Compensation & Classification

Generic Job Description

Acquisitions Assistant III

Grade D

Representative Duties:

Coordinates the work in a unit. Serves as a primary source of information on established procedures and policies. May perform a range of acquisitions functions.
Corresponds with vendors about nonroutine or complex problems.
Corresponds with representatives of exchange accounts. Maintains the accounts and makes regular financial reports on the status of these accounts.
Oversees, instructs, revises the work or coordinates activities of staff.
Acquires library material that has been recommended by patrons or librarians.
Searches for bibliographic information against library files and catalogs as well as a range of bibliographic sources, often with incomplete information or incorrect source material. Verifies information on library holdings and prepares orders for new acquisitions which are usually sent to vendors without further searching.
Establishes and maintains files, including those kept on a personal computer.
Performs clerical functions incidental to library activities.

Family: Library
Job Code: 953 Date: 2/89

The job duties listed above are representative and characteristic of the duties required and the level of the work performed in the job title. The duties will vary from incumbent to incumbent in the job title.

Yale University Clerical and Technical Job Description
Job: 953 Acquisitions Assistant III Grade D

Required Knowledge:

Specialized college-level coursework; detailed but narrow knowledge in one or several work-related areas; substantial knowledge of broader field of learning.
Limited acquaintance with business, accounting, or commercial procedures.
Limited knowledge of University organizational policies and procedures generally; detailed knowledge of a narrow area of University rules and procedures.

Required Skills:

Extracts and compiles a range of data from written sources, from individuals by asking questions, or from one or several given data bases, limited interpretation of data.
Uses a variety of standard reference works and several library catalogs or reference databases.
Classifies material for filing using a straightforward or complex filing system.
Screens complex, technical, or specialized literature for referral.
Composes and proofreads routine formal letters or memoranda for internal or external circulation.
Regular, skilled use of more complex machines, including word processors or personal computers.

Office and Administrative Skills:

Keyboards materials that regularly include medical or legal terminology or foreign languages.
Formats, stores, and files data on a personal computer to generate basic, pre-established reports.
Schedules appointments in allotted times.
Advises, screens and refers callers and visitors.

Experience, Education, and Formal Training:

Six years of related work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and a high school level education, or four years of related work experience and an Associate degree; or little or no work experience and a Bachelor degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.

Complexity and Organization:

Limited variety of job tasks requiring coordinating steps/procedures.
Occasionally coordinates or organizes the work of others.

Interpersonal Relations:

Ongoing involvement outside immediate work unit.
Offers or obtains specialized information and provides assistance on complex matters.
Understands and evaluates what is being said and responds with complex answers that may take time to give.

Supervisory Guidelines:

Work may or may not be reviewed.
Incumbent plans and schedules own work and/or the work of others based on the understanding of the supervisor's broadly defined objectives and priorities; supervisor reviews the work only after its completion.
Instruction provided only in very rare instances.

Independent Judgment:

Established procedures/policies govern many work situations.
Regular exercise of independent judgment or initiative.
Problems solved by choosing solutions from among several alternatives that are not necessarily governed by established procedures.

Leadership Responsibility:

Occasionally provides work guidance or orientation for non-routine procedures/policies.
Sometimes distributes and monitors work.

Impact and Consequence of Error:

Work affects both outside the work unit and outside the University.
Errors are difficult to recognize and correct and can cause harm or financial loss to individuals, departments, and the University, or to other individuals and groups.

Working Conditions:

Slight possibility of safety risks.
Regular, multiple or conflicting demands, deadlines, emergencies, or time pressures.
Regular sustained concentration.
Some physical effort or dexterity.

Example 1

Acquisitions Assistant III (953)
Salary: D

General Purpose:
This position has a dual focus. Under the supervision of the Curator, support the programmatic aspects, including services to faculty, students, and readers, the preparation of bibliographies and other study aids, and the representation of the program at campus cultural and social events.

Under the limited supervision of the Support Team Unit Manager, perform the full range of technical services activities related to placement and control of orders, for the processing of receipts for materials in all formats and related languages for the program, and for the analyzing of bibliographical records, resolution of complex bibliographic problems, performance of the initial work in authority establishment and applying bibliographic knowledge to assorted cataloging situations.

The Technical Services Departments operate in a highly automated environment in which each Staff Member is required to perform work using computer applications running on PC-based workstations. The work environment is one of continuous process improvement with a quality orientation.

Essential Duties:

