Part-Time Reference Desk Assistants

Overview

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

Position Summary: The Reference Assistant is 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. GHS is hiring part-time employees (20-30 hours per week) and the position is based in Savannah, GA. Occasional pre-scheduled Saturday hours may be required.

• 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 procedures by patrons using library and archival materials.
• Conduct orientations and tally reference statistics.
• Assist with reference requests from GHS education and communications staff.
• Respond to incoming external reference requests in a variety of formats (email, telephone, in-person, and postal mail) and ensure a timely turnaround by logging requests, monitoring response times, ensuring payment for research requests is paid in full, and tallying statistics for monthly reports.
• Work with others to establish goals, develop work plans, monitor statistics and reading room activities, and handle reference duties on a day-to-day basis.
• Efficiently and accurately use office and computer equipment (cash register, copier, microfilm machines, and patron computers) in conjunction with regular job functions.
• Maintain shelving and organization of Reference and Special Collections to ensure materials are accessible to patrons and reference staff.
• Assist in record keeping and database management for the System’s collection as needed.
• 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 components into the institution’s mission and goals.

• Experience/
  
  Skills Required:
  
  Knowledge, skills, and abilities:
  Demonstrated ability to work as 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 a plus.
• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to see, talk, hear, stand, walk, and bend. This is largely a sedentary role; however, some filing and lifting is required to perform the essential functions of the job. This would require the ability to lift 40 pounds, reach and open file cabinets, traverse stairs, and bend and stand as necessary.
• Supervisory Responsibilities: Interns and volunteers

Send cover letter and resume to:
Reference Assistant
Georgia Historical Society
104 West Gaston Street
Savannah, GA 31401
Fax:
Email:
No phone calls please