Job Description
Nature of Work:
The Health Sciences Library is the library for the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The library provides the largest collection of health sciences information resources in Colorado with a digital collection of more than 30,000 online journals, hundreds of electronic textbooks, and online databases. Health Sciences Library administers the Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries (PASCAL). PASCAL is a high-density library storage facility located on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Operating since 2001, PASCAL currently serves CU academic libraries: Norlin Library of CU-Boulder, Law Library of CU-Boulder, Auraria Library of CU Denver, and the Health Sciences Library on the Anschutz campus. Based on a design pioneered at Harvard University, PASCAL bays can hold over a million volumes and currently two bays exist. The storage area of the facility is climate controlled with year-round temperatures in the storage bays averaging 55 degrees and 35% relative humidity. Currently, volumes eligible for storage are older research materials that have value but are in low demand. All volumes are sorted and stored by size in cardboard trays. Individual library catalogs indicate if a particular book has been moved to PASCAL allowing patrons to make requests via their own library.
PASCAL seeks responsive and effective individuals who are responsible for exercising discretion, analytical skill, personal accountability, and responsibility in performing storage services and retrieval operations of the PASCAL warehouse and its associated user services for member libraries. Work involves providing high-density preservation and storage of library materials and retrieval of those materials per requests from users and libraries.
The systems, operations, and processes are established and defined but allow for flexibility and latitude in adapting practical approaches for various situations. Not all circumstances are covered by established guidelines so positions must use some judgment in devising solutions and alternatives. The work at this level includes determining priorities, solving problems affecting the accurate processing of materials or transactions, recommending procedure changes to remedy processing problems and following directives and procedural delegations of the PASCAL Manager for quality control of material handling.
PASCAL exists to meet the information needs of its member libraries by providing: high-density storage services and management of compact shelf space; circulation and lending of materials; care in handling and preservation of materials sometimes rare and special collections; interlibrary loan lending and document delivery services to fulfill requests; operation of each member’s integrated library system and interlibrary loan delivery systems for the purposes of material stored at PASCAL; and monitoring of environmental quality in the storage bays and accurate inventory of material and their precise storage location per local PASCAL barcodes and storage scheme and methods.
The Material Handler at PASCAL is responsible to process materials and requests and to provide services and customer relations to the participating libraries and clients of PASCAL. The material handler reports to the PASCAL manager. The position’s duties include: assisting with opening/closing of the facility; operation of an order picker and driving a forklift to retrieve and reshelf materials; sorting and processing incoming materials for storage according to set procedures; pulling and re-shelfing materials; copying and scanning materials for electronic delivery and preparing physical material for outgoing mail and courier; using document delivery technology software and systems; and handling the general circulation of materials in and out of the PASCAL collection.
Supervision Received: Reports to the PASCAL Manager, Librarian II.
Supervision Exercised: This position exercises no formal supervision.
Examples of Work Performed:
Technical work limits are proscribed by available resources and established standards. To resolve problems, choices are made to relate individual items or situations to general practices. However, the outcomes should be consistent. Some examples of standard processes and procedures include but are not limited to:
Processing:
- Demonstrate understanding of the policy and procedures involved in the input of new materials into the PASCAL collection.
- Affix barcodes to incoming material and input barcodes into item records. All newly-processed items must be checked to ensure that the sequential order of each tray is intact. The last item in each tray must be checked manually to confirm that it matches the last number in the tray sequence in catalogue.
- Each item record must be updated manually for each incoming item.
- Manual typing of item barcodes must be followed by confirmation that item record matches item being processed.
- Close attention must be paid while checking newly-processed material to be sure that every item has been processed. No unprocessed items should reach the stacks.
Sorting:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the policies and procedures involved in the sorting and sizing of new material for input into PASCAL collection.
- Receive and unpack shipments.
- Size items and store in corresponding trays; Group trays of the same size together for barcoding.
- Choose and designate appropriate shelves for sorted trays.
- Shelf location must be decided on for sorted material.
- Attention must be paid to minute changes in item heights to ensure that an item fits on its designated shelf; if an incorrect shelf is chosen for material, all processing for that shelf must be re-done.
Scanning:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the policies and procedures involved in the copying, scanning and sending of requests for document delivery.
- Utilize the ILLiad document delivery system (or other interlibrary loan systems particular to each PASCAL member library) to process requests for journal articles and book chapters to be scanned and transmitted directly to ILLiad users.
- Prioritize the workflow based upon the queues in ILLiad and fulfill both loan and document delivery requests based upon this information.
- Every paging slip must be looked up in the online catalogue to find its corresponding PASCAL barcode in order to retrieve item from PASCAL storage area; information on item record such as volume number and year must correspond to information on paging slip.
Order Picker:
- Safely operate a stand-up forklift in a warehouse environment.
- The forklift operator must be able to pass certification in the operation of a battery-powered lift utilized in the storage facility.
- Forklift operators at PASCAL are lifted up to 30' in the air in an order picking basket where they must manually reach into a shelf location to retrieve and replace library material.
- Operation of order picker takes place in a controlled environment of 55º Fahrenheit and 35% humidity.
- Water levels in battery cells must be monitored since they can easily run dry or overflow leaving battery acid on storage area floor.
- Battery cells must be equalized during recharging on a regular basis.
Circulation:
- Understand and apply policies involved in the circulation of PASCAL material.
- Prepare material for check-out through the circulation system and place in courier pickup locations to correct destination.
- Utilize the ILLiad system to process requests to be delivered to borrowing libraries via delivery methods requested by member libraries.
- Verify items by checking the physical item against the item description, i.e., title and call number, on the request slip to verify right item has been pulled and is being sent out.
- Assess the location and type of institution an item is being loaned to and then make a decision about the delivery method for a physical item—courier, Federal Express, etc.
- Analyze the type of borrowing institution and the reciprocal interlibrary loan relation between the PASCAL member library and the borrowing institution in order to determine and charge the correct billing amount within the ILLiad system.
- Check in returned PASCAL material before re-shelving.
- Organize returned PASCAL material into picking order before re-shelving.
- Reshelve material into storage bays.
Minimum Qualifications:
- One year of experience which includes warehousing, handling, shipping, receiving, storing, inventory, and/or distribution of goods.
Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.
Conditions of Employment:
- Must be willing and able to lift and carry up to 20 pounds on a constant basis with or without accommodation.
- Must be willing and able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds on a frequent basis with or without accommodation.
- Must be willing and able to push and pull on a frequent basis with or without accommodation.
- Must be willing and able to use manual dexterity, eye/hand coordination, near vision, far vision, hearing and verbal communication on a constant basis, with or without accommodation.
- Must be willing and able to operate moving equipment and work around machinery or moving equipment.
- Must be willing and able to pass a Forklift Certification.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience handling and sorting materials in a library environment.
- Experience with scanning a high volume of documents.
- Experience operating a stand-up forklift, a cherry picker, and/or similar machinery.
Competencies/Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and work independently with minimal supervision.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish rapport with persons of diverse backgrounds.
- Strong customer service skills.
- Excellent oral communication skills with the ability to handle stressful situations in a calm and professional manner.
- Ability to communicate effectively in written form which includes the ability to check for typographical, grammatical and spelling errors.
- Mechanical Ability.
- Ability to meet the physical requirements of the role.
- Planning and organization skills.
- Strong ability to pay close attention to detail.
Diversity and Equity:
The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@ucdenver.edu.
The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, persons within the LGBTQ+ community, and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.
The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.
Benefits & Additional Compensation Info
Salary and Benefits:
The hiring range for this position has been established at $31,000 - $37,000.
The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.
The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
This position is eligible for overtime compensation.
Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.
Benefits: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits
Total Compensation Calculator: http://www.cu.edu/node/153125
Additional Info & Requirements
Applications are accepted electronically ONLY at www.cu.edu/cu-careers. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
The Community
The Strauss Health Sciences Library, Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries (PASCAL) has an opening for a full-time University Staff (unclassified) Material Handler I position.
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes, and two nationally ranked independent hospitals - UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado - that treat more than two million adult and pediatric patients each year. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus delivers life-changing treatments, patient care and professional training and conducts world-renowned research fueled by over $650 million in research grants. For more information, visit www.cuanschutz.edu.