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(From left) Pepperdine University School of
Law Library Public Services Supervisor Megan
Pillar, Assistant Director for Public Services
Jessica M. Drewitz, and Student Library
Assistant Ryan Napier
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Training Student Workers: A Win-Win
Mentoring student workers and improving customer service in your library
By Jessica M. Drewitz
M
any academic law libraries employ
undergraduate student workers to
staff the library’s circulation desk. Why
do these students want to work in the library? Is it
because they love libraries and dream of working in
a place with beautiful old manuscripts? Possibly.
But more realistically, they probably want a job on
campus that works with their class schedule and
will be flexible should they need to miss a shift
during holidays or times of personal and academic
crisis. The possibility of being able to study on
the job does not hurt either. No matter what
the reason, we should still demand exceptional
performance.
Library student workers are asked to help
patrons, answer phones, check out materials,
update materials, shelve books, open and close the
library, and make the library a nice place to visit.
This is a lot to put into the hands of the lowestpaid employees who most likely have no interest
in pursuing a library career. How, as supervisors,
do we ensure that they do a quality job? What
can we do to motivate them? How can we get the
most bang for our buck? We have been given a
wonderful opportunity to teach these students
how to become effective employees that future
employers will want. Do not waste this
opportunity! Here are some steps that we use at our
library to select the most appropriate workers for
our staff and to ensure they will learn how to
become remarkable employees. The better they are
trained and the more they value their employment,
the more likely customer service will improve in
your library.
Steps to Molding Exceptional
Student Workers
The circulation desk is the main service point of
the library. We all strive to offer excellent customer
service, so why would we subject our customers to
poorly trained, inattentive, or unknowledgeable
staff? One poor experience at the circulation desk
could ruin an individual’s impression of the whole
library. Let’s not let this happen.
Select the Best Student Workers
Step 1: Before you can hire anyone, you must
determine what type of supervisor you will be.
When I started supervising student workers,
I had to determine what type of supervisor
I wanted to be and which training strategy I would
adopt. I thought of all the bosses I have had in the
past and focused on those individuals who were
effective managers. They were direct but kind.
I knew exactly what was expected of me. I knew
what would not be tolerated. All aspects of the job
were laid out for me in a handbook. For all these
reasons, I loved working for them and having them
as my mentors.* I decided I was going to be a
© 2013 Jessica M. Drewitz
personable but direct supervisor. This was great in
theory, but where should I begin?
Step 2: Take the job seriously. Supervisors, this
means you! I learned early on that I must present
the position as a real job. If a student walks in,
asks about a job, and you say “Hired!,” you’ve
already failed. Pepperdine Public Services
Supervisor Megan Pillar asks interested candidates
to fill out an application and schedule an interview.
The students have the opportunity to experience
what may be their first job interview, so the next
one later in life won’t be as intimidating. This also
gives us, as employers, the chance to learn about
the students and find out if they are going to take
the job seriously.
Step 3: Check their references! You can train
anyone to check out books, but you cannot force
them to have a strong work ethic. If they have
worked anywhere else on campus, finding out
whether they came to work motivated and had a
positive attitude about their work is easy.
Developing Remarkable Student Workers
Step 4: Now that you have your student workers,
train, train, train. Spend plenty of time with new
employees. Sit with them during their first shifts.
Show them how they should greet customers and
how to behave at the desk. By sitting with them,
you learn more about your new employees, and
they will feel more comfortable asking questions.
It is great to have another student worker help
with training, but don’t leave the whole thing
up to them. You are the supervisor, and the new
employee must view you as such. After you have
gone through the training, watch them work.
Answer questions they may have, and correct errors
as they occur. This is an invaluable opportunity to
show them exactly the type of employee you expect
them to be. Don’t miss out on that!
Step 5: Explain the rules. One great way to do
this is to create a student worker handbook and
update it regularly. Give new student workers a
copy and ask them to read it during their first shift.
Explain what procedures will be followed, and
reiterate what behavior will not be tolerated. The
student workers talk to one another and compare
notes. If you are lenient with one, the others will
expect to get away with the same behavior. You
must mean what you say. If you tell them they
will be fired if they miss a shift without letting
you know, you must follow through with the
termination. Of course, emergencies do come up,
and, as supervisors, we understand that. Make sure
your student workers understand what constitutes
an emergency. There should be no surprises when
you enforce the rules. They should see it coming.
Step 6: Reward good behavior. I have ordered
pizza for a student worker with a perfect attendance
record. I have also given gift cards to those students
who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
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At Pepperdine, we give raises based on merit rather than years
worked. Pillar meets with each student worker at regular
intervals and gives them performance reviews. If they meet our
expectations, they are rewarded. If not, they are told how to
improve and succeed in the future. This gives them the “real
world” experience of a performance review.
Step 7: Address unacceptable behavior promptly. This can
be difficult. I really like our student workers and dislike having
conversations about negative behavior. However, to achieve our
library goal of exceptional customer service, it is a necessary step.
