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Congratulations!
You
have been chosen to be an employee of the Reference Department of
the Shawnee State University Library.
As
a Reference Assistant you will be providing Reference and
Information assistance to the Shawnee State community, primarily by
helping people locate and use library materials.
You will also be working with the Librarians to prepare materials to
assist our patrons in using our facility, and you will be helping
the Librarians stretch their time by taking on some special tasks.
You must become familiar with the Library in general, the electronic
systems and information technology which we use to access
information, and the materials in the Reference collection.
As Reference Assistants work during hours when no librarian is in
the building, it is important that you understand and master the use
of our resources so that you will be comfortable and confident when
working solo at the Reference/Information Counter.
You will also be responsible for keeping the Reference area neat and
orderly so that all Library users can find what is needed in the
Library.
As an employee of the library, you will be expected to report for
work on time and to perform your assigned duties in a timely
fashion. Working
in the Library can be a valuable step in your career.
Reporting for work when scheduled and being punctual are
desirable employee traits.
Establishing good work habits now will get you started
and keep you on the right track.
Your performance will be evaluated regularly, and your performance
evaluations will be an important consideration in our decision to
continue your employment.
The success of the Library depends on you.
Each employee's contribution is very important.
Your employment in the Library shows our confidence in you.
Let's work together to give our patrons the very best Library
service we can provide.
Your
Supervisors
Reference
Assistants work for the Public Services Department, which is
composed of both the Reference and Circulation units.
Your general supervisor is Mary Cummings, a Reference
Librarian. When any
other Librarian is working with you, however, that Librarian becomes
your immediate supervisor. The
other librarians are Tess Midkiff, Connie Salyers Stoner, Ann Marie
Short, Janet Stewart, and David Rodgers.
When
no librarian is on duty, your immediate supervisor is the
Circulation Clerk. The
Circulation Clerks are Tyler Ferguson, Cathy Fitch,
Glenna Porter,
and Annette Johnson. If you work evenings, after the librarian leaves, the
Clerk supervising the evening shift becomes your immediate
supervisor. If you work
weekends, the Clerk supervising during your shift is your immediate
supervisor.
You
must have the permission of your immediate supervisor to take a
break, work through your break, and/or leave early.
Communications
Email:
Check
your Shawnee State Outlook email when you begin your shift.
We use email to communicate information about events,
outages, problems with the machines, etc.
Letterbox:
Check your letterbox at the Reference Counter each shift. This
is also the space in which you should keep n your time report.
Personal
Belongings
We
strongly recommend that you place your personal belongings in the
closet in the Reference Office.
Reference
Assistants' Manual
Detailed
information about how to complete tasks can be found in this online manual.
Familiarize yourself with the information here and refer to
it when you are in doubt. If you need information about
something that is not included in the manual,
please alert Mary Cummings so that the necessary information can be
added.
General
Rules for Student Workers
All
student employees are expected to abide by the rules outlined in the
"General Rules for Student Workers."
Please ask for clarification if you have any questions about
the general rules.
Overarching
information regarding student employment at SSU is covered in The
Office of Counseling and Career Services’ “Guidelines for
College Work Study, Presidential Honors, and Student Employment.” A
copy of “Guidelines for College Work Study, Presidential Honors,
and Student Employment” is in the Reference Assistants' Binder at
the Reference Counter.
Please note that you must be a full-time student
(currently enrolled in 12 or more hours of classes) in order to be
-- or to remain -- eligible for student employment.
Statistics
and Work Slips
Reference
Assistants are responsible for recording information on the work
slip
that details the type of interactions
and the amount of work accomplished during each shift.
Because these statistics are used by the Library,
by SSU, by the Ohio State Department of Education and Ohio
Board of Regents, and by the federal government, it is very
important that you accurately document your work and interactions
with patrons.
The
first thing that you should do when you report for work is to enter
your name under the appropriate hours on your work slip. An example of a work slip is included below.
Detailed directions marking the work slip, including
definitive information per each of the interactions, are included on the back of
each Work Slip. Please
ask if you have any questions about this procedure.
Time
Reports
and Paychecks
Paychecks
are issued every other Friday.
As of 9/14/04, "Paychecks are
available on payday (every other Friday) in Human Resources
(Administration Building, Room 021) from 9:00
a.m. - 2:00 p.m." If you do not pick up your check, it will be mailed to the
address you gave payroll.
Each
student employee is responsible for correctly filling out his or her
time report and making it available to the supervisor the day it is
due.
Keep your
time report in your letterbox at the Reference Counter.
Be sure that you fill out
the time report that is appropriate to your student employment
status. Most RAs fill out a "regular" "Student
Employment Time Report,"
but some fill out WORKSHIP or WORK-STUDY time reports.
Update your time report each shift you work by filling in your
times that very day.
