Student Jobs

Fondren Library only accepts applications from current Rice students. Availability and duties differ for each department. Please read below to learn about each department's required duties, and feel free to email any questions you may have to the department contact listed. It is recommended that you follow up with the department contact listed below to express interest in the position and inquire about the status of your application, especially if you don't hear back after several days. If the department does not appear on the department preference page, it indicates that they are not currently hiring. In addition, we've marked departments that are currently hiring with an *.

• Building Services & Door Security: Students staff the library entrances. Department contact: Norma Perez, nperez@rice.edu
• Fondren Library Service Desk: Students assist the Service Desk staff by checking out and discharging library items, helping patrons find materials, promoting library events, and informing patrons of library policies.  Work can be very fast-paced at certain times of the day.  Applicants should enjoy helping others and learning about the library. Department contact: Heidi Vieira, heidi.j.vieira@rice.edu
• *Digital Media Commons (DMC): Student workers assist patrons, check equipment in and out, work on faculty projects, develop guides, collect payment for printouts, and help on digital media projects. Department contact: Ian Mellor-Crummey, imm2@rice.edu
• Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan: Student workers will assist ILL staff with general office work; retrieve books/journals from stacks; process incoming and outgoing mail; scan articles; other duties assigned. Must be attentive to detail. Department contact: Angela Brown, aabrown@rice.edu
• Friends of Fondren Library: Student will provide logistical support for FoFL's gala. Must be attentive to detail and have good customer service skills. Student employees are only needed for the Friends of Fondren Library gala on Friday, March 15, 2024, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at River Oaks Country Club. Department contact: Mary Lowery, mary.lowery@rice.edu
• GIS/Data Center (GDC): The GIS Data Center is a central GIS service location for the Rice community providing workshops, one-on-one instruction, and research assistance in the application of Geographic Information Systems. Student workers staff the GIS computer lab, assist users and work on projects as assigned.  Hours vary. Department contact: Kim Ricker, kricker@rice.edu
• *Kelley Center for Government Information: The Center manages a large tangible collection of Federal government publications in paper, maps, and microforms. It assists information seekers to connect with the official government information resources in both tangible and digital formats. It also promotes its value, enhances its access and usage. Student workers will be trained to assist with labelling, shelving, retrieving materials in our collections, designing or updating finding aids, resource guides, making learning and promotional materials, preparing social media posts and on site displays; to staff Kelley Center information desk, answer basic questions, making referrals, help users locate library materials in the basement or operate microform viewer/scanner, perform light data entry; help with KC special events and other tasks as assigned. Monday-Friday. Hours vary. Department contact: Anna Xiong, axiong@rice.edu
• Preservation: Student workers will stamp and mark books, print call number labels and adhere them to the correct item, assist with incoming and outgoing bindery shipments, and help in the book repair area by repairing books, making pamphlet binders, and making boxes. Students may also open boxes, sort materials, tattle-tape items, perform light data entry, and handle other duties as needed. Department contact: Andrew Damico, adamico@rice.edu
• Reference: Student workers assist subject specialists by checking titles in the online catalog; other projects as assigned. Department contact: Anna Shparberg, shparberg@rice.edu
• Research Data Services (RDS): RDS provides workshops and consultations around data management, analysis (including programming), and sharing. Student workers help coordinate workshops and, optimally, teach and consult on data, programming, and statistics. Hours are flexible. Department contact: Sean Smith, mrsmith@rice.edu
• User Experience (UX): Students work with UX staff on usability testing, surveys, graphic design, data analysis, space studies, content strategy, and more. We are also hiring Fondren Library Student Ambassadors. Department contact:  Debra Kolah, dkolah@rice.edu
• Woodson Research Center (Archives and Special Collections): Students work with archivists to assist in arranging and describing special collections materials, digitizing such materials, and responding to reference questions. Department contact: Amanda Focke, afocke@rice.edu

Student Job Classifications

Student workers are classified into three categories: Library Student Assistant I, II, and III.  Promotions are made at the discretion of the supervisor.

• Library Student Assistant I -- entry-level student library job. Requires at least two of the following: basic use of computers, understanding of filing systems, user service attitude, detail orientation, willingness to commit to a particular work schedule, physical strength or dexterity, or ability to follow directions and work with little supervision.
• Library Student Assistant II -- reserved for students who have at least two semesters of experience as Library Student Assistant I or comparable work, and who have demonstrated exceptional skills and taken on additional responsibilities. Factors considered in promotion include the ability to work independently, reliability, responsibility for special projects and assignments, demonstrated public service skills, and training or supervision of other student workers.
• Library Student Assistant III -- student library job requiring special skills such as advanced computer skills or extensive knowledge of one or more foreign languages; usually works on special projects rather than routine library functions.