This year, the Furman University Libraries proudly welcomed over 20 new library student assistants, embarking on an exciting journey of learning and service. As part of our ongoing commitment to excellence, we’ve introduced significant updates to our student assistant training program, ensuring that our team is better equipped than ever to serve our campus community.
One of the most notable changes is the integration of training for circulation and research student assistants. By combining these two areas, all our student assistants will now receive comprehensive training in both, enabling them to assist patrons more effectively and contribute more broadly to the library’s operations.
Behind this transformation is a dedicated effort by Miles Dame and Frances Choe, who spent the last eight months revamping and building a robust training curriculum. Their hard work has led to the creation of new training checklists, a Moodle course filled with asynchronous training materials, and a full Library Student Assistant Handbook. Additionally, a task manual has been developed to guide students through essential procedures like creating patron accounts, entering data, and printing, ensuring they have the resources they need at their fingertips.
The preparation for this new training approach was no small feat. Miles and Frances met weekly, refining every detail of the curriculum. Their dedication culminated in the successful hiring of over twenty new student assistants, each ready to take on the challenges of their roles.
On August 26, we held an all-hands meeting to kick off the academic year. This gathering was crucial in ensuring that both new and returning student assistants were informed about changes in policies and procedures. Now, as the year is underway, Miles and Frances are conducting one-on-one training sessions to familiarize students with the ins and outs of research assistance and circulation tasks. From shelving materials and printing documents to locating articles and accessing books, our student assistants are gaining the skills and knowledge needed to excel.
This new and improved training program marks a significant step forward for the Furman University Libraries. We’re confident that these enhancements will empower our student assistants to provide exceptional service to our campus community, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make throughout the year.
Amazing effort by both Frances & Miles to make student employment a value-added endeavor, preparing our student assistants for post-graduation.