Monograph & Serials Orders Assistant

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

Performs a range of complex Acquisitions duties include ordering, invoice processing, receiving, and metadata or catalogue maintenance functions.

Organizational Status

Works independently under the general direction of a Collections Services Librarian and receives daily supervision from the Monograph Acquisitions Coordinator. Works in collaboration with the Serials Coordinator and other Collections Services team members. Supports ordering, invoicing and receiving production staff within Collections Services and provides functional supervision to order/invoicing staff throughout the library system. Liaises with technical services staff, branch staff and librarians regarding orders. Liaises with staff in Library Finance unit regarding invoicing and payment issues. Communicates directly with vendors to place orders and to fulfil delivery and invoicing requirements.

Work Performed

• Interprets and ensures compliance with organizational financial rules, policies, and procedures, evaluating and making authorized decisions regarding situations requiring deviation or exception form normal procedure.
• Performs and determines appropriate complex ordering with prepayment via credit card. Troubleshoots complex order fulfillment and invoicing problems. Acts as resource for these orders and payments.
• Performs complex review of basic metadata, transforms basic metadata to brief MARC records, and prepares metadata for batch loading.
• Determines, coordinates, and verifies the priority of the received order requests for library materials from branch Library staff. Generates purchase orders and sends them to vendors by appropriate means. Verifies order receipt.
• Completes EDI ordering and invoicing transactions via FTP servers and within the ILS. Performs invoice and credit processing as required.
• Locates pending purchase orders in the Acquisitions client and/or vendor portals. Checks for accuracy and completeness. Investigates and resolves errors. Assigns vendor to orders. Verifies ordering information, fund number, location and price. Investigates and resolves anomalies. Approves pending orders according to established guidelines and protocols. Processes order cancellation requests from Library staff. Notifies fund managers when orders are blocked from being placed due to lack of funds. Monitors these orders to ensure that they are resolved by fund managers and takes appropriate action. Makes necessary changes to funds and locations in acquