Questions about Library Circulation Assistant

marcus903

I am 16 year old and just got selected for an examination for a Library Circulation Assistant in milwaukee next week Thursday. Here is my questions about the job:

1. Will they eventually give me a duty in supervising employees? (notice that I said eventually, not immediately)

2. Will they eventually put me in charge of the library when I am ready?

3. What duties (other than stock books, answering the phone, and making library cards) will I be performing?

Thanks.

DCFC79

Have you googled the job title to see if other jobs exist so you can check the job description,

marcus903

DCFC79 wrote: »

Have you googled the job title to see if other jobs exist so you can check the job description,

Yes I did.

DCFC79

marcus903 wrote: »

Yes I did.

did it answer any questions or not,

isnt a library manager the 1 who is in charge as opposed to an assistant

you might be lending books out and sorting out returned books, maybe put the security tags in the books(if they still do that)

thegirlintheattic

Did this in my teens, it's a good job.

1. Will they eventually give me a duty in supervising employees? (notice that I said eventually, not immediately)

Probably not unless you get a promotion. You may supervise and train new staff eventually.

2. Will they eventually put me in charge of the library when I am ready?

Of the whole library? No, again unless you get a promotion. That is what managers and in smaller libraries librarians are for.

3. What duties (other than stock books, answering the phone, and making library cards) will I be performing?

Depends on the library but you'll be a general dogsbody so shelving/tidying books, repairing books, cataloguing new books, joining people, giving people their books and taking them in, customer enquiries, ICT bookings, children's activities - the job is very diverse.

Ask at the interview. They will not be expecting you to have experience just be keen, show initiative, enjoy books and be a good communicator.

smileylondongal

I also did a job very similar at your age and loved it so congrats on getting an interview! I think it sounds like you'd be starting from the bottom up, which is kind of what you'd expect really, but there's no reason you can't get promoted over time.

Do you have the name of the person who chose you for interview? I'd call them up and ask them the questions or see if you can dig out the original ad for the job as they must have put a few of the duties on there. Alternatively, you could ring up the library and ask an employee what duties they perform - people like talking about themselves, I find , and it might show your enthusiasm.

With the other questions, I'd wait till interview to ask them.

Best of luck!

Sambucus_Nigra

marcus903 wrote: »

I am 16 year old and just got selected for an examination for a Library Circulation Assistant in milwaukee next week Thursday. Here is my questions about the job:

1. Will they eventually give me a duty in supervising employees? (notice that I said eventually, not immediately)

2. Will they eventually put me in charge of the library when I am ready?

3. What duties (other than stock books, answering the phone, and making library cards) will I be performing?

Thanks.

Have you checked the job description? That should answer no 3. The rest nobody on here will know, it's for you to inquire at interview.

agrinnall

Marcus, the answers really depend on the size of the library. If it's a small branch library with only a few members of staff then 1 is possible at some point, 2 is less likely but still potentially possible. If the library has more staff then 1 is still possible but 2 is very unlikely unless you get a library qualification. I don't know how how the grading of library workers is done in the US but here in the UK only the lower positions (library assistant and senior library assistant) would normally be available to unqualified people, higher graded positions (assistant librarian, librarian, library manager, cataloguer (or cataloger in your terms ), etc.) require a degree or postgraduate qualification. I am currently studying for a Masters in Information and Library Studies and will probably be looking at assistant librarian level jobs to start with, which are likely to include supervisory responsibilities and possibly being in charge of the library.