Immediate Supervisor: Help Desk Manager, ITS
- Answer the Help Desk phone in a courteous and friendly manner following the procedures in the handbook.
- Handle walk-in questions.
- Enter incoming calls in Service Console (the Help Desk tracking software), including
detailed information. - Participate in training prior to working real shifts.
- Participate in student-run training programs/and or meetings during the semester.
- Submit the Help Desk duty report at the end of each shift.
- Follow procedures for urgent requests, including classroom emergencies.
- Routinely monitor Service Console and Slack, especially if you have left the Help Desk at any point during your shift.
- Use any free time not needed to fulfill the above duties to do self-training to develop your knowledge and skills, walk around the lab or clean.
Knowledge and Experience: Familiarity with MACs and PC computers is important. This includes knowledge of commonly used applications (Microsoft Office, Adobe applications, and various Browsers. Ability to analyze and solve problems is required. Experience in troubleshooting, hardware, network and software problems is desirable.
Goshen College specific computer experience is desired. Students with general computer experience with no Goshen College specific experience may be assigned a single shift during their first semester as a probationary/training experience.
Character: Student assistants must be trustworthy, reliable and show initiative. They should be able to work independently. The ability to communicate clearly in English both in person and over the telephone is necessary.
Extra Duties: May include but are not limited to–Stocking paper and toner for lab printers, helping people one-on-one in the labs and maintaining and cleaning the labs. Students seeking extra money can work on special projects for professors seeking help. Projects are assigned based on student’s strengths.
As of January 2013 all STAs were required to complete Library Reference Desk training. Now evening Help Desk coverage is combined with Library Reference Desk support and the students manning the Help Desk are located in the library. These students are CTSs (Cross-Trained Students)
Library Reference Desk Job Description:
The job requires that workers are always friendly, helpful and customer service oriented. This will be reflected in how they speak with patrons in person and over the phone, and in how they dress. They will also need to stay alert to all that is happening in the front desk area and to make sure their supervisor knows when they will be away from the desk for any reason. There will always be a supervisor on duty to help with decisions and needs that a worker may not be trained to do.
General duties that a Circulation Desk Assistant performs include, but are not limited to:
Process circulation checkouts, returns and renewals
- Keep book drops empty
- Check the NewsNook area once before the end of their shift for any items used by patrons
- Make change, issue refunds and collect money for overdue fines and public printing
- Process reserve items for campus patrons
- Keeps confidentiality of patron requests and records
- Assist with copier/printer questions and refill paper drawers
- Follow procedures when the alarm is set off at the security exit gate
- Assist with opening and closing the library when working a beginning or ending shift
Students will be trained to be knowledgeable about library schedules and building procedures. It is important that they learn how and when to direct questions to librarians for reference and research help.
Students may study and use the computer while working as long as they are attentive to any patron need that arises. Supervisors and librarians may ask a student to do additional tasks while they are at the desk.
In addition to working desk shifts, students are expected to work two hours per week in shelving and shelf-reading in an assigned section of the library’s collection of books and media. All students will take a computer quiz to become familiar with the Library of Congress classification system. Cross-trained students will not be required to do any shelving, but they are required to take the quiz.