Graduate Assistantship Program
Graduate Assistantships
2017-2018 Academic Year
Overview: The Florida State University Libraries in partnership with the School of Information invites eligible School of Information Masters and Ph.D. program students to apply for Graduate Assistantships in the University Libraries. The purpose of these assistantships is to provide graduate students with valuable, applied work experience that will enhance their classroom learning and their marketability to potential employers after graduation.
Areas of Concentration: Three assistantships will be offered in the following areas:
Research & Learning Services (Dirac Science Library, Learning Commons, and Scholars Commons): GA will work within various areas of the former Public Services division. Dirac Science Library: GA will be involved in the development and growth of a modern science library while fostering practical skills to support today’s STEM students and faculty. Projects will include assisting with liaison work, outreach, research guides, population studies, data management, and scholarly communication. In addition the student will gain practical experience in basic library services, such as service desk assistance and working with a team of librarians and staff. The goal of this graduate assistantship will be to give the participant a skill set that will make them competitive for a job as an academic librarian supporting outreach, doing liaison work, reference, and instruction, as well as in less traditional areas such as basic data management and scholarly communication, focusing in the STEM disciplines. Learning Commons: GA will gain experience working in a large academic library and learn skills from professional librarians while working with undergraduates in the Learning Commons. The GA will work closely with the librarian who coordinates undergraduate instruction, and will have an opportunity to co-teach classes. The successful candidate will also provide service desk assistance and participate in outreach and programming activities. Scholars Commons: GA in the Scholars Commons will contribute to services for graduate students and faculty and will gain experience in project management, collection development, research and instruction, creation of digital research guides, and programming. They will also have opportunities to learn about scholarly communication and open access, government publications, liaison outreach, and the work of an academic research library. In addition, the student will gain practical experience in basic library services, such as virtual reference and working with a team of librarians and staff. The goal is to give the GA a wide range of experiences that will prepare him/her for work as a librarian engaged in outreach, collection development, reference, and instruction.
Special Collections & Archives: GA will gain practical archival experience through the arrangement, description, metadata creation for items and collections. Work will be project based and may occur in Strozier Library Special Collections (rare books and manuscripts), Heritage Protocol (FSU archives & history), the Pepper Library (manuscript collections) or Cataloging & Description. GA may also have opportunities for creating both physical and online exhibits, to work with software such as Omeka, Archon, digital asset management systems and metadata and collections cataloging. GA may also assist in providing reference services to patrons in Special Collections, creating research guides or work on other projects designed to improve access to unique collections.
Qualifications: Admission into a FSU School of Information: Library and Information Studies Masters or Ph.D. program is required. Consideration will be given to incoming students; offers will be contingent on acceptance into the program. (Note: GAs must be enrolled as full-time students for each semester of the assistantship.) Successful applicants must demonstrate the following skills and abilities:
- ability to balance graduate coursework and work responsibilities
- commitment to public service
- strong technology skills
- familiarity with searching techniques
- commitment to teaching and learning
- strong communication skills
- ability to develop detailed and accurate resources
- library experience preferred but not required
Work Hours/Stipend: The assistantships start in the fall 2017 and runs through the end of the summer 2018 semester. The assistantship requires 20 hours of work each week during the academic term, and may include evenings or weekends. The stipend is $9,600.00 and may, depending upon the availability of funds, provide for a waiver of nine hours of matriculation or out-of-state fees each semester.
To Apply: Complete the University Libraries Graduate Assistantship online application form at https://fsu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_094hYruYKvrTyWV. Applicants will be selected for in-person interviews with University Libraries’ staff from the pool of applications.
Contact: For more information, contact Sarah Miller at (850) 644-5870 or via e-mail at: semiller@fsu.edu.