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Collections Maintenance Technician (QA)

Legislative Branch
Library of Congress
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The position serves as a Collections Management Technician II and is located in the Stack Management Unit, Collections Maintenance and Stack Management Section, of the Collections Management Division (CMD), Preservation Directorate (PRES), Discovery and Preservation Services (DPS) within the Library Collections and Services Group (LCSG) at the Library of Congress (LC).

Note: The incumbent must pass a pre-placement physical and continuation on duty physical every three years.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/09/2023 to 04/13/2023
Salary
$47,789 to - $62,122 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 06
Location
Washington
2 vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Position
Work schedule
Full-time - Fixed: 8am-4:30pm.
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
07
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
VAR002192
Control number
711752600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

AGENCY EMPLOYEES - CONSIDERATION UNDER THIS VACANCY IS LIMITED TO THE STAFF OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, TEMPORARY NOT-TO-EXCEED (NTE) AND INDEFINITE NOT-TO-EXCEED (NTE) EMPLOYEES ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. (EMPLOYEES MUST MAINTAIN THEIR ELIGIBILITY AT THE TIME OF SELECTION.)

Duties

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Following extensive library rules, procedures and operations, retrieves materials from the collection. Applies judgement in retrieving materials. Receives retrieval requests through a number of methods including paper call slips, Automated Call Slip (ACS) and/or other automated request systems. With some projects, incumbent follows general guidelines on what to pull, and must adhere to these guidelines which might include criteria such as item condition, date of publication, or format.

Following a number of established procedures and specific guidelines available in the form of extensive library procedures, rules, and operations, incumbent performs an array of activities involved in maintaining the collections, including ensuring that collections are in the proper order, safe from hazards and readily retrievable when requested. Uses judgment to identify and select the most appropriate procedure to use, chooses from among several established alternatives, or decide which precedent actions to follow as a model. Refers situations requiring significant judgment to the supervisor or others for guidance or resolution.

Arranges, sorts and re-shelves materials returned to the stacks according to the prescribed order for that portion of the collection. Maintains assigned areas to ensure that each item is in proper order according to collections management and maintenance guidelines for each collection. Frequent shelf reading of the collections, i.e., ensuring that the items on the shelves are in proper order, is a critical component of collections maintenance. Incumbent uses multiple shelving and classification arrangements including LC Classification, fixed location arrangement and others utilized by CMD to ensure that collections are properly shelved, arranged and accessible for use.

Uses an in-depth or broad knowledge of a body of library regulations, procedures, and policies related collections retrieval to perform procedural duties or technical operation of limited scope and difficulty. Provides enhanced book retrieval service, including quick searches for all Not-on-Shelf (NoS) responses for patrons, staff and priority clients, primarily CRS staff and Congressional patrons.

All requests for on-site general collections items from patrons, staff , CRS and Congressional Loan will be handled by the incumbent. Incumbent assists clients with materials that are difficult to locate because of their specialized nature, conflicting citations or lack of bibliographic information, databases that are difficult to search or other conditions.

The incumbent must have an in-depth understanding of a number of databases. Most importantly, the incumbent must be thoroughly familiar with the features and proper use of the ACS and the LC ILS in order to interpret and follow information provided for each retrieval activity, to fill requests, to know when it is acceptable to substitute an alternate edition, and to check the online ACS request screen for another copy when copies may be in different locations.

Utilizes an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the LC ILS, the database used by the Library to reflect what the Library owns, the number of copies, and the location of an item. Utilizes the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and the Cataloging Module in order to clarify requests, ascertain whether other copies exist, and the location of copies and other information.

Performs an array of preservation-related activities in support of stabilizing the collections and preventing further damage. Examples of activities required by the incumbent are: placing items in acid free envelopes; and placing small items in envelopes and slings. As part of this activity, incumbent must legibly and accurately write information on the outside of an enclosure and place other labels and markings on the enclosure.

The position description number for this position is 429735.

The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area.

The incumbent of this position will work a fixed work schedule (8am-4:30pm.)

This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana. The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library. In addition, past or current drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

Note: The incumbent must pass a pre-placement physical and continuation on duty physical every three years.

Qualifications

Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision.

Knowledge of library collections maintenance practices and procedures.**

Ability to use computerized databases and search tools.**

Knowledge of proper library collection retrieval processes and procedures.

Ability to plan work and meet deadlines.

Ability to interact collaboratively with others.

Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

Education

There are no education requirements for this position.

Additional information

Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid at step one of the grade.

The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation. For more information, please see:Vetting Process

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email ADA@loc.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant’s college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.  Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of EEO/Diversity Programs at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.
 
The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Initial permanent appointments to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period. Probationary periods served at other Federal agencies do not count toward this requirement.

The Library of Congress may offer repayment for all or part of federally insured student loans. However, not all service units within the Library of Congress participates in the repayment of federally insured student loans. Therefore, determination to repay a federally insured student loan is subject to approval by the appropriate service unit.

A “Not to Exceed" (NTE) status is used to identify an appointment with a specific ending date. However, the Library has the right to separate a NTE employee at any time due to either performance issues or budget constraints.

Are you a veteran?  Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim.  Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214.  Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form.  If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.
 

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview. The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection.

For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please see the Library of Congress Merit Selection Plan, Section 8.5, at: Merit Selection Plan


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