Library Assistant

The Oakley/South Asheville Branch is a cozy neighborhood library located in the heart of the Oakley Community. We are in the same building as AFD Fire Station No. 9 and the Murphy Oakley Community Center, and adjacent to the Oakley Elementary school, the Oakley Inclusive Playground, and Oakley Park.  Our staff works diligently to provide excellent customer service and build lasting relationships with our patrons.

This position is not eligible for hybrid or remote work.

The schedule for this position is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (20 hours per week) at the Oakley Library location. Some flexibility may be possible but is not guaranteed.

Anticipated hours are:

Tuesday: 1:00p.m.-6:00p.m.

Thursday: 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

Saturday: 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

The primary role of this position is to provide front line service and assistance to patrons of Buncombe County Libraries. This includes staffing the customer service desk, shelving, and clerical work as needed.

Purpose of the position: 

The purpose of this position is to perform a variety of functions for the Buncombe County Library System including staffing customer service desks, office support, clerical work and activities involved in providing public and technical services across multiple library locations.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire): High school diploma or GED, and one (1) year library experience or two (2) years in an office setting requiring forward facing customer service duties; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Perform a variety of clerical tasks to include but not limited to: Answering phones, responding to routine information requests, assisting patrons in completion of forms, assisting with maintenance of records and other related documents, typing various forms and memos, and filing; Perform cash register transactions for library fines and fees and reconcile cash register receipts with end-of-day proceeds.

• Assist in providing patrons with instruction in the use of various library tools and reference resources, identifying appropriate sources and locating reference needs; Take requests for reserve and inter-library loan books.

• Check materials in and out, maintain files of materials in circulation, and notify patrons when materials are available for pickup.

• Assist with preparation of written and visual promotional materials for flyers, press releases, and social media posts.

• May assist with library programming.

• Create visual library displays that promote literacy and programs.

• Repair torn pages and reinforce spines in damaged books; apply plastic jackets to books; replace damaged cases for audio and video materials; repair and maintain both circulating and reference materials and recommend items for replacement.

• Maintain the availability of library materials by shelving books and other materials, reading the shelves and organizing materials into their proper sequence.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Ability to deal tactfully and courteously with the general public.

• Knowledge of books, magazines, and related materials available to the public.

• Knowledge of library routine and procedures.

• Knowledge of the operation of the library’s online catalog and various types of informational materials in the main or branch library.

• Skill in data entry into a computer and operating general office equipment.

• Ability to follow established procedures and to perform work requiring some detail.

• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with the general public.