Library Research Assistant Jobs in Berkeley, CA (NOW HIRING)

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Departmental Overview

The UC Berkeley Library is an internationally renowned teaching and research facility at one of the nation's premier public universities. A highly diverse and intellectually rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of 33,000 undergraduate students, over 12,000 graduate students, and 1,500 faculty. With a collection of more than 13 million volumes and a collections budget of over $15 million, the Library offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with those collections and build their related research skills.

Position Summary

The Evening and Weekend Work Lead will lead student library employees providing all access services offered during evening and weekend hours, as well as performing stacks maintenance. Incumbent may also assist in training student employees.

The incumbent will also provide circulation services, checking out material, placing holds or searches on material, submitting paging requests to SLF; and instructional services, assisting patrons in the use of the online catalog and public-use scanners and printers, fielding reference questions, informational questions, and complaints.

As the sole library career staff present during evening and weekend hours, the incumbent will also serve as initial contact in case of facilities issues or emergency situations.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is August 7, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.

Responsibilities

Circulation and reserves - 35%

• Check material out/in, renew material, place holds on material already checked out, place searches on material patrons are unable to locate.
• Assist students with e-reserves.
• Instruct users on use of online catalog and public-use scanners and printers.
• Field general information and directional questions, refer researchers to reference specialists.
• Explain library policy, field complaints.

Stacks management - 35%

• Sorting books, shelving, shelf-reading, shifting stacks.
• Processing sweeps at the end of the shift.
• Conducting searches for material that can't be located.
• Ensuring orderliness of stacks.

Lead student library employees - 15%

• Track attendance.
• Coordinate workflows.
• Provide feedback to circulation manager regarding student employee performance.
• Assist with training student employees.

Ensure safety and security of users and facilities - 10%

• Serve as initial primary contact in case of emergency situations or problems with facilities or public equipment.
• Communicate with appropriate staff regarding these issues.

Perform other duties as assigned - 5%

Required Qualifications

• Strong oral and written communication skills in English.
• Familiarity with online library catalogs.
• Experience working as part of a team in an academic setting.
• Familiarity with the PC environment, Microsoft Office and Google applications.
• Working knowledge of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility for all library users.
• Ability to handle difficult interpersonal interactions with patrons and staff effectively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in public services in an academic library setting.
• Experience with integrated library systems and working knowledge of the Library of Congress classification system.
• Experience supervising student library employees.

Education / Training

• High school dimploma (required)

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $28.26 (Step 8) - $29.50 (Step 10).

• This is a non-exempt, bi-weekly paid position.
• This is an approximately 12-month, full-time (40 hours/week), Limited [temporary] position that is eligible for UC benefits and ends on August 25, 2027.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.
• This position is governed by the terms and conditions in the agreement for the Clerical & Allied Services Unit (CX) between the University of California and Teamsters Local 2010. The current bargaining agreement manual can be found at: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/cx/index.html
  • The automatic conversion to career status, as provided in Section B.2. above will not occur when one or more of the following occur:
  • b. The position into which the employee is hired is not an "ongoing" position, in that the position is established and funded for 18 months or less at any percent of time. In the event the position is funded beyond 18 months, the limited appointee shall be converted to career retroactive to the first of the month following attainment of 1000 hours; except that nothing in this subparagraph precludes the University from releasing the limited appointee prior to the effective date of the funding extension.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Mandated Reporter

This position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter required to report the observed or suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults, or elders to designated law enforcement or social service agencies. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon completion of signed statements acknowledging the responsibilities of a Mandated Reporter.

Misconduct

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.