Library Assistants, Clerical

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

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

Skills

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

Abilities

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

Knowledge

• 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.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• 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.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• 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.
• 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.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

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

×

Education and Training Opportunities

Close

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