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BiblioTemps News

The Benefits of BiblioTemps®

You might think that using a staffing agency is not a good fit for your library budget or your employment needs. However, here are some important benefits to gain by considering BiblioTemps® as an option to your staffing solution. For instance, we have a candidate pool of over 700 qualified candidates across the state. Nearly all our candidates have an MLS degree and the ones who don’t, have a library background and current library experience. Our candidates have flexible schedules and are eager to take on new responsibilities. BiblioTemps® is reasonably priced compared to for-profit staffing agencies and we offer the same conveniences such as screening all our candidates, reference checks, and we assume all aspects of payroll and hiring. We can find your next permanent employee when you take advantage of our temp-to-hire or direct hire services.

When you are faced with a staffing dilemma, consider calling BiblioTemps® the Staffing Solution for Libraries! Contact Shelah Coullard at 508-357-2121 ext. 322 or bibliotemps@masslibsystem.org.

 

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BiblioTemps News Miscellaneous

Bet You Didn’t Know! BiblioTemps® Curiosities

BiblioTemps® was started in 2004 by the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System (CMRLS), which made 189 placements in 74 client libraries in the five years it operated the service. BiblioTemps® was discontinued in the merger of the six regional library systems into MLS and was relaunched as an MLS service in May 2012.

From 2012 to 2017, BiblioTemps® has helped 89 libraries by successfully filling over 290 placements. Our client libraries consist of 63% public, 25% academic and 12% special or school libraries. We have filled 15 Interim Director placements, 70 Reference Librarian roles, 14 jobs in the Children’s department and 130 positions in Circulation and much more.

We have filled some specialized roles that you may not have expected which include Business Office Assistant, Local Music Collection Cataloger, MakerLab Coordinator, and Library & Technology Services Specialist. The shortest temporary role was for one day and the longest was a position started in April 2014 and is ongoing as of November 2017.

Surprised? Call BiblioTemps® today to see what we can do for your library. BiblioTemps® is the Staffing Solutions for Libraries! Contact Shelah Coullard at 508-357-2121 ext 322 or Bibliotemps@masslibsystem.org

 

 

 

 

 

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BiblioTemps News

Taking on a Project? Think BiblioTemps®!

In mid-July, MBLC announced the Provisional Construction Grant recipients, which awards monies to libraries to for “Planning and Design” and “Construction”. To redesign, renovate or move a library is a huge undertaking that requires coordination, time, and effort from all members of the library staff. The logistics alone are complicated and can be extremely stressful. The Eastham Public Library knows all too well what this exciting but difficult project involves. The final stage to any move is, of course, physically transferring the entire contents of the building to the new location. You could close the old building, pack everything, ship it to the new location, unpack everything, re-shelve all the books, and set up all the equipment and then, finally, open the doors! This means your library has to close for weeks or even months. Or you could move and set up the new location over a period of time while maintaining the old or temporary facility. Eastham Public Library did just that! To ensure their staff was not overworked and stressed out, they called BiblioTemps® to the rescue. We provided a qualified paraprofessional who had worked in the CLAMS library system and was able to step in and serve patrons at their old location for two months while the regular staff moved and trained in the new location. Debra DeJonker-Berry, the Library Director at Eastham Public Library had this to say about BiblioTemps®, “We moved into our new library.  Our temp enabled staff to be able to get into the new library before opening WHILE keeping our temporary library open.”

Library projects are a fantastic way to add to your patrons’ experiences, but they can also overburden your regular team. Let BiblioTemps® help by employing skilled and trained temporary staff during your next project! For more information about how BiblioTemps® can help your library, call Shelah Coullard at 508-357-2121 ext. 322 today!

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BiblioTemps News

Is your library open 24 hours a day?

The temperature has dropped, pumpkin spice coffee is back, and school is in full swing. It may feel like summer just ended but before we know it, winter will be upon us. That means that libraries are now filled with hard working students looking for research materials and studying for tests. To make that task easier, Westfield State University opens its doors 24 hours a day at the Ely Library during finals week every semester. Students can access their resources at all hours of the day and night to ensure they are prepared for exams and can complete their essay papers. To do this, they hire BiblioTemps® Every winter and spring, we provide an Overnight Circulation Desk Attendant who keeps the library open from midnight to 8:00 am. We are happy to have helped keep Ely Library accessible to students during that critical study period since 2013!

Here’s what they say about our services, “At the end of both the fall and spring semester, we are open 24 hours.  We need a librarian to work at our Circulation desk between midnight and 8 a.m. for those days.  We have used BiblioTemps® for this purpose for years. Highly satisfied.”