No one likes to be reprimanded, and it is likely the student will
have a list of excuses. Be ready for them! Before any meeting
with a student, I sit down with Pillar and write out talking
points. We discuss our policy and in what ways the student’s
behavior is not in compliance. We also determine what actions
will be taken. Everyone makes mistakes, so we are fans of the
one-time warning. However, no matter what the reason, the
student now has notice and should be clear as to what is
expected in the future. Failure to comply will have consequences.
This may not be a fun experience, but hopefully they will learn
from it.
Step 8: Appearance is everything! I have visited many
academic libraries and have been pleasantly surprised by the
friendly greeting I have received from the student worker at
the desk. Right away, I am happier to be there and feel like
I will have a positive experience. Unfortunately, this has not
always been the case. A library customer’s initial contact with
your student workers can make or break that customer’s
impression of your library. Although it can be difficult to
monitor employee behavior at all times, especially during
evening and weekend hours, you have to be adamant about
what will and will not be tolerated. Students talking on cell
phones, using earplugs, canoodling with friends, or with heads
down in a book are not approachable. They should be greeting
customers, smiling, and asking whether they need assistance,
not looking irritated at being disturbed. Putting oneself in a
positive mind frame makes a job more enjoyable and improves
work ethic. This applies to any job.
Step 9: Provide a positive work environment. You have
determined what type of supervisor you will be. You have hired
the best student workers for the job. Now you must keep the
student workers motivated and excited to be a part of the library
team. I talk with my student workers each day about their lives
and am interested in them as people, not just staff. I care about
their academic and professional futures. By treating them as
integral members of the library team, they care more about the
success of the library, which improves customer service.
End Result
All these steps are great for us but even better for the student
workers. By helping them become remarkable employees, you
will help them succeed in any job they accept in the future.
They will be prepared for how an interview works, understand
the importance of a solid work ethic, and realize that they will
be rewarded or penalized based on their performance. Our
student workers’ library experience has prepared them for their
professional future, and our library has flourished because of
improved customer service. It is a win-win for everyone. ■
Jessica M. Drewitz
(jessica.drewitz@pepperdine.edu), Assistant
Director for Public Services, Pepperdine University
School of Law, Malibu, California.
*Thank you to my mentors at Catholic
University of America’s Mullen Library who
gave me my first student worker job and a deep love of libraries.
Thank you to Susan Elliott and Maureen Anderson at University
of Dayton’s Zimmerman Law Library for mentoring me to become
a law librarian. I appreciate the time, advice, and opportunities
you gave me.
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changing terrain continued from page 14
the LPP provider try to find paid positions), allowing smaller
firms and nonprofit legal organizations to host a work
placement student, which has the additional benefit of
broadening the range of experiences available to students
prior to practicing law.
The Law Society of Upper Canada accepted the majority’s
recommendations in November 2012, implementing the two
pathways model as a three- to five-year pilot project beginning
in 2014-2015 (www.lsuc.on.ca/LPP). They also accepted
the Articling Task Force’s recommendation that an objective
assessment tool be created against which both articling and the
LPP would be critiqued to determine whether the students are
actually developing the skills and knowledge they need to
practice. A request for proposal for potential LPP providers was
issued in February 2013 with the selection of at least two LPP
providers for the pilot program expected to be announced by
the end of the year. Only four proposals were submitted:
two from law schools (York University’s Osgoode Hall and
Lakehead University), one from a university that does not have
a law school (Ryerson University), and one from the Advocates
Society.
The future role and acceptance of the LPP option has
been hotly debated. Some suggest that the LPP may ultimately
replace articling as students will be attracted to the shorter
time commitment and the high quality and consistency of the
teaching. (The variation and inconsistency in the quality of
the articling experience is its greatest disadvantage.) Many
argue that a two-tier pre-licensing system has been created
and question whether LPP graduates will be accepted by the
profession, especially by large firms who are firmly rooted in the
articling model. If the LPP is viewed as inferior to articling, as
being a choice only when one cannot find an articling position,
then firms may not be willing to hire LPP graduates. Others
wonder whether law schools will begin to incorporate an LPP
into the third year of the program, allowing their students to
begin practicing law in a much shorter timeframe than they can
now. The task force recommended against combining an LPP
with law school as it would reduce the number of substantive
courses graduates can take, but the possibility that this could
be implemented in the future remains.
Legal educators and members of the legal profession from
the other provinces must pay attention to the events occurring
in Ontario. Under The National Mobility Agreement between
the various law societies, lawyers can move easily between the
provinces to practice law. It is critical, therefore, that the other
provincial law societies accept Ontario’s LPP as a valid form of
pre-licensing training as some of the program’s graduates may
move to another province. It is highly likely that the other law
societies will also consider implementing an LPP if Ontario’s
pilot project is successful.
Looking Forward
The past five years have been a very interesting and somewhat
tumultuous time for legal educators and members of the legal
profession in Canada. With so many changes still in their initial
stages of implementation, it is impossible to know how matters
will progress. Will the recent pattern of change continue or
will we revert to a period of relative stagnancy? Only time
will tell. ■
Kim Clarke
(kim.clarke@ucalgary.ca), BA, LL.B., MLIS, Head of
the Bennett Jones Law Library and Adjunct Associate
Professor of Law at the University of Calgary, Alberta