On
your Time Report, please fill in all the blanks at the top
(except for Supervisor's Signature):
-
Pay Period:
Beginning________ Ending _____________ -- A printout of the pay
period dates is under the clear plastic desktop protector.
-
ID# is
your University ID number -- it is displayed on your University
ID card.
-
Department --
Library Reference
-
Account # -- 10
- 3140 - 5500 - 1000
-
Your Signature
-- Always
sign your time report the first day you note your times on it.
A paycheck cannot be processed without your signature on the
time report.
In
the columns of your Time Report, please fill in all appropriate
dates, times, totals, and remarks:
-
Day
of the Month -- Circle the date corresponding to the day that
you worked. If you are filling in a time report for a pay
period that begins in later in the month ( for example, October
22 to November 5), if you work on October 23, you would circle
that number toward the bottom of the time report. If you
work on November 2 during the same pay period, you would circle
#2 at the top of the time report.
-
Time
In -- Write in the hour and minute that you began working, e.g.,
7:45.
-
Lunch
Out -- Use "Lunch Out" and "Lunch In" only
if you will be working a second part of your shift later in the
day -- a half hour later or many hours later. Write in the
time, e.g., 10:00, that you left work to go to lunch (or that
you ended the first portion of your workday if you are working a
split shift.)
-
Lunch
In -- Write in the time that you returned from lunch, e.g.,
4:30, or that you are beginning the second portion of a split
shift.
-
Time
Out -- Write in the time that you ended your work shift, e.g.,
11:00.
-
Total
Reg. Pay Hours --Count up and enter the number of hours
that you worked for each day. Indicate
the number of hours (and include partial hours by indicating in
decimals -- instructions for conversion of minutes to decimals
are at the top of the time report.)
-
Remarks
-- Note any discrepancy in your normal work schedule -- if you
were late, if you did not work a scheduled shift, and/or
if you substituted for another employee.
Please
note that student employees are not allowed to be scheduled for more
than 8 hours in a single day. In emergencies, we may ask that
you work more than 8 hours; however, we have no overtime pay
mechanism for student employees.
I
have placed a completed sample timesheet in the bottom of the tray
where the blank timesheet are kept. The Reference Assistants
Account # is also at the top of the Reference Assistants list on the
front cover of the Reference Assistants Manual.
Annual Pay Raises
Library student employees
receive pay raises at their service anniversaries. Your hire
date is included in the information at the bottom of the RA schedule
for each semester. To insure that you get your annual pay
raise, please check with the Library Secretary two weeks prior to
your service anniversary.
Punctuality,
Reliability,
Absence
Generally
only one worker at a time is assigned to a Service Counter, and all
of your co-workers rely on you to be at work on time.
If, for any reason, you are going to be late reporting for
work or will not be able to come in, notify the Library as soon as possible.
You can call Mary Cummings at 740.351.3461, the
library secretary at 740.351.3323, the Circulation Counter at 740.351.3255, or
the Reference Counter at 740.351.3321.
If
you
know in advance that you must be absent from work, make
arrangements with another Reference Assistant to substitute. (If you
promise to work for another student, you are responsible for the
hours to which you have agreed.)
If
you miss more than three shifts in a semester, regardless of cause,
without securing a substitute, you may be dismissed for chronic
absences. A no-show is grounds for dismissal.
Substitutions
Whenever
a substitution is made, the person
who has agreed to substitute must address an email to the
distribution list Public Services (which is all RAs, librarians, and circulation
clerks.) In the email, the substitute must state who s/he is
substituting for and the date and time of this substitution.
(An example of how to enter the address of the distribution
list and an example of the suggested message follows.)
The
librarians and clerks will expect the substitute who has sent the
message to cover that shift.
If
the substitute does not send this message, the person normally
scheduled to work the shift will be expected to work.
Here’s the format
you should use to notify the Public Services distribution list:
Injuries
to Student Employees
If a student employee should be injured while
working, Worker’s Compensation does apply.
- The student should file an incident report
with Security before going to the hospital (if possible) -- if
not then a report can be done afterwards.
- The student should go or be taken to the
hospital and told they are with SSU and that they qualify for
Workman’s Comp.
- The hospital should be told to contact “Workwell,”
the firm that handles our incidents.
- A copy of the report should be sent to SSU
after the student is cared for.
Per "Student Employee Injuries"
memo from Tess Midkiff, 12/3/2002
Evaluations
We
believe that evaluations provide an important mechanism for
improving service. It is our goal to evaluate each employee
per the following schedule:
-
Once
at the end of your probationary period (the first 14 days)
-
Once
at the end of your first semester (or 90 days)
-
At
least once a year thereafter or as needed
Remember
-
The
telephone at the Reference Counter is for Library business.
If you need to make a lengthy personal call, use the
phone in the break room on
your break or before or after your shift.