Assist faculty, students and patrons regarding information and services relating to the collections.
Support the Curator, the Selector(s), and Unit Managers by performing related duties including the preparation of statistics, periodical reports regarding vendor performance and receipts, documentation of procedures, and the gathering of other information, as assigned.
Join the Curator in representing studies at campus cultural and social gatherings.
Assist the Curator in assembling public exhibits in campus locales such as the Library and the International Studies Program facilities.
Serve as the expert user for the collection, updates, and/or changes to the Web site.
Receive and process library acquisitions, including copy-cataloging (FASTCat) and creating of provisional records for approval plan, firm orders, and gift monographs, monographic series, serials, and non book formats. Create purchase orders for approval materials. These activities are performed in the Library's on-line management system.
Review incoming shipments for accuracy and completeness; resolve problems with shipments, including vendor error, damaged/defective, and unwanted duplication. Generate claims identified through related receiving transactions.
Process invoices for payment as required.
Charge and route materials based upon a thorough understanding of subject areas, language, history, and culture, Selector preferences, and the requirements of processing partners.
Provide clerical support to the function as assigned, including filing, unpacking, and materials management, and delivery of materials to processing partners.
Perform a broad range of tasks related to the Order Support function, including - but not limited to - order searching and title status reporting, vendor selection, order creation and distribution, title claiming, and data entry of title status information as supplied by vendors.
Perform bibliographic searching and verification in various online databases, including and not limited to, ORBIS 2, RLIN, and OCLC, frequently with limited, nonstandard, or incomplete information. A preponderance of the information is in modern Western European languages.
Report on the results of bibliographic searching and on information gathered according to established criteria.
Research titles for purchasing information (e.g., price, availability, etc.) in vendors' online databases, on publishers' Internet sites and in their printed catalogs, and in standard print and online selection resources. Report this information to Selectors and others as needed.
Using the Cataloging and Acquisitions modules of the Voyager system create and dispatch orders for funded titles that are not in the Yale University Library collection or when additional copies are needed. Select vendors according to established criteria.
Perform a full range of copy cataloging with LC and member copy using RLIN or OCLC or Voyager for print and non-print materials.
Perform original cataloging for belles-lettres, including the assignment of LC classification call numbers.
Perform complex copy cataloging for serials and multi-part monographs in print and non-print formats.
Perform complex catalog maintenance activities in local cataloging system. This may include updating bibliographic information, transfers, withdrawals, deletions, updating holdings, etc.
Perform initial work in authority establishment, including both names and series.

Experience and Training:

Six years of related work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and a high school level education; or four years related work experience and an Associate degree; or little or no work experience and minimum of a Bachelor degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
Experience in establishing and maintain effective, supportive and productive business relationships with internal and external customers.
Experience with Windows and networked environments.
Experience in performing searching using on-line bibliographic and vendor databases.
Preferred: Knowledge of Voyager Library Management Systems or a similar on-line system.
Familiarity with the book trade in the area or of a comparable country. Previous experience with book approval and standing order plans.

Skills and Abilities:

Keyboarding skills (25-39 w.p.m. minimal level), including numerical keypad.
Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent oral and written communications skills.
Ability to left heavy books and push fully loaded book trucks and carts.
Strong fluency - reading, verbal, and written skills- in the language required; demonstrated knowledge of the history and culture; ability to work with a variety of subject areas.
Strong computer expertise with Window applications and related programs.
Ability to work effectively and efficiently with colleagues in a team environment as well as the ability to work with members of other teams should the need develop. Good analytical ability and problem-solving skills.
Ability to lift heavy books and to move heavy, fully loaded book trucks and hand trucks.
References must indicate reliable attendance and punctuality, accuracy, and attention to detail, consistency and dependability in performing work assignments and following detailed procedures, diligent performance, the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse population, ability to organize and prioritize own work, and the ability to work effectively with others in a team setting.

Example 2

Acquisitions Assistant III
Salary: D

General purpose:
Under the limited supervision of the Curator of the collection perform a wide range of tasks related to the acquisition and copy cataloging of monographs and serials in western languages for the Collection.

Essential duties:

Serve as a primary source of information within the collection on established library procedures and policies.
Coordinate the day-to-day work activities of the unit pertaining to acquisitions. Under the limited supervision of the Cataloger for the collection, coordinate and perform simple copy cataloging activities within the unit. Create new, descriptive catalog records, primarily in literature, without supplied bibliographic data.
Coordinate, oversee, and revise the acquisitions processes of the collection. Instruct staff and students in this acquisitions work.
Search for bibliographic information against library files and catalogs as well as a range of bibliographic sources, often with incomplete information or incorrect source material. Verify information on library holdings and prepares orders for new acquisitions which are usually sent to vendors without further searching.
Acquire library materials recommended by the Curator of the collection or patrons of the collection. Correspond with vendors and exchange partners about non-routine or complex problems relating to the acquisition of library material.
Establish and maintain vendor/exchange partner correspondence, order and receipt files for the collection.
Monitor the collection student assistant wage budget. Routinely prepare updated student wage budget reports for the Curator, and the Human Resources unit of the Yale University Library.
Occasionally provide research assistance to patrons and staff by telephone, by e-mail or in person. Interview patrons to determine the scope and depth of their requests and provides appropriate reference service.

Experience and training:

Six years related work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and a high school level education; or four years related work experience and an Associate degree; or little or no related work experience and a Bachelors degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
Preferred: Experience in the use of RLIN, OCLC, NOTIS or comparable online bibliographic systems.

Skills and abilities:

In addition to strong written and spoken English language skills, the successful candidate must possess a strong reading knowledge of one the collection languages.
References must indicate reliable attendance and punctuality, accuracy and attention to detail, consistency and dependability in performing work assignments and following detailed procedures and performance.
Ability to work effectively and efficiently with colleagues in a close working environment and a demonstrated ability to establish good working relationships in a changing environment and with other library departments.
Basic computer skills including a familiarity with the English-language keyboard.
Preferred: Strong reading knowledge of the language associated with the colleciton.