Library Assistant

What you need to do:

Work one-to-one with a student with disability to access the library by providing assistance with a variety of functions depending on the needs of the individual student. You may be aiding a student with TOPCAT or CD ROM searches; reading the information from the computer terminals; retrieving books from the stacks; photocopying information that will be read on to tape for a student or helping students with interlibrary loans.

Who Benefits?

• Students who are visually impaired, who are required to do research for their course benefit greatly from volunteer library assistance. They access the library computer system, the stacks and have the information ready to be put in a format accessible to them.
• Students who are mobility impaired are able to access the stacks by having a volunteer retrieve the books that they need.
• Students with learning disabilities that effect their ability to process the information on the computer or have sequencing disabilities and are unable to understand the library cataloging system are able to get the information that they need to complete their research.
• You as a volunteer also benefit by working one-to-one with a student, gaining an understanding of different ways of accessing print based information.
• You will also get to know the library in a completely new way.

Tips to Make it Easy:

• Meet with the student to discuss what kind of assistance he/she will need and how often the two of you will meet.
• Take the library courses to refresh your memory about all the different functions of the library.

"What If..."

"What if I have never worked with a blind student before and don't know how or when to help them?"
Be honest with the student you are working with and ask what they need assistance with. He/She will help you. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions, it will help you provide the assistance he/she needs.
Talk to the staff in the Disability Services Office about etiquette for communicating with persons who are blind.

"What if I think the student is asking for more assistance then they really need?" If you are not sure the assistance you are being asked to provide is appropriate then please come to the DSO and ask the staff what kinds of assistance should be given. Remember that you a there to assist the student to access the computer system or organize the search and retrieve the materials, you are not there to conduct the research.

"What if the student is researching a discipline area that I have very little knowledge of and I don't think I can help them appropriately?"
Feel free to ask the library staff for assistance in areas where you may not feel you have the knowledge or if you are really unsure come to the DSO and we will find other assistance to help the student.

"What if I really like working with the student but it is interfering with my studies?"
Your priority is to your own studies. If you are unable to assist the student, please let the DSO know so that more assistance can be found for the student. Only provide as much time to a student as you are willing and be sure not to neglect your own education.

Time Commitment: 1-2 hours/week