Student Position Job Descriptions
FIND:
The Law Library's FIND Service locates and delivers books, journals, articles, videos and other materials to UNC's law faculty from campus libraries and from the campus libraries' subscribed databases. The service operates weekdays, is supervised by reference librarian Nick Sexton and employs two graduate students (either law or library school students) during the academic year and one during the summer. Students retrieve requested material from different sources: sometimes the requests are available online; but more often the students walk to other libraries on campus, copying articles or checking out materials in the faculty member's name. The students then deliver the requests to the faculty mailboxes in the law school. The positions provide a good opportunity for students to learn and improve skills in locating and retrieving a wide variety research material related to law. During the academic year each student works 10 hours per week. In the summer one student works 15 hours per week.
Circulation Assistants:
The Circulation Department hires law students and graduate students from the School of Information and Library Science to staff the circulation desk. Students must be enrolled during the semesters of employment. Students work an average of 10-12 hours per week, including some late night and weekend hours. The library depends on circulation student assistants to staff the desk whenever the library is open. The work assignment includes basic tasks at the circulation desk: checking out and discharging library materials, handling fines, issuing borrowers' cards, and helping patrons. The beginning pay rate is $8.50 per hour. Deborah Webster, Access Services Librarian, supervises the circulation student assistants.
Reference Assistants:
The Law Library reference desk employs four to six student reference assistants during the academic school year. Current second- and third-year law students, as well as graduate students in library science with a background in law, are welcome to apply. Students who have taken or are currently registered for an advance legal research course are preferred. The main responsibility of the reference assistant is to staff the reference desk between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Each student works one afternoon during the work week and various weekend hours, averaging seven to ten hours a week over the course of the semester. The pay rate is $9.50 per hour with a $0.50 increase for returning students. The reference assistants are supervised by Reference/Student Services Librarian Margaret Hall. Each student is trained on the basics of legal research and library policies by various librarians. These reference assistant positions offer the student the opportunity to hone their legal research skills, work with a variety of patrons (from students and faculty to the general public), and answer questions ranging from directional to extensive.
Faculty Research Services Assistants:
The Faculty Research Service is a program that provides assistance in short research projects for the Law Faculty. We employ two student researchers for ten hours per week, working on projects that range from the strictly legal to interdisciplinary projects in a variety of subjects. SILS students and law students with prior legal experience are eligible for these positions. The pay rate is $10 per hour. In addition to the salary we offer valuable experience in legal research and law librarianship, exposure to the kinds of assistance typically requested by law faculty, and an opportunity to work with librarians who can provide references when it comes time for students to seek permanent employment. The service operates weekdays and is supervised by reference librarian Julie Kimbrough.
Graduate Assistant:
The Graduate Assistantship at the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library is an exciting learning opportunity for a student with a law degree and currently enrolled in a graduate degree program of the UNC-CH School of Information and Library Science (SILS), or a student in the JD/MSLS or JD/MSIS dual-degree program at (SILS). The program is designed to prepare the Graduate Assistant (GA) for the profession by getting practical hands-on training in an academic law library. The student is able to put theory into practice and discover the aspects of law librarianship they find most interesting - whether it is helping people with questions at the reference desk, cataloging and acquiring materials for the collection, or maintaining the computer system and web pages for the library.
The GA position requires 20 hours of work per week during the academic year. The time is divided between the Public Services, Computer Services and Technical Services departments. This rotation allows the GA to gain experience in all of the various work environments within the law library. Some of the Public Services responsibilities include assisting students and faculty at the Reference Desk, conducting classes on Internet searching, and preparing research guides on topics such as Tax Research, Federal Legislative Research, and Treaties. In the Computer Services Department, the GA assists the Systems Librarian with software installation, maintenance of workstations, and web work. In Technical Services, the GA assists with serials and cataloging projects. In addition, the GA participates in library meetings, online discussions, and attends professional meetings as practicable. All of this while receiving a generous stipend.
Filing Clerk
The Technical Services Department generally hires one or two students, undergraduate or higher, to file many types of supplementation into library print materials. Supplementation can consist of pocket parts, soft bound pamphlets, and individual replacement pages. This position requires careful attention to detail as mistakes can be costly to correct. The students work a combined total of 12 - 15 weekday hours per week during the school year and up to 20 weekday hours per week during the summer and other breaks. The position is supervised by Jean Rouleau, Serials Coordinator. While working in this position a student can become more familiar with the layout of the law library and current materials housed here.
