Senior Library Assistant

The George Washington University (GW) is the largest research university in the nation's capital. Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., GW offers undergraduate and graduate programs including medicine, health sciences, public health, and nursing. Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library (Himmelfarb) serves the students, staff, and faculty of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Milken Institute School of Public Health, and School of Nursing. Himmelfarb's collections consist of over 6,700 electronic texts, 6,500 electronic journals, and 125+ databases in addition to print collections of approximately 75,000 items. Visit Working at Himmelfarb to learn more about Himmelfarb!

The George Washington University's Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library seeks a dynamic, collaborative individual to perform copy cataloging and support maintaining the library's institutional repository. The Senior Library Assistant assists the Scholarly Communications and Metadata Librarian in copy cataloging, editing bibliographic records, physical processing of print books, processing items withdrawn from the collection, and maintaining the library's institutional repository, including uploading new materials and appropriate metadata to repository records. The Senior Library Assistant reports to the Scholarly Communications and Metadata Librarian and is a collaborative member of the Library Operations team.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Performs copy cataloging duties:
  • Imports and edits bibliographic records by assigning Library of Congress call number classification, subject headings, and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to library materials.
  • Maintains accuracy and adherence to national and local metadata standards.
  • Creates and updates holdings and item-level catalog records for library materials and resources.
• Completes physical processing (labeling and marking) of print books.
• Collaborates with the Circulation Team to ensure access to print materials and equipment.
• Collaborates with the Acquisitions & Resource Sharing Librarian to identify and process items to be withdrawn from the collection.
  • Withdraws items from the library's catalog and deletes holdings for these items in OCLC Worldshare Record Manager.
• Assists the Scholarly Communications & Metadata Librarian with collecting and inputting data into the institutional repository (the Health Sciences Research Commons - HSRC).
  • Adds appropriate metadata to spreadsheets to capture monthly faculty and student publication output.
  • Collaborates with the Daytime Reference Specialist to archive submissions for the Annual Art Show.
• Compiles and maintains statistical data on cataloging and institutional repository activities and assists in writing unit monthly reports.
• Participates in library-wide committees including the Scholarly Communications Committee. Contributes to committee initiatives and projects.
• Maintains a current procedures manual for the position.
• Other duties may be assigned to reflect candidate strengths and interests and/or unit needs after discussion with the supervisor.
• Performs other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.This position reports to the Scholarly Communications and Metadata Librarian.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualified candidates will hold a high school diploma/GED plus 1.5 years of relevant professional experience, or, a Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant area of study. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Previous experience working in a library.
• Cataloging and/or technical services library experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and/or experience with OCLC Worldshare Records Manager.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and/or experience with an integrated library system (such as Alma).Hiring Range $18.06 - $28.20

GW Staff Approach to Pay

How is pay for new employees determined at GW?Campus Location: Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C.

College/School/Department: School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS)

Family: Libraries

Sub-Family: Library Services - Staff

Stream: Service and Support

Level: Level 2

Hours Per Week: 40

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Will this job require the employee to work on site? Yes

Employee Onsite Status Hybrid

Telework: Yes

Required Background Check Criminal History Screening, Education/Degree/Certifications Verification, Social Security Number Trace, and Sex Offender Registry Search

Special Instructions to Applicants

Employer will not sponsor for employment Visa status

Internal Applicants Only? No

Posting Number: S013533

Job Open Date: 01/14/2025

Background Screening Successful Completion of a Background Screening will be required as a condition of hire.

EEO Statement

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.