Student Jobs

Fondren Library is accepting applications from 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. Please follow up with the department supervisor for your application status if you don’t hear from us in time.

• Acquisitions: Duties for student jobs includes opening boxes, sorting materials, light data entry,  stamping and marking of microforms and books, tattletaping of books, and filing invoices.  Hours: Monday-Friday, daytime job. Department contact: David Bynog, dbynog@rice.edu
• Building Services & Door Security: Students staff the library entrances. Department contact: Norma Perez, nperez@rice.edu
• Circulation: Students assist the Circulation 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
• Cataloging: Student job includes light data entry, mostly plugging in numbers and typing book titles, stamping and marking of microforms and books, tattletaping of books, filing and pulling of looseleaf pages, and the occasional photocopying.  Hours: Monday-Friday, daytime job, 5-10 hours a week. Department contact: TBD
• 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 and data entry support for FoFL's gala auction. Must be attentive to detail. Hours: 2-3 hours per week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the academic year. Prefer student available to work at the gala. 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: Student workers check the floor of the basement for Kelley Center materials and reshelve it. Sort/label/file/shelve new Kelley Center materials. Assist people to use microform scanner/printer. Staff Kelley Center office or reference desk. Help people find Kelley Center materials in the basement. Other projects as assigned. Monday-Friday. Hours vary. Department contact: Anna Xiong, axiong@rice.edu
• Preservation: Student workers will stamp books with ownership stamps and glue in date due slips; help process incoming and outgoing bindery shipments; assist with data entry and other duties in the binding unit as needed. Run call number labels and adhere them to the correct piece. Help in the book repair area by repairing books, making pamphlet binders and making boxes. 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
• User Experience (UX): Students work with UX staff on usability testing, surveys, graphic design, data analysis, space studies, content strategy, and more. Hours are flexible and work can be completed remotely. 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.