1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a Library Associate do? |
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 What field is your job in?
Library Sciences
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What is your job title?
Library Associate
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
Public library for suburban town
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How long have you been employed in this position?
6 years
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
25
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
Manage incoming and outgoing materials (books, CDs, DVDs). Help patrons locate research information, suggest leisure reading titles for adults and children. Locate items needed by other libraries and ship them, design displays of various topics (using various items from library collection) - themed by topic or to highlight a particulkar collection (e.g. large Print books), do anything that needs to get done!
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
10,000
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
10000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
none - usually take 3 weeks vacation (unpaid), and reduced hours during school vacations - they are very good about me not coming in when one of my kids is home sick, which is a 'real' benefit to me!
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
underpaid!
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2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Yes - extensive interaction with co-workers and patrons. I like being able to help people - which helps in this line of work. I like the quick commute, the flexibility of hours - esp. when kids are sick, and using my brain. Some patrons are wonderful, others are always testy - so need to be ready for anything.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
There have been times when there is tension between co-workers; there is one person who tends to do as little work as possible, so kind of cringe when see her on my shift 'cause I know it will be a more stresful day.
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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5 Income
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2 Work Environment - co-workers
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3 Work Environment - supervisors
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7 Benefits
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1 Hours
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6 Level of responsibility
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4 The actual "work" you do at your job
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8 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Some type of advanced degree, proficient with computer searches, flexible and patient with all types of people - realizing you are working with the general public. for career advancement, an MLA is a must.
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Social skills are a must - as a public employee you deal with all types of people, with all types of education and attitude. Often parents come to the library last minute to get info for school projects - and get very irritated when items are not right there that moment. Computer skills, and comfort with data base searching is a real plus. You have to like helping people - or else you will be unhappy.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes - minimum of a 2 year degree for any type of position; MLS needed if you want to advance.
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Consider how little this will pay. Our town recently published a list of salaries, and the Library Director ( a full time/full year postion) made less than many teachers in town (who work only 10 months in the year). If you like to help people, this is a good job - and certainly has offered me lots of flexibility in scheduling.
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