Reporting to the Director of Special Collections, the Senior Library Assistant plays a central and collaborative role in supporting the daily operations, preservation, access, and engagement activities of Hofstra University’s Special Collections, including the Long Island Studies Institute (LISI), University Archives, and Rare Books & Manuscripts. This position is ideal for someone who enjoys working behind the scenes to make history visible—and who thrives in a team-oriented environment where no two days are quite the same.
The Senior Library Assistant coordinates and supports core operational workflows across Special Collections, helping ensure that rare and unique materials are discoverable, well cared for, and accessible to students, faculty, researchers, and the broader community.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Calendaring and administrative support for the Director of Special Collections
- Maintans Special Collections reading room, assisting researchers with registration, retrieval, and use of materials.
- Supervises Special Collections Reading Room student aides
- Coordinates daily collection maintainence activities, including paging, re-shelving, shelf-reading, and monitoring storage conditions.
- Assists with inventory projects, barcode tracking, and collection audits across LISI, University Archives, and Rare Books & Manuscripts.
- Assists with shifting projects, labeling updates, and space management within Special Collections storage areas.
- Works with the Archivist, and in alignment with processing plans and best practices, supports the physical processing of collections, including labeling, rehousing, boxing, and basic preservation tasks.
- Works with the Manager for Education and Community Engagement to support course-integrated instruction sessions by preparing materials and helping facilitate hands-on learning experiences.
- Assists Administrators with exhibitions and displays—both physical and digital—including preparation of materials, mounts, labels, and installation.
- Contributes to community-facing initiatives, including LISI programming and outreach events.
- Records statistics documenting unit work, usage, and project outcomes.
- Works collaboratively with Library faculty and staff on special projects, including grants, digitization initiatives, and collection moves.
- May perform other assigned duties not specifically identified, which require the same degree of skill and which are normally included in the above job description.
