Library Services Generalist, CIRCULATION

When you work at FPL, you are working alongside a dedicated team that brings their passion and pride to all that they do. You share your technical and product knowledge with customers and other staff, contributing to the overall success of the Library. You relate easily to others, building rapport and collaborative relationships with both the staff and customers. You are able to communicate and interact with all customers, create a welcoming and inclusive experience, are a good listener and enjoy working with people.

You have a passion for what you do and enrich the customer's experience by using your knowledge to determine the customer's needs and exceed their expectations. You are comfortable in a changing environment, with multitasking, and with learning new systems and procedures.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Proactively greet and establish rapport with patrons, enthusiastically engaging them in conversations about all of our materials and services. Provide exemplary customer service in-person at service desks and at all locations throughout the library. Answer directional and general questions about library programs and services and refer callers and visitors to the appropriate staff member or service desk.
2. Effectively communicate to patrons regarding a variety of topics including, but not limited to, library products and services, policies, responsibilities, and code of conduct. Blend creativity, problem solving, and decision making to positively impact the customer experience, de-escalate any negative situations and resolve customer questions and concerns.
3. Ask open ended questions to assess, understand, and ascertain the customer needs, determine how to tailor your approach, and provide recommendations using your institutional knowledge to connect our customer with the right solution. This includes both routine and complex patron inquires; also includes advanced patron record inquiries, research and technical assistance and readers advisory.
4. Check out, check in and renew all materials, including atypical items such as electronics and tools, using the integrated library system.
5. Monitor people using library spaces, keeping watch for unattended children who may need help, and overall safety of library spaces. Protect library assets and ensure building security by monitoring security gates, adhering to library policies, and following appropriate closing procedure.
6. Maintain customer database with precision and attentiveness to detail. Register customers and update library accounts ensuring customer privacy and confidentiality of customer information per Arkansas State Statute 13.2.7.
7. Correctly shelve library materials according to the Dewey Decimal system or alphabet according to shelving guidelines to ensure that internal and external customers can locate materials. Straighten, maintain, and check item shelf order and rearrange library materials as needed to ensure proper order. Shift library collections as needed to ensure browseability.
8. Recover and straighten the library during each shift, including but not necessarily limited to gathering and picking up items, straightening bookcases and furniture, disinfecting library materials, and performing other library housekeeping tasks as required.
9. Assist with searching for and locating materials reported as returned or otherwise misplaced.
10. Process items identified for decommission.
11. Display excellent time management skills, attention to detail, problem solving skills, strong organizational skills and the ability to work proactively to balance multiple tasks and prioritize work. Complete work at an appropriate pace.
12. Assist with library services, small and large-scale programs, and outreach opportunities as needed, including program set-up and tear down, providing adult supervision to youth programs, greeting and crowd control at events, and creating take-home craft kits.
13. Help orient new staff, ensuring a smooth acclimation to the library and our culture. Train staff members as assigned.
14. Keep abreast of changing technologies and complete assigned trainings.
15. Conduct special projects as assigned.
16. Represent your department on various library committees as requested.
17. Assume personal responsibility for building maintenance and solving minor issues and problems.
18. Perform any other related duties as required or assigned.

Circulation Services duties

Accurately conduct financial transactions in cash, check, or credit/debit card, and using an online point-of- sale system.

As assigned, notify customers of damage or missing parts, coordinate returns and assess fees on customer account, initiate customer notification of overdue items, fees, and requested items.

Locate, process, and shelve item holds for customer pickup, notify customers of held items for pick-up status, and assist them in finding items on the shelves and/or items in the shelving status in the sorting room.

Assist in seamless execution of the sorting room by operating the automated conveyor with multi-bin sorting system and supporting computers using established safety procedures, including system settings for opening and closing, and responding to conveyor malfunctions.

Unload items from book drops, sorting bins, and other locations, sort and transfer items to appropriate locations, load book trucks and determine shelving priorities, check returned materials for missing parts, damage, and needed repairs and route according to procedure.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

All library positions require customer-focused service to both internal and external customers, flexibility, teamwork, punctual and regular attendance, and compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Must provide own cell phone for multifactor authentications. 

Minimum Qualifications:

1. High school or GED, plus specialized schooling and/or on the job education in a specific skill area; e.g. customer service and clerical.
2. Minimum age to meet AOSH requirements for working near an automated conveyor and sorting system.
3. Intermediate computer and software skills including the ability to learn the library's automation and inventory system.
4. Basic math skills. 
5. Basic library skills including the ability to alphabetize a set of books or library materials by title or author, accurately file, and put a set of books or other library materials in alphanumeric order.

Other Skills and Abilities:

1. Ability to work a flexible schedule as assigned that includes evenings, weekends, and holiday shifts is required.
2. Ability to work both independently and as an effective and valued team member.
3. Strong organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills.
4. Ability to learn and carry out emergency procedures.
5. Multilingual skills a plus.
6. For Youth and Teen Services positions, must love working with children.
7. Must provide own cell phone for multifactor authentication.

Physical Abilities:

The following physical activities described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and expectations.

While performing the functions of this job, the employee is continuously required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms; regularly required to talk or hear; frequently required to sit; and occasionally required to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move cart of books weighing in excess of 100 pounds; regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds; continuously lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

Work Environment:

1. Ability to tolerate moderate noise that comes from an office environment with typical HVAC performance, constant visitors, telephone calls, computers, and printers; ability to tolerate increased noise during library programs.
2. Ability to occasionally work near mechanical equipment including the book conveyor and sorting system and mechanical lift for walk-up book drop.