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General Guidelines
Welcome to the library! As a Library Student Worker you are an
essential member of the library staff. When you are on the job
you represent the library and Macalester College. Please read
the following guidelines carefully.
These issues are critical to your employment:
1. Attitude. Library jobs are not "study" jobs. Library
statistics show increasing demands for our services. Please come
to work prepared to perform your job.
2. Attendance. You must:
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report to work on time as scheduled.
-
find a replacement when you cannot work (or
telephone when you are ill and be sure to speak to a person).
-
work the full semester, including finals week.
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Supervisors
You will report directly to the supervisor with whom you have
scheduled your hours. S/he will arrange for your training and
work assignment. Any problems should be discussed with him or
her. See your supervisor for matters related to paychecks and
award changes or if you'd like to know how many hours you have
left to work in order to earn your full award. If personal concerns
will affect your job, please bring them to your supervisor(s).
We will consider such information confidential and will maintain
your right to privacy. If you have concerns you don't feel comfortable
discussing with your supervisor, please see Dave Collins.
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Who is in Charge?
Students report directly to their supervisor, however, when your
supervisor is not present, you should report to the supervisor
who has been left in charge: this may be a Student Manager. THERE
IS ALWAYS SOMEONE AT THE CIRCULATION DESK--feel free to ask there
to speak with a supervisor.
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Your Right to Privacy
College guidelines protect your rights to privacy in employment.
Library staff and student workers will not release information
about your work schedule to anyone outside the college. We will
confirm your employment, but will give no further information
(about job performance, for example) to anyone outside the college
without your permission.
Library staff, including student workers, wear nametags. For
your protection, student nametags will display your first name
and last initial only. Nametags are required when you are working
in the library.
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Phone Use/Visiting with Friends/Instant Messaging
While we recognize that there may be times when you need to take
personal calls at work, we ask that you limit this as much as
possible. Please--ask your friends and professors not to call
or message you at work. Cell phone use is not permitted during
work hours. Student employees should avoid visiting with friends,
especially when covering public service desks. You must remain
approachable to the public, in particular at service desks and
in the stacks.
You will probably see friends in the library while you are working.
It's fine to say hello, but limit further conversation to a minute
or so. Please--don't bring friends into staff work areas, or behind
service desks.
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Security
Report any security concerns to your supervisor immediately.
There is always a supervisor at the Circulation Desk (x6610).
Security concerns are:
--people behaving strangely.
--people abusing library property, including books, journal, newspapers,
furniture, equipment, as well as food and drink abuse.
--any illness or injury: anything more than a band-aid.
--theft of library or personal property (your own or someone else's).
--people harassing you or behaving rudely.
PLEASE REPORT THESE CONCERNS IMMEDIATELY! Let
a supervisor handle the problem. If no supervisor is around, call
the safety office (x6555) for help.
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Scheduling
Student Employment calculates your hours per week for each semester.
You are required to work the full semester, including Finals Week,
but not including breaks. It is your responsibility to make certain
that you do not run out of hours before the end of the semester.
Once again, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO WORK FINALS WEEK!
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When You Are Unable to Work as Scheduled
All students are expected to report to work on time. If an unusual
situation arises and you know ahead of time that you will be unable
to work your assigned shift, please:
1. Find a replacement among student aides who also work in your
area. In some departments you may post a note to find a substitute.
REPLACEMENTS ARE MANDATORY FOR ALL PUBLIC SERVICE DESKS: CIRCULATION,
REFERENCE, LOWER LEVEL, RESERVES, COMPUTER LAB.
2. Notify your supervisor that you will be absent and identify
your replacement. Do not leave a message with a student worker,
or a voicemail for your supervisor: you must speak directly with
a supervisor. If you cannot find a replacement, see your supervisor.
If you are ill, please call and speak with a supervisor. Again,
do not leave a message with a student, or a voicemail message.
Sometimes emergencies occur. We still ask that you notify us when
your work will be affected.
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Unexcused Abscence/Unexcused Lateness
Because the library depends so heavily on its student workers,
we cannot tolerate unexcused absences. No-shows or last minute
late calls create problems for supervisors, other student aides,
and those who come to the library expecting it to be fully staffed.
In the event that you must miss work or are late for work without
supervisory approval, we will take the following steps:
First unexcused absence: You will receive a written notice. You
must discuss the incident with your supervisor before you clock
in again.
Second unexcused absence: DISCIPLINE REPORT. A copy of this report
will be sent to Student Employment. Again you will receive a note;
again you may not clock in before you speak with a supervisor.
Third unexcused absence: YOU WILL BE DISMISSED. Students who
are dismissed from a campus work/study position lose their award
for that semester.
Always talk to your supervisor. There may be a misunderstanding.
We can resolve problems if we know what the problems are.
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Making Up Hours
If you wish to make up hours that you have missed, please notify
your immediate supervisor. Public services students should check
their bulletin boards and email for times when other students
need replacements: confirm all plans with your supervisor. Please
understand that we cannot guarantee to provide extra work for
hours that you have missed.
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Timeclock/Paychecks
Clock in and out on time. The program will automatically add
all minutes worked, rounded off to the nearest quarter of an hour.
Please see a Supervisor if you are unable to clock-in. You will
receive your paycheck in your SPO on the 15th day of the next
month. (For example, paychecks for hours worked in September will
be sent on October 15th).
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Pay Rate
Library Student Workers are paid varying hourly rates, depending
on your year in school and the job position you hold.
