What Does It Mean To Be A Lead PRA?
As a Lead student employee, you have most likely been working for the library for 2 years or more. During your time here, you have learned a lot about many different areas and aspects of the library. Newer students may look to you for help as they also progress on their journey of getting to know the library.
Your supervisors promoted you to Lead because we are confident in your abilities to help monitor quality patron interactions at the desk, mentor newer employees, and assist in more advanced projects that might require higher skill levels.
Assisting with Training, Onboarding, Mentoring, Performance Feedback
We may ask you to assist with training, onboarding, and mentorship projects to help newer students progress as student employees. This may include simply assisting with beginning of the year training, or it could also mean participating in more formal mentorship programs through Canvas.
Similarly, we ask that you let us know if you notice any student employee behavior or performance issues so that we can address anything before it becomes an issue for the student employee. We want to stress that this is not to "get people in trouble," but rather to help with coaching techniques or other interventions to help the student employee succeed in the library.
Mentoring Other Students
Do you remember what it was like to be a brand new student in the library? What were you wondering about? What were you nervous about? How was your sense of belonging with your coworkers in the library?
As a student employee, you are in a unique position to help out others who are likely going through similar experiences as new students at the library and/or Gonzaga at large.
You are also in a position to give feedback to your supervisors about what is working for student employees, and what could use some change or improvement in our systems. There are lots of systems that keep our department running, and we are always looking for ways to make our systems more intuitive and easier for student employees to understand. In the past, lead students have helped us by suggesting weekly reminder topics, different ways to organize the circ desk and circ workroom, language for signs that would help employees better understand circ procedures, and much more. In your role as a lead, we view you as a collaborator, and are eager to hear your perspective.
Leading By Example & Belonging in the Library
As a Lead student we expect you to lead your peers by setting an example. What does that look like?
- If you notice someone walk in with a pizza, politely remind them that we do not allow full meals and ask them to eat it in the atrium.
- If you hear the security gates alarm, flag down the patron and ask that they walk through again.
- If you hear a newer student given incorrect or partial information, gently interject with the full or correct information.
- Checking the student schedule at the beginning of your shift and asking yourself questions such as: Are all tasks being completed? Does anyone need a break?
All of the above examples not only ensure that the library runs smoothly, they also provide newer students with scripts for them to use in future interactions. However, you can also help to cultivate a sense of belonging in the library by getting to know your coworkers. Asking a newer student how their day is going or what they are doing this weekend helps to cultivate a culture of belonging among student employees in the library.
As a leader among your peers, they will begin to look to you to set the tone for what it looks like to work in the library. Be cognizant of that responsibility of culture-setting when you are working in the building. For example, if you allow your friends to hang out at the desk, newer students will think that is acceptable work behavior. Conversely, if you are able to navigate your friend away from the desk, newer students will learn those techniques when dealing with similar situations with their friends in the future.