LIBRARY ASSISTANT - ERESERVES/LOGISTICS

General Description:

Responsible for coordinating the eReserves program for the University Library. Act as a liaison with faculty, other library services staff and external suppliers to ensure all course readings are acquired and made available to students in an effective and timely manner. Ensure digital content shared in eReserves is copyright compliant in keeping with the Canadian Copyright Act, McMaster’s Fair Dealing Policy and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Representative Duties & Responsibilities:

• Coordinate the eReserves program, including ensuring requests are processed accurately and in a timely fashion.
• Liaise with faculty to ensure all course reading materials are acquired.
• Coordinate completion of processing e-reserve lists with Library Services staff.
• Scrutinize e-reserve reading lists, call numbers and publication information for errors and omissions.
• Extract, interpret, and integrate information from a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional resources.
• Search online databases to identify and determine the correct bibliographic entries for reserve materials.
• Review bibliographic references to determine if the library owns the specific materials to put on reserve.
• Locate and obtain requested materials and inform instructors of alternative sources of information, as required.
• Request items through Interlibrary Loans, other resource sharing options or through the library’s Acquisitions Department.
• Provide frontline user support, triage and troubleshoot issues related to accessing eReserves and report systems problems to appropriate contact. Respond independently to inquiries that are specific in nature and require a thorough knowledge of established policies and procedures.
• Communicate with students and faculty around eReserves materials and service inquiries and to make sure materials are available to students when required.
• Develop and deliver training regarding copyright and fair dealings, as well as the electronic reserves system to faculty and library services staff.  
• Work collaboratively with Head, Library Services as main point of contact for inquiries around eReserves.
• Plan and coordinate system and software upgrades.
• Understand system requirements for maintaining and troubleshooting issues with electronic reserves provider.
• Work to integrate electronic reserves provider (e.g. Ares) into our library services platform and learning management system (e.g. Desire to Learn). Ensure course reserve materials are visible to students in the library’s catalogue, as appropriate.
• Improve eReserves workflows and provide support and troubleshoot questions from library services staff.
• Write a variety of documents, including, but not limited to, general and email correspondence, communication plans, etc.
• Update and maintain knowledge of the operational and administrative processes relating to the functions of local departmental and library-wide policies and procedures.
• Update and maintain the Library’s eReserves website.
• Remain current with legislative and policy documents regarding copyright restrictions.
• Coordinate purchasing copyright clearance through the Copyright Clearance Centre.
• Maintain accurate billing statements from Copyright Clearance Centre and liaise with Library Business Office.
• Track and report photocopying requests according to established access copyright requirements.
• Ensure digital content shared in eReserves meet AODA standards.
• Compile and report eReserves statistics.
• Coordinate the logistics of materials coming into and moving between libraries, university departments and external organizations by scanning and sending materials.
• Receive, sort, and distribute University Library mail. Support Interlibrary Loans, resource sharing and Books by Mail programs in handling incoming and outgoing mail.

• Respond to shipping and tracking inquiries of University Library materials forwarded to other libraries.
• Maintain the confidentiality of user information.

Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field
• 2-year Community College diploma in Library and Information Technology, or relevant education and experience.
• Requires a minimum 2 years of relevant experience.

Assets:

• The preferred candidate will have a strong commitment to public service
• Excellent customer service skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Good bibliographic knowledge and experience
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• The ability to work both in a team-based environment as well as independently
• Be willing to embrace new challenges
• Proven ability to pay close attention to detail and to work with accuracy
• Excellent computer skills
• Knowledge of reference tools and terminology used in social sciences/humanities, business/commerce, and/or science/engineering research is desirable