You may use the phone in the Reference Office for quick
calls as long as you do not inconvenience users who need help.
-
Food
and eating should be confined to the Vending Area on Level 1, to
offices, and to the break room.
Drinks in capped bottles or covered cups are permitted in the
Library.
-
Please
keep your voice at a low tone so as to avoid disturbing others.
-
Friends
are wonderful--except if they interfere with your job
responsibilities. Let
your friends know that you can visit with them after your shift
ends.
-
In
the same manner in which the Library makes books and other
printed materials available to users but does not presume to
teach users how to read or how to intellectually comprehend the
content of the items available here, the Library makes word
processing, spreadsheet, database, and other computer
applications and software programs available to patrons
but takes no responsibility for teaching patrons to use these
resources. Reference
assistants are encouraged to assist patrons to whatever extent
the assistant feels comfortable and to refer the patron to the
user manual (available at Circulation) when the user’s need is
beyond the RA's knowledge.
Users who require intensive, one-on-one assistance should
be referred to the Student Success Center.
GENERAL RULES FOR LIBRARY STUDENT WORKERS
1.
Appropriate attire is required. School clothes are acceptable as long as you are neat and
clean. Clothing with profane, suggestive, or risqué language and
graphics is prohibited.
2.
After your schedule is established, you are expected to work
the hours you have been assigned (unless prior arrangements
have been made with your supervisor).
You must receive permission from your supervisor before you
work any hours beyond your normal hours or any hours less than your
normal working hours.
3.
You must contact your supervisor if you are unable to report
to work. If unable to
contact your supervisor, contact the library secretary at 351-3323.
4.
Inform your supervisor (or other designee) when you arrive
for work, sign out, or go on break.
5.
Anytime you may consider leaving this position, please give
appropriate notice: preferably two weeks.
(SG7.1)
6.
Timesheets must be filled out correctly and accurately.
Write legibly and neatly.
Always sign your name on the first day of each pay
period. (You cannot be
paid if you do not sign your timesheet.)
Always sign in and out on the hour, half hour, or semester
hour. If you make any
changes on your timesheet hours, you must initial that section.
7.
During the semester, you may work up to 20 hours per week
(total) in all university employment (regardless of how many
on-campus jobs you may have). Some
scholarship, workship, and all student work-study positions count
toward the 20 hours per week total.
8.
Between academic semesters (e.g. Winter Break) student
employees may work up to 30 hours per week.
9.
You may work up to eight (8) hours per day.
10.
Breaks and lunch breaks: a paid fifteen-minute break for each
four hours of continuous work will be scheduled. A shift over seven (7) hours must include an unpaid
30-minute lunch break.
11.
If you need to use someone’s work area, please leave it as
you found it. Library
supplies are provided while you are working.
Always return supplies to the appropriate area.
12.
The photocopy bypass key is not for personal use.
13.
Staff telephones should not be used for personal
calls. Telephones
are available in the lobby for your use.
14.
Downloading software or filing personal documents on library
staff stations is discouraged.
15.
Chatting during work shifts is prohibited.
16.
Nonwork-related discussions should be kept to a minimum while
on duty. Do not permit
friends to loiter.
17.
DO NOT answer any reference questions (unless you are
employed as a reference assistant).
Send the patron to the Reference/Information counter for
assistance. The following are typical reference questions: What is
the capital of Ohio? or Do you have statistics for teenage suicides
in Kentucky.
18.
You
may answer directional questions.
The following are typical directional questions: Where is
classroom 110? or Where can I get change?
19.
Employees
are not allowed to have foods or beverages at public service
counters or computer workstations, even if on break.
Breaks should be taken in the break room away from the work
counters.
20.
Smoking
and the use of smokeless tobacco products are prohibited in all
campus buildings. Report
any violations of this University policy to a supervisor.
21.
Should
you observe library users who are talking loudly in quiet study
areas, you should indicate that they are disturbing other. If they continue to offend, notify a supervisor.
22.
Report
anyone creating a disturbance to a supervisor who will notify
security, if necessary.
23.
The
staff room is for library staff only.
You are considered “library staff” when you are on duty.
Please do not allow friends to enter with you or share the
key with other students.
24.
Children
should not accompany their parents to work.
If child care is a problem please speak with your supervisor
about revising your work hours.
Grounds
for Dismissal may include:
-
Flagrant
or rude behavior.
-
Neglect
of work assignments.
-
Inability
to perform work assignments.
-
Excessive
socializing.
-
Not
reporting for work when scheduled
Signature:
________________________________
Date:
____________________________________
SG is STUDENT GUIDELINES for College Work
Study, Workship, and Student Employment.
The Library complies with all sections of these guidelines.l
Thanks to Sara Bushong, Jerome Library, Bowling Green
State University and Marv Hoffert. LRC, Mount Vernon Nazarene College
for examples of student employee training manuals.
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