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Library Student Worker Guide: Circulation guide

Circulation Desk

While sitting at the Circulation desk, your job will include:

1. Check-in books. Keep the book return bin clear and put the returned books on the cart to be shelved. Check the book drop in the lobby every once in a while. Organize the book cart into LC order as the books are checked-in. 

2. Check-out books. Check-out books and other materials, make sure to desensitize it, and put in a due date slip.

3. Reserve textbooks. Keep track of reserved textbooks. When a patron asks to borrow one, check it out to them and remind them that the book has a two hour limit and cannot leave the library. As, soon as you get a reserve book back, check it in and put it in its proper place behind the desk.  

4. Ranging. Re-shelve books and periodicals left on tables. (This activity is called "ranging.") Any material that is removed from the shelf should be marked as used in WorkFlows before it is returned. 

5. Clean. Keep the desk looking clean and organized. Keep the staplers and printer filled with their respective requisite media. If the printer acts up and you cannot figure out why, ask a librarian for help. Though most of the time, the printer's screen will show what is wrong and how to fix it. Do not stress; the printer just wants attention. 

6. Do the count. Record the hourly patron count for the first, second, and basement floors. At the end of the day be sure to write down the door count. On the scanners, there is a tiny little screen with a number on it which shows the number of people who have come in and left the library. 

7. Interactions. Record your interactions using the QR code at the circulation desk. 

8. Take calls. Answer the telephone. Try being friendly and make sure you identify us. You might answer with, “Magale Library, how may I help you?” or "This is the Magale Library. How can I make your day info-tastic." For any book donations, refer the caller to the Muses Book House. NOTE: Many questions should be referred to a librarian, but not all. Remember that libraries thrive on answering questions, so student workers should exude a kind of "please ask us anything" vibe.

9. ILL books. The large orange bucket at the front desk is for the outgoing interlibrary loan books. Someone will come pick them up every once in awhile. Hand them the bags, sign, then take the incoming ILLs from them. Give the new bags to Kat or place them on her desk if she is not there. There will also be ILL books for Centenary students and faculty on the ILL shelf. When a student or faculty member asks for their book, check it out via the barcode on the paper attached to the book then desensitize it. Checking it back in is a similar process. Scan the paper's barcode, then return it to Kat.

10. Leave responsibly. If you are not assigned to the desk, but no one else appears to be there, let a librarian know. When it is time for you to leave, tell the librarian if no one has showed up to relieve you.

11. If you see something, do something. Don't leave a book in the wrong place on the shelf. Even if you currently aren't shelf reading. Push the chairs back to the table. Keep the library looking awesome.

 

Stacks Maintenance

Working at the circulation desk involves taking care of the stacks upstairs. This includes: 

1. Shelve. Shelve items from the desk cart or re-class cart, along with books left on tables and bin upstairs. Remember shelving is important. If you put a book in the wrong place not only is it lost, but if a student is in need of it for classes they will not be able to find it. 

  • We have multiple different collections in our library. The books upstairs are shelved by LC classification (remember The Corrington Collection is downstairs and says CORR on the label), the periodicals/bound periodicals upstairs are in Dewey, popular fiction that is downstairs is alphabetical by author, and DVDs have an acquisition number. If you have any questions about these systems please ask another student worker, or a librarian. 

2. Shelf-read. Shelf-read either in the section assigned to you by the librarian or where the last student worker left off. Shelf-reading is reading the call number on the spines (and sometimes sides) of books. Go line by line and make sure everything is in the correct order. If a book is found to be out of place, make note of where you left off and put the book in the right place. 

3. Record progress. Keep a record of your shelf reading in your assigned section of the shelf reading book. Write down the day it was done and where you started and ended. 

4. Report. If you discover a whole section out of order and do not have the time to fix it, make a note of it and tell the librarian. 

5. Shift books. Occasionally shifting will happen, this usually happens when new books and periodicals are moved up into the stacks, but sometimes it happens with old materials. When new stuff is being added two student workers will work on it at a time. If there is no room to add new or old materials, let a librarian know.