAC
• Download appropriate record not currently in library's database from OCLC

Administration
Working in the administrative office includes four different areas of administration and the duties are varied for these positions:

Loading dock:
• Picking up and delivering O'Neill Library mail
• Packaging small boxes of books for UPS shipment
• Deliveries to different BC departments on campus
• Miscellaneous projects

Administrative office:
• Computer work (Excel, Microsoft Word, Filemaker Pro)
• Answering phones
• Photocopying
• Miscellaneous projects

Tip O'Neill Exhibit:
• Grad students only for this position
• Covering the exhibit and providing information to visitors

Collection development:
• Searching online for serials and monographs
• Sorting bibliographic slips for the bibliographers
• Other projects for the four collection developers
• Miscellaneous projects

Cataloging
Student employee responsibilities include:

• Searching, editing and updating on OCLC
• Special projects
• Barcode linking projects
• Database and holdings cleanup
• Retrieving books from stacks

Gifts
Students working in Gifts would be responsible for the following:

• Searching Gift books on BCAT
• Counting books received
• Keeping statistics on duplicates
• Locating books in the Stacks for replacement using OCLC
• Transporting books between working areas
• Performing other duties as assigned

Government Documents
Student responsibilities include:

• Staffing the desk
• Searching Quest
• Reshelving materials

Media Center
Student employee responsibilities include:

• Staffing front desk - checking out materials, answering questions, taking faculty reservations
• Assisting patrons in use of equipment, material and Quest
• Reshelving media material
• Shelf reading Media stacks

Preservation
The Preservation Department employs students to work in two distinct Technical Services area.

Work in End-Processing requires flexibility, close attention to detail, the ability to work independently, and the desire to work as a member of a processing team. Tasks include:

• Marking materials with library property stamp
• Installing security strips
• Identifying call number discrepancies
• Re-labelling materials with obscured or missing labels
• Identifying damaged or fragile items in need of conservation

Work in the Conservation Lab requires a high degree of manual dexterity, close attention to detail, the ability to work independently, and the desire to begin to learn a professional craft. Tasks include:

• Performing basic repair treatments
• Completing pamphlet and paperback binding
• Creating enclosures for brittle materials
• Preparing and precut lab material for conservation treatments
• Producing and affix labels for Conservation Lab items
• Assisting in Preservation Department educational programs
• Completing special projects

Reference
Undergraduate students perform variety of functions to maintain the reference collections and the Electronic Information Center. Tasks include:

• Shelving materials
• Restocking supplies
• Troubleshooting equipment
• Searching Quest to verify information
• Filing service supplements

Serials
Students who work for the Serials Department are responsible for:

• Opening incoming mail
• Preparing serials for shelving
• Hanging newspapers
• Shelving periodicals and journals
• Delivering serial items to designated areas
• Performing other miscellaneous tasks (e.g., on-line searching or other computer-related work)

Systems
Student employees install hardware and software, relocate equipment, assist in the diagnosis and resolution of problems, and log requests for assistance. Students will work individually on some assignments and in conjunction with Systems Office staff on other projects.

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Individual Libraries and Centers

O'Neill Library
Work at the Information Desk involves checking out books to patrons and giving visitors general information about O'Neill Library and the Boston College campus. Behind the scenes, student employees are responsible for shelf reading, shelving books, delivering mail, troubleshooting computers and assisting full-time staff with the processing of reserve books, periodicals and interlibrary loan items. Apply online.

Bapst Library
Student employees at Bapst Library, which provides resources in art and art history, have a wide variety of responsibilities. Work at the Information Desk involves checking out books to patrons and giving visitors general information about Bapst Library and the Boston College campus. Behind the scenes, student employees are responsible for shelf reading, shelving books, and assisting full-time staff with the processing of reserve books, periodicals and interlibrary loan items. Apply online.

Burns Library
The Burns Library, which houses the rare books and special collections, hires student assistants to work in the Archives, Congressional Archives, Reading/Reference Room and the Technical Services Department. Duties vary from assisting with researchers, cataloging rare book and special collections, processing collections, writing finding aids and clerical duties. Student assistants should possess good computer and communication skills. Apply online.

The Connors Family Learning Center
Each year The Connors Famliy Learning Center employs between 75 and 100 Boston College undergraduate and graduate students. Available positions are as follows:

Peer Tutor:
Each year the Center hires 60 or more peer tutors to assist fellow BC students in a variety of core subject areas, along with writing and English as a Second Language. Because all tutors are required to participate in our training program, prior tutoring experience is not necessary. However, all applicants for this position must have above average academic standing, particularly in the courses that they intend to tutor. Applicants must also have the approval of their respective academic departments. Those interested in becoming peer tutors should come by the CFLC to fill out an application for tutoring. Please contact Dr. Cecilie Reid, the Assistant Director for Tutoring, at (617) 552-4053 or by email at reidce@bc.edu.

Reception Staff:
The Connors Family Learning Center employs approximately 15 undergraduates to staff our reception area. Reception Staff are responsible for booking tutoring appointments, managing traffic in the tutoring area, and answering telephones. While prior experience is not necessary, preference is generally given to those who have worked in an office setting. Interested students should come by the CFLC to fill out an application.

Other Opportunities:
In addition to the openings listed above, the Center hires graduate students to proctor exams for students with special needs. Those interested in becoming proctors should contact Anne Larkin at (617) 552-8055 or by email at cullinaa@bc.edu. The Center also sponsors ONE graduate assistantship each academic year. In addition, three graduate fellows advise and assist in running the instructional support program for graduate students. For more details about the assistantship or the fellowships, contact CFLC Director, Dr. Sue Barrett, at (617) 552-0835 or by email at barretsc@bc.edu.

All part-time positions at the Connors Family Learning Center require solid interpersonal skills and commitment to meeting the needs of Boston College students. Toward that end, the Center boasts a welcoming, professional, service-oriented environment.

Educational Resource Center
The Educational Resource Center, which serves the specialized resource needs of the School of Education, employs twenty five students who play a critical part in the daily functioning of the ERC. The tasks include working at the circulation desk, shelving books, processing new materials, and answering a wide variety of reference questions. The ERC is always looking for responsible and enthusiastic students who are interested in the School of Education. Apply online.

Social Work Library
The Social Work collection focuses on the areas of clinical social work, social policy/planning and administration, and research. Student employee responsibilities would include assisting library patrons, loaning out and checking in books and other materials, shelf-reading and reshelving materials. Apply online.

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