PT Specialist III Training

Read the Learning Commons Manual & Resources. It was created to help you!

There is also a general section in the LC Manual similarly called Best Practices which is more detailed.

Look Up!

• Be attentive to everyone who walks in the door. If your head is down, earphones plugged in, looking at personal devices, EVERYONE (Team, FT, Faculty, Students, Patrons etc.) will feel ignored. 
• No personal computers are allowed at the Service Desk.  You may use the computer at your station.  If there is a computer program you need that is not on the station computer, please let the Technology liaison, Allison Huffy know so she can ask that it be installed for you. 
• The person in front of you, needing your help, is more important than any other task you are doing in the moment!
• Conversations at the Service Desk with your team: While we encourage conversations that better the team relationships, please remember that students are studying around you and to keep your voices down.  Also, it is always better to face the Service Desk when having a conversation with your team mates, so you do not miss any patron coming in. 

Reporting Time:

• Do not be late! Clocking in is done at the LC Service Desk (not in the parking lot, not in the breakroom etc.) Be mindful that traffic, parking, school zones, and other obstacles may cause you to be late. Example: If your shift begins at 9am, you must be ready to help students at 9 am. We NEED you!
• Drop off personal effects (purse, backpack, lunch, etc.) prior to clocking in for your shift. Be aware of traffic, parking problems, that may make you late!
• Also: Please do not clock in too early or clock out too late as we have a very strict budget we must adhere too.  Overtime MUST be approved by the LC Supervisor and Dean.
• Please read the extended information about Employee Tardiness, Absence and Sub Policies in the Learning Commons Manual under Employee policies.

Each shift:

• Check your work email.
• Check the Kingwood.LRC-Circ@lonestar.edu and Kingwood.Learningcommons@lonestar.edu emails pertaining to your station.
• Check the LIB 118 and LIB 120 calendars to see if any classes are scheduled during your shift.
• Check the Announcement updates on the Learning Support: Tutoring Services Guide in the LC Manual.

Swapping Shifts:

• If you can’t work a shift, try to swap with a coworker first.  (This works better if you have each other’s phone numbers so you can call or text. If you have tried to swap, and no one can swap with you, please let the LC Supervisor (Anne) know asap. (ALL of you should have Anne’s cell number for texting.)  The easiest way to know who is working is to check the Kingwood.Learningcommons@lonestar.edu or Kingwood.LRC-Circ@lonestar.edu calendar.  If you woke up sick and can’t make your shift, please text the LC Supervisor (Anne) asap.

• Sometimes you may have something that comes up that takes you away from the desk during your shift.  If this happens, please let Anne and Allison know asap. (For example, if the only appointment time to see your advisor is during your shift.) By letting Anne and Allison know, Anne or Allison can cover the station or move another Specialist III or Reference Librarian temporarily in that station.

Working with Students:

• Acknowledge and welcome every student that comes into the space, even if just non-verbally.  We want them to feel welcome to ask questions.
• Visually scan the space frequently to assess the crowd and needs. Look at faces for impatience or frustration.
• Walk the space: Does anyone need help? Are students utilizing the Learning Commons and the computer labs appropriately?
•  Be mindful of how much time you spend with each student. You may have multiple students who need help, or you may have to check in with the Service Desk.
• Direct students toward the correct service station for assistance.
• When you encounter questions you can’t answer, check with the Learning Commons Manual,  your teammates and/or supervisor. We all want to help the students succeed!

Communication:

• Communicate with the rest of your team if you will be leaving the Service Desk for any reason, even for a moment (to go across the hall.)  
• When someone tells you that they are stepping away, always be sure that you are paying attention to both your service station and the one left unattended.
• If both Circulation and Tutor Checkin station specialists have stepped away, the Tech specialist should move to the station in between those stations until one of the others return. The PT Reference Librarian can fill in for the Tech Specialist until the Tech Specialist returns.
• If helping a student extends past 5-10 minutes, check back with the Service Desk, and let your colleagues know.

Work room and Offices:

• The sound at the Service Desk carries all the way down the hall. Be mindful that when their hall way office doors are opened, those who work in the offices down the hall can hear every word you say.
• Please read the signs on the office doors and desk dividers to know if a FT is busy or not. For those Full-timers working down the hall, ALWAYS call first before directing anyone to the offices. The workroom staff (Anne, Allison, and Jenny) are more available to answer questions. You are welcome to interrupt us if our “Come on in” sign is displayed.
• Monitor your volume in the Workroom.  This is the workspace for Anne and Allison.
• Please do not eat or put trash in the LIB 101 Work room trashcans.  The space for eating is in the Breakroom or elsewhere on campus.

Clean Up!

• If you do not avail yourself of the lockers in the break room, back packs, purses, and other personal paraphernalia must be stowed well underneath the Service Desk so no one can trip on them. (Remember, when you step away, someone else may be helping at that station and not stowing away your items may cause a tripping hazard.)

• Employees are welcome to have a drink at the service desk with them as long as it is in an enclosed container to prevent spillage.
• For optimal customer service, please enjoy your food/snack in the breakroom or elsewhere on the campus (but not at the Service Desk or in the Work room.)
• Please clean up the space after your snack or meal. If you use a dish or cutlery in the breakroom, you must clean and put it away afterwards. There are PLENTY of Lysol wipes. Please wipe the table surface with a Lysol wipe.
• Your Break Time/Meal Time is valuable! Of course you are welcome to chat pleasantly with others in the breakroom, but please don't interrupt others during their Break time to ask them to come back to the desk to work. If someone is on their break, and a patron is requesting their help 1) See if you can help the patron and if not, 2) tell the patron that the person will be back shortly.  Ask the LC Desk Supervisor if you aren't sure about what to do. 
• See additional tips in the Employee policies section of the Learning Commons Manual.  If you have any questions, please ask the Learning Commons Desk Supervisor, Anne McGittigan.