Some library jobs require years of training.
The Queens Library serves the largest borough in the city of New York in terms of landmass, and the second largest in terms of population. Queens is, according to the Queens Borough President's Office, the most diverse county in the United States. A number of jobs exist at the more than 60 branches of the Queens Library. These jobs range in nature from administrative to patron service, and require training ranging from a master's degree to a high school diploma.
Administrative Jobs
Administrative jobs abound in public bureaucratic industries like public libraries. These jobs range from front-desk supervisors, who manage patron service employees and deal directly with patron complaints, to the buyer who decides which items a library should carry and how many of each item a library needs. Decisions such as those made by buyers take place in a central office for areas like Queens, which has multiple library branches. Other administrative jobs at Queens Library include payroll specialists and processors, Human Resources employees and publicity coordinators, who set up book clubs, public events and work with statewide educational initiatives.
Patron Service Jobs
Patron service jobs represent the most visible position in any public library, including Queens Library. These individuals work at the front desk and other stations throughout the library and assist the public in locating books, magazines, films and other materials. Patron service individuals check books out for patrons, scan returned books through the system and shelve returned books as they pile up. Large libraries may have separate shelvers, or pages, and front desk employees. Pages ensure that books occupy the correct space on library shelves. Patron service employees field phone calls, collect fines and address customer complaints.
Librarian Jobs
What's a library without a librarian? Librarians serve libraries in numerous capacities. Queens Library branches employ reference librarians, who assist patrons looking for books, magazines and other research materials dealing with a particular subject or subjects. Head librarians serve libraries in an administrative capacity, making decisions about what materials a library should and shouldn't carry, basic library policy and best serve the public with the budget a library has. Children's sections often have separate librarians specializing in children's literature and programs. In library systems such as the Queens Library, not every branch has a head librarian, but defers to central branches for such decisions.
Other Jobs
Various other positions exist at libraries throughout Queens. Libraries in large cities such as New York deal with tremendous patron volume. Tremendous volume means dirt, germs, trash and the general build up of filth. The Queens Library hires individuals to clean the libraries with regularity. Queens Library branches with any green space require grounds crews to maintain that space. Libraries employ individuals who repair bindings on old books and, in the digital age, technology officers who integrate new media into the framework of traditional libraries.
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