Library Assistants, Clerical

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Instruct patrons on how to use reference sources, card catalogs, and automated information systems.
• Repair books using mending tape, paste, and brushes or prepare books to be sent to a bindery for repair.
• Assist in the preparation of book displays.
• Design or maintain library web site and online catalogues.
• Perform clerical activities, such as answering phones, sorting mail, filing, typing, word processing, and photocopying and mailing out material.
• Perform accounting and bookkeeping activities, such as invoicing, maintaining financial records, budgeting, and handling cash.
• Sort books, publications, and other items according to established procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
• Lend, reserve, and collect books, periodicals, videotapes, and other materials at circulation desks and process materials for inter-library loans.
• Deliver and retrieve items to and from departments by hand or using push carts.
• Manage reserve materials by placing items on reserve for library patrons, checking items in and out of library, and removing out-of-date items.
• Classify and catalog items according to content and purpose.
• Maintain records of items received, stored, issued, and returned and file catalog cards according to system used.
• Send out notices and accept fine payments for lost or overdue books.
• Process new materials including books, audio-visual materials, and computer software.
• Plan or participate in library events and programs, such as story time with children.
• Maintain library equipment, such as photocopiers, scanners, and computers, and instruct patrons in proper use of such equipment.
• Select substitute titles when requested materials are unavailable, following criteria such as age, education, and interests.
• Perform clerical activities, such as answering phones, sorting mail, filing, typing, word processing, and photocopying and mailing out material.
• Send out notices and accept fine payments for lost or overdue books.
• Prepare, store, and retrieve classification and catalog information, lecture notes, or other information related to stored documents, using computers.
• Register new patrons and issue borrower identification cards that permit patrons to borrow books and other materials.
• Repair books using mending tape, paste, and brushes or prepare books to be sent to a bindery for repair.
• Acquire books, pamphlets, periodicals, audio-visual materials, and other library supplies by checking prices, figuring costs, and preparing appropriate order forms and facilitating the ordering process by providing such information to others.
• Inspect returned books for condition and due-date status and compute any applicable fines.
• Review records, such as microfilm and issue cards, to identify titles of overdue materials and delinquent borrowers.
• Take action to deal with disruptive or problem patrons.
• Acquire books, pamphlets, periodicals, audio-visual materials, and other library supplies by checking prices, figuring costs, and preparing appropriate order forms and facilitating the ordering process by providing such information to others.
• Schedule, supervise, and train clerical workers, volunteers, student assistants, and other library employees.
• Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment.
• Inspect returned books for condition and due-date status and compute any applicable fines.
• Provide assistance to librarians in the maintenance of collections of books, periodicals, magazines, newspapers, and audio-visual and other materials.
• Answer routine inquiries and refer patrons in need of professional assistance to librarians.
• Open and close library during specified hours and secure library equipment, such as computers and audio-visual equipment.
• Operate small branch libraries, under the direction of off-site librarian supervisors.
• Perform clerical activities, such as answering phones, sorting mail, filing, typing, word processing, and photocopying and mailing out material.
• Schedule, supervise, and train clerical workers, volunteers, student assistants, and other library employees.
• Prepare library statistics reports.
• Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment.
• Locate library materials for patrons, including books, periodicals, tape cassettes, Braille volumes, and pictures.
• Prepare, store, and retrieve classification and catalog information, lecture notes, or other information related to stored documents, using computers.
• Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
• Plan or participate in library events and programs, such as story time with children.

Skills

• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.

Knowledge

• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Less than 1 month on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

45980/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

22.11/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

2,930

Yearly Projected Openings

530

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

• Cooperation
• Dependability
• Integrity
• Attention to Detail
• Concern for Others
• Adaptability/Flexibility

Tools

• Bar code reader equipment
• Braille devices for the physically challenged
• Cargo trucks
• Cash registers
• Desktop calculator
• Desktop computers
• Digital cameras
• Film projectors
• Laminators
• Laser fax machine
• Laser printers
• Magnifiers
• Mail opening machines
• Microfiche or microfilm viewers
• Microfiche reader printers
• Minivans or vans
• Multi function printers
• Multimedia projectors
• Photocopiers
• Pocket calculator
• Scanners
• Special purpose telephones
• Thermal book binding machines
• Typewriters
• Videoconferencing systems
• Voice synthesizers for the physically challenged

Technology

• Data base user interface and query software
• Desktop publishing software
• Document management software
• Electronic mail software
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Information retrieval or search software
• Internet browser software
• Library software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software