Reference Desk Associate – Part Time Position Available In Chatham, Georgia

The Organization:

The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation. To learn more, go to www.georgiahistory.com .

Position Summary:

The Reference Desk Associate is a part-time opportunity responsible for assisting with the administration and organization of the GHS library and archives. Duties include helping visitors with locating reference and other information, providing excellent customer service to patrons, and maintenance of reference resources. This position is 20 hours per week and based in Savannah, GA. Occasional pre-scheduled Saturday hours are required. Job Duties and Responsibilities (incumbent may perform other duties as assigned)

Percentage of Role:

60%: Assist with patron use of primary and other collection resources. Offer suggestions and advice to patrons concerning individual research needs. Effectively and courteously help patrons select and locate materials and answer basic to intermediate inquiries. Pull materials and provide guidance to visitors using the GHS collections. Ensure and enforce proper patron procedures using library and archival materials. Respond to incoming external reference requests in a variety of formats (email, telephone, in-person, and mail) and ensure a timely turn-around response. Assist with reference requests from GHS education and communications staff.

Percentage of Role:

30%: Contribute to reference related projects which promote accessibility, organization, and maintenance of the collection and library material. Meet established goals, metrics, and deadlines based on patron and institutional needs and management directives.

Percentage of Role:

5%: Efficiently and accurately uses office and computer equipment (cash register, copier, microfilm machines, and computers) in conjunction with regular job functions. Responsible for working with colleagues to ensure that items in the Reference and Special Collections areas are shelved daily and materials are kept in order and accessible to patrons and reference staff. Assist in record keeping and database management for the System s collection as needed. Log incoming requests, monitoring response times, ensuring payment for research requests are paid in full, and tallying statistics on reference requests for monthly reports.

Percentage of Role:

5%: Conduct orientations and tally reference statistics. Present instructional orientations of Research Center resources to groups and individuals; participate in outreach activities as necessary. Help plan and participate in special Research Center events. Participate in planning and working with the entire Georgia Historical Society staff to ensure integration of library/archives component into the mission and goals of the institution.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

None Experience/Skills Required:

Knowledge, skills, and abilities: Demonstrated ability to work as a part of a team, to ask questions, to organize and prioritize work, and to act with good judgment. Must maintain good morale and be a self-starter with flexibility and a willingness to get the job done. Excellent writing, editing, and proofing skills, along with excellent problem solving, interpersonal, and communication skills. Must be able to meet deadlines and metrics with attention to detail. Must represent GHS in a professional manner and be able to work well with diverse groups of people including patrons, board members, donors, volunteers, and staff.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in a related field or two years of relevant experience.

Experience:

Minimum of two years’ experience in library/archival repository or museum/cultural institution setting; knowledge of reference services and resources. Familiarity with genealogy resources, integrated library systems, OCLC, Library of Congress classification and subject headings, and MARC 21 bibliographic records. Knowledge of Georgia history is a plus.

Physical Requirements:

Must have the ability to alternate between sitting and standing for extended periods with frequent walking. Will spend a significant amount of the time standing to assist patrons and researchers. Must be able to reach with hands and arms, lift and carry objects up to 50 pounds occasionally, and use hands to manipulate objects including a keyboard/mouse and GHS collection material. Must have good vision and hearing to perform tasks like reading documents and communicating with colleagues, donors, patrons, and the general public in person and over the phone. Must be able to ascend and descend ladders while carrying objects, ascend and descend stairs and work in semi-confined spaces. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to reach, stoop, and kneel to reach materials at various angles and locations occasionally. Must provide staff support with an annual event requiring additional work hours and advanced walking, standing, reaching, lifting, and carrying materials. This annual event will require an ability to hear accurately to interact with the public, demonstrate clarity of vision, judge distance and space relationships, and identify and distinguish colors. To Apply Send cover letter and resume to: Reference Desk Associate (part-time) Georgia Historical Society 104 West Gaston Street Savannah, GA 31401

Fax:

912.651.2831

Email:

jobs@georgiahistory.com No phone calls please recblid t0vt1mvki6510g12cu5ns30lfe484b PDN-9ed76cbd-4a6e-452a-a3af-a5c6afef3322