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Breaks/Lunches
If you work a shift of four hours, you are entitled to a 15 minute
break without punching out. Please arrange break times with your
supervisor and inform him or her that you are going on break before
you go. You must punch out for all meal breaks. Food and drink
are permitted in the Link. Beverages may be consumed in the library
only if they are in approved containers. Your supervisor may ask
you not to consume beverages on the job depending on the type
of work you are doing. You may not work more than 6 hours without
punching out for a meal break. You must be off the clock for at
least 30 minutes. Overtime is not a possibility: you may work
no more than eight hours a day and no more than 40 hours a week.
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Evaluations
Your performance will be evaluated at least once per year. The
library staff takes evaluations seriously; good evaluations make
excellent job references. Please consider the evaluation interview
an opportunity for youto voice your concerns to your supervisor.
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Grounds for Immediate Dissmissal
Although we expect no incidents, you must understand that some
behavior is unacceptable. These are the grounds for immediate
dismissal, and will be reported to the Dean of Students:
1. Theft of any kind including:
--falsifying time worked.
--abusing copy cards for personal copying.
--taking library supplies.
--making long distance calls on library telephones.
2. Tampering with library records, including circulation and
fines records in the system as well as misusing system passwords.
3. Violating the customer's right to privacy (see next page,
Gen. Lib. Policies, #1).
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General Library Policies
1. ALL LIBRARY RECORDS ARE CONFIDENTIAL.
It is your job to protect the customer's right to privacy as
protected by law. Reserve files, circulation files, interlibrary
loan files, and fines records are strictly confidential. Any requests
for library records of any kind presented by persons from law
enforcement should be directed to the Library Director. Do not
give a customer the name of someone who has a book checked out--even
if the book is very overdue.
2. TREAT ALL CUSTOMERS WITH EQUAL COURTESY AND FRIENDLINESS.
Excelling in customer service is our number one priority at the
library.
3. HOWEVER, CALL A SUPERVISOR IF A CUSTOMER IS RUDE TO YOU.
We are a service organization, so we ask that you remain courteous.
On the other hand, it is not your job to listen to abusive customers
or to argue about library policy. A customer expressing a legitimate
frustration should speak with a supervisor or leave a note on
the comment board in the Link. Say to angry customers: "Just
a moment please, I'll call a supervisor". Or, turn and walk
away; then find a supervisor. You may always call Circulation
(x6610). Please report all incidents to your supervisor, however
small they may seem at the time. Small stressful encounters tend
to crescendo--if supervisors are aware of problems early, we can
do something about them.
4. PLEASE, DO NOT GIVE OUT LIBRARY SUPPLIES.
This includes paper, tape, Liquid Paper, pens, paper clips...
Our budget is tight--we cannot afford to supply these items. If
a customer is persistent, refer him or her to a supervisor. Refer
people to recycling areas for paper. Diskettes are available on
a "loaner" basis in the Computer Lab and at the reference
desk.
5. WEAR YOUR NAMETAG, SHOES, AND A SHIRT WHILE ON THE JOB.
Sorry--no headsets while working at the public service points.
You must remain approachable to the public.
6. AT PUBLIC SERVICE DESKS, YOUR JOB IS TO ASSIST CUSTOMERS.
Your supervisor may also give you other work to do. Occasionally,
and with permission, you may read a book or study quietly. Computer
use should not interfere with your ability to provide assistance-gaming
while on the job is not permitted. You must remain approachable
to the library users.
7. COMPUTER USE
Library staff workstations are provided for business use. If they
are not functioning properly, work cannot be accomplished in a
timely fashion. In no way should computer configurations be altered
without consent of your supervisor.
8. ALWAYS IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A STUDENT EMPLOYEE ANSWERING THE
PHONE.
Library telephones are for library business only. Ask customers
to use the lobby telephones. Do not accept calls for student workers;
do not tell anyone when student workers are scheduled to work.
Refer persistent callers to a supervisor.
9. NO FOOD IS PERMITTED IN THE LIBRARY.
Ask customers to get rid of it or take it to the Link. Beverages
are only permissible in approved containers: those that are covered
and intended for re-use.
PLEASE ASK IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS!
And again, welcome to the library--we look forward to working
with you.
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Computer Lab Student Manual
See: http://www.macalester.edu/library/lab/staff/
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Disclosure of Student Information
The library policy on release of information about student aides,
current or past, is based on:
1. Macalester College's "Statement on Privacy and Disclosure
of Student Information"
2. Macalester's "Rights, Freedoms and Responsibilities"
document
3. The U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
In order to ensure compliance with these rules:
Requests for evaluative information about a student's employment
at the library will be honored only when we have in hand a waiver
SIGNED by the student. Noncompliant requests of this nature will
be sent back.
Directory information may be released unless the student has
requested that it not be. Refer these requests to the Academic
Records office. Directory information includes: name, local address,
phone, birth date, major, extra-curricular activities, height
and weight of athletic team members, dates of attendance, degrees
and awards, one previous educational institution (see Student
Handbook)
The fact that a student is/was employed at the library can be
confirmed. Any further information regarding the student's college
employment history should be referred to the Financial Aid office.
Library staff may release information about students to apparently
legitimate requestors if the information is not from "academic
and personal records" (see Student Handbook for fuller explanation).
For example, a caller identifying herself as the student's mother
may be informed of the student's current total of library fines.
Borrowing records may be shared within reason with other CLIC
library staff. Enquiries about student work schedules or whereabouts
will be refused unless we have express permission of the student.
Within reason, short messages will be taken, although personal
calls during work hours are discouraged.
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