BiblioTemps®  can provide temporary or permanent staff for all your patron needs, including SAT and MCAS testing periods, essay or dissertation season or during semester exams. For more information about how to hire BiblioTemps® to help the students in your area, call or email Shelah Coullard at 508-357-2121 ext. 322 today!

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BiblioTemps News

Changes in BiblioTemps® Management, Contacts & New MLS Advisor

I am pleased to announce recent staffing changes at MLS’s BiblioTemps service and Advisory/Continuing Education and new positions held by Kelly Jo Woodside and Shelah Coullard. For contact information, visit our site.

Shelah Coullard has been promoted to the position of BiblioTemps Manager, and she is now the contact for member libraries seeking temporary staff and for potential temporary staff seeking positions. Shelah said, “I am excited about this opportunity to lead the provision of this unique service with a focus on customer service relationships with member libraries and candidates.” MLS is the only library consortium in the country providing temporary employment services. Shelah joined MLS in 2014 as the Resource Sharing and BiblioTemps Assistant. Since then, she has developed the email invoicing system, led marketing efforts, managed the candidate database, and worked directly with candidates and clients to answer questions and solve problems. Her recent contributions have included streamlining the candidate hiring process and initializing an online onboarding system that safeguards privacy as well as reduces our carbon footprint. In past roles, Shelah has managed office environments and is an accomplished business professional. We look forward to the continued success of BiblioTemps under her leadership.

Kelly Jo Woodside, who was formerly BiblioTemps Manager and half-time MLS Advisor, is now a full-time MLS Advisor. She will provide full-time continuing education and advisory services to the membership. Kelly said that she has been looking forward to this transition for some time and that she is pleased to be turning the BiblioTemps management reigns over to Shelah. Kelly led the BiblioTemps relaunch three and one-half years ago, and since then, she has helped place 133 library staff into 238 temporary placements in 65 different Massachusetts libraries. She has also organized training opportunities for MLS members on employment and job-seeking topics; advised member libraries on the hiring process; spoken about the benefits of short-term library staffing at institutional, state, and national events; and published a case study about the BiblioTemps service. Kelly hopes to bring all that she has learned about the Massachusetts library work force to her new role, where she will also focus on topics such as information literacy, instructional design, and academic library issues. Prior to joining the MLS staff, Kelly worked in reference and instruction librarian positions at Assumption College, Simmons College, and Roxbury Community College. She looks forward to continuing to work with MLS members in her new capacity.

Greg Pronevitz, Executive Director

Categories
BiblioTemps News

Changes in BiblioTemps® Management, Contacts & New MLS Advisor

I am pleased to announce recent staffing changes at MLS’s BiblioTemps service and Advisory/Continuing Education and new positions held by Kelly Jo Woodside and Shelah Coullard. For contact information, visit our site.

Shelah Coullard has been promoted to the position of BiblioTemps Manager, and she is now the contact for member libraries seeking temporary staff and for potential temporary staff seeking positions. Shelah said, “I am excited about this opportunity to lead the provision of this unique service with a focus on customer service relationships with member libraries and candidates.” MLS is the only library consortium in the country providing temporary employment services. Shelah joined MLS in 2014 as the Resource Sharing and BiblioTemps Assistant. Since then, she has developed the email invoicing system, led marketing efforts, managed the candidate database, and worked directly with candidates and clients to answer questions and solve problems. Her recent contributions have included streamlining the candidate hiring process and initializing an online onboarding system that safeguards privacy as well as reduces our carbon footprint. In past roles, Shelah has managed office environments and is an accomplished business professional. We look forward to the continued success of BiblioTemps under her leadership.

Kelly Jo Woodside, who was formerly BiblioTemps Manager and half-time MLS Advisor, is now a full-time MLS Advisor. She will provide full-time continuing education and advisory services to the membership. Kelly said that she has been looking forward to this transition for some time and that she is pleased to be turning the BiblioTemps management reigns over to Shelah. Kelly led the BiblioTemps relaunch three and one-half years ago, and since then, she has helped place 133 library staff into 238 temporary placements in 65 different Massachusetts libraries. She has also organized training opportunities for MLS members on employment and job-seeking topics; advised member libraries on the hiring process; spoken about the benefits of short-term library staffing at institutional, state, and national events; and published a case study about the BiblioTemps service. Kelly hopes to bring all that she has learned about the Massachusetts library work force to her new role, where she will also focus on topics such as information literacy, instructional design, and academic library issues. Prior to joining the MLS staff, Kelly worked in reference and instruction librarian positions at Assumption College, Simmons College, and Roxbury Community College. She looks forward to continuing to work with MLS members in her new capacity.

Greg Pronevitz, Executive Director

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BiblioTemps News

BiblioTemps Interview Days!

