Student Assistant - TSE - Special Collections at University of South Florida

Organizational Summary

The Nelson Poynter Memorial Library is an active partner in the teaching, research, and learning of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg’s students, faculty, and staff. We promote student-centered learning and research in an inviting, creative, and collaborative environment. The Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) department supports scholarly research, enhances teaching, and preserves USF and Florida history.

Position Summary

The Special Collections Student Assistant’s primary job function is to support the Special Collections & University Archives department’s collections and operations. They will work to increase the physical and digital visibility, accessibility, and accuracy of our collections and their access points. The position will interface with patrons, facilitating the use of collections for research while upholding use and access policies. The candidate may also assist with facilitating instruction, exhibits, and programming upon request. As many of the collections in Special Collections are unique and one-of-a-kind, the candidate will be expected to exercise caution and diligence in handling these materials and ensure that visitors adhere to the same guidelines.

Candidates would be available to work their scheduled hours between 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday-Friday. The position is expected to extend through the academic year.

• Review legacy collections, reconcile discrepancies in inventories, and update archival descriptions according to best practices.

• Add folder- and item-level inventories to resource records on ArchiveSpace.

• Perform basic holdings maintenance and preservation on materials as necessary to ensure optimum storage conditions for the collections.

• Retrieve and shelve archival collections and special collections monographs for patron or instructional use.

• Contribute to digital projects by ingesting digital images, creating and updating descriptive metadata, and reviewing uploads for accuracy.

• Digitize special collections and archival materials upon request.

• Maintain SCUA’s monograph collections within the reading room and other storage locations by performing shelf reading, rearranging, and shifting of books as necessary.

• Provide polite, high-quality customer service to SCUA patrons who visit the reading room or attend SCUA events.

• Support instruction, exhibits, and programming upon request.

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• This position requires a high school diploma.

• Enrolled in minimum 1 credit hour at USF

• Experience with Microsoft applications (especially Word and Excel) and Adobe Acrobat.

• Able to comprehend and follow instructions, work independently after initial training, and follow through with completing assigned tasks.

• Able to lift 25 lbs., push 50 lbs, and navigate confined and elevated storage areas regularly.

• Candidates would be available to work their scheduled hours between 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday-Friday.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a special collections, archives, museum, or library setting.

• Experience working with archival, library, museum, or other asset management systems.

• Experience with customer service, digitization, complex data entry, and/or large-scale projects.

• Careful attention to detail and handling of fragile archival materials.

• Able to work cooperatively in a diverse work environment.

• Flexibility and willingness to adapt to new technologies, workflows, and emerging service models.

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF‘s rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida’s best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state’s 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

About USF

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu .

Compliance and Federal Notices

This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws. This job description does not constitute an employment contract.