Graduate Assistantship Program
Graduate Assistantships
2018-2019 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- Learning Commons, Research & Learning- STEM Libraries and Collections & Technical Services, eResources.
Research & Learning Services (Learning Commons): The Learning Commons Graduate Assistant will gain experience in academic library instruction, reference, and circulation in Strozier Library’s Learning Commons. The graduate assistant will work closely with the Instruction and Learning Services Librarian to facilitate, design, and assess library instruction classes for Florida State University’s undergraduate population. This position provides the graduate assistant with extensive experience in library instruction, teaching over fifty one-shot classes annually. Additionally, the graduate assistant will provide research and citation management consultations to the undergraduate population, in both a reference and circulation setting. The graduate assistant will also learn skills necessary to be an effective subject specialist, including collection development and subject-based instruction and reference.
Research & Learning Services (STEM Libraries): The graduate assistant will have an opportunity to play an important role in the growth and development of STEM research and learning services at FSU. They will work closely with STEM librarians to provide research and learning support to students and faculty in STEM disciplines. This will include providing library instruction sessions, conducting research consultations, and other related subject librarian activities. The graduate assistant will also work with librarians to increase engagement between the Libraries and the STEM community. This position will allow for deep exploration into areas such as scholarly communication and research data management, with a focus on STEM disciplines.
Collections & Technical Services, eResources: The graduate assistant will gain experience administrating e-resource access for FSU Libraries. Work will be technical in nature and involve learning about the different e-resources licensed, how and where access is provided to users, and common ways to troubleshoot access problems. The graduate assistant will learn how different types of e-resources (databases, eBooks, eVideo), acquisitions models, and metadata provided by different sources, effect the user experience. Working with e-resources staff, the graduate assistant will complete a review of FSU Libraries e-resource holdings to identify issues or areas for improvement. The graduate assistant will utilize multiple internal and external systems daily to accomplish their work including EXCEL, the library integrated management system, database administrative pages, and project management software. Through this experience the graduate assistant will gain a familiarity with e-resource management including the intersection between e-resources, acquisitions, cataloging, and discovery.
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 2018 and runs through the end of the spring 2019 semester. The assistantship requires 20 hours of work each week during the academic term, and may include evenings or weekends. The stipend is $11,800.00 and will include a tuition waiver of nine hours each semester.
To Apply: Complete the University Libraries Graduate Assistantship online application form at https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BRkH8u6WS42fLn. The deadline for submission for 2018-2019 year is May 4, 2018. Applicants will be selected for in-person interviews with University Libraries’ staff from the pool of applications in early June.
Contact: Please email Sarah Miller at semiller@fsu.edu with any questions