Hiring Student Reference Assistants for the Fall Semester

For several years reference has hired student assistants to screen the questions coming to the help desk. If the patron has a simple bibliographic or directional question, the student worker can answer it. We expect the assistant to refer complex question to the reference librarian on duty. Today we started to interview candidates for the fall semester.


Hiring is never easy at any level. We never know how well the employee will work out and how long he/she will stay on the job. We automatically eliminated applicants who sent a poorly written resume in response to the advertisement. Candidates with experience in a library were given full consideration. Graduate students are usually more mature and more likely to perform. Students are financially dependent on their families and could use money from a part time job to pay for some of their expenses. Since the programs at NJIT are rigorous we are afraid that students will leave a part time job so that they can spend more time on their studies. Let’s hope for the best.