Library Special Projects Assistant, Access Services

The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens

Country: United States of America

Location: San Marino

Time Type: Full time

Posted On: October 15, 2024

About Us

At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

The Huntington

Founded in 1919, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences.

The Culture

Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do – from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond.  Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies. We are better together.  We believe an explicit commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion directly impacts and improves staff and audience engagement and experience. 

Job Description

About the Role 

The Library Special Projects Assistant supports the organization and management of Library projects. The special projects assistant will participate in the inventory of the core book collections and help ensure projects adhere to requirements and timelines. The assistant will create and maintain spreadsheets, track progress, and contribute to the project. Under the direction of project team leaders, they will assist in quality control and troubleshooting.

The assistant will also provide broad support within Access Services to provide excellent service to readers and staff which includes circulation duties and stacks maintenance.

This position provides general support on a flexible and rotating schedule, including evening hours. Has frequent contact with readers and other Library staff members. Reports to the Access Services Librarian.

This is a limited-term position scheduled for 37.5 hours per week and budgeted through June 2025.

Essential Duties 

  • Supports the organization and management of Library projects such as inventory management and data analysis.

  • Under the guidance of the project team leaders, provides support for requirements, timelines, and data integrity.

  • Supervises both the Rothenberg Reading Room and Ahmanson Reading Room. Monitors seat assignments, capacity, and reader reserve shelves.

  • Provides backup for other library assistants as needed.

Candidate Requirements and Experience 

Knowledge, skills, and abilities: 

  • Excellent interpersonal skills. Must be able to communicate with readers and colleagues effectively, as well as work independently and as part of a team. 

  • Ability to prioritize work in a unit that receives time-sensitive, high-volume requests and involved projects.

  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel. Experience with spreadsheets and data a plus. 

  • Aptitude for learning library access control systems. 

  • Must be able to lift and move heavy volumes and boxes safely. Ability to maneuver large book trucks; climb ladders. 

  • Comfortable with routine and/or repetitive work. 

  • Associate’s degree preferred. 

  • Library circulation work or paging experience preferred.

 

Working Conditions

Normal office environment, open stack library area, and secured special reading room. Much work is performed on a personal computer. The incumbent will be required to handle heavy materials, book trucks, and valuable, fragile, and rare materials.

Compensation & Benefits

We provide competitive compensation, generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees including:

  • Pay Rate: $22.00/hr.

  • Medical, Dental, Vision

  • 403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match

  • Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and holidays

  • Discounts for staff in The Huntington Store and restaurants

  • Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

  • Free passes each month to welcome family and friends to visit the grounds

The Application Process

Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume as a single PDF attachment. 

You will have the opportunity to submit additional documents on the “My Experience” section of the application.