BiblioTemps®, a service of the Massachusetts Library System, will be conducting open interviews throughout December! We seek people with library experience to fill short-term assignments at libraries throughout Massachusetts in areas including (but not limit to) circulation, reference, children and youth services, management, cataloging and archives. Assignments may range from one day substitutions to multi-month interim placement

Good candidates for BiblioTemps® include:

  • Experienced professional librarians
  • Library school students or new graduates
  • Experienced paralibrarians
  • General staff with library work experience
  • Unemployed or underemployed library workers
  • Part-time workers in need of additional hours
  • Recent retirees

Screening interviews are the best way for us to get to know more about you, your background, and your interests. They are also an opportunity for you to learn more about BiblioTemps and complete the paperwork necessary to add you to our pool of temps actively eligible for placement.

If you would like to be considered for a screening interview at one of the sessions listed above, please reply to this message with the location(s) you prefer and your availability on that day. We will notify those selected for screening interviews a week in advance of the interview date. Additional interview dates for January to be announced soon.

Thursday, November 20, 2014, 10:00 AM – 5:00 pm, MLS Whately office, Whately, MA
http://www.agreeAdate.com/94806B4766CFB07A0518D6D8735B3F83CA08

Tuesday, December 2, 2014, 10:00 am – 3:15 pm, Topsfield Public Library, Topsfield, MA
http://www.agreeAdate.com/94806B4566C1B07A0518D6D8735B3E85CB0E

Thursday, December 11, 2014, 10:00 am – 3:15 pm, Morse Institute Library, Natick, MA
http://www.agreeAdate.com/94806B4765CAB07A0518D6D8735B3F85C908

Thursday, December 18, 2014, 10:00 am – 3:15 pm, Kingston Public Library, Kingston, MA
http://www.agreeAdate.com/94806B4765C9B07A0518D6D8735B3F85C80C

 

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BiblioTemps News

New BiblioTemps® Assistant

Greetings! My name is Shelah Coullard and I would like to introduce myself as the newest MLS employee. I will be helping both the Resource Sharing and BiblioTemps teams at the Massachusetts Library System. My duties will include data entry, reports, routine communications and marketing. My role is an integral link between candidates and temporary employees of MLS’s BiblioTemps service.

I graduated from Lawrence Technology University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a Marketing minor. Since then I have worked as an Administrative Professional for many diversified industries and I have experience in all aspects of office procedures, practices, and systems. My expertise runs the gamut from office organization to employee training and from database management to document production. I am excited to join the MLS team.

I can be reached at scoullard@masslibsystem.org or 508-357-2121 ext. 322. In addition, we are introducing a new general mailbox for all BiblioTemps staff and clientele. The email address bibliotemps@masslibsystem.org will be monitored by the BiblioTemps team. I look forward to helping you!

 

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BiblioTemps News

MLS Job Opportunity: Resource Sharing and BiblioTemps Assistant

The Massachusetts Library System (MLS), a state-funded not-for-profit, is seeking an enthusiastic detail oriented person to serve as Resource Sharing and BiblioTemps Assistant. The successful candidate will begin work in August 2014. (Please note: This is a permanent full-time employment opportunity based in the MLS office in Marlborough. It is not a BiblioTemps placement.  Interested candidates should apply via the instructions below, not through the BiblioTemps jobs page.)

This is a shared position between Resource Sharing and BiblioTemps at the Massachusetts Library System. The incumbent will assist with data entry, reports, routine communications and marketing for both areas. This position is a critical link between candidates and temporary employees of MLS’s BiblioTemps service. MLS seeks detailed-oriented, independent candidates with sharp communications and computer skills as well as experience updating web content and social media.

For additional information, including a complete list of responsibilities and qualifications, as well as how to apply, please review the complete job posting.

Applications are due by Monday, July 7, 2014.

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BiblioTemps Events BiblioTemps News Miscellaneous

Free webinar with INALJ.com publisher! 12/13/13

Naomi House, publisher, editor, and founder of the popular webzine and jobs list INALJ.com (I need a library job), will present:

Mining Massachusetts: a toolkit for librarian/info pro job seekers and their employers

Finding the right job is much like finding the right employee for your position, but when faced with either of these daunting tasks, it can be easy to forget that both sides are on the same team.  And when you are on the same team, you strategize differently.  Naomi will share strategies for both job-seekers and employers, so whether you’re looking for tips about how to answer a job ad or how to write one, this session is for you!

Once you have a better understanding of where you stand, Naomi will also share a toolkit filled with Massachusetts-focused job hunting online resources, as well as national sites everyone should follow, because you can’t begin to mine if you don’t know where to mine.

This free Massachusetts Library System webinar will take place on Friday 12/13/13 from 1-2pm.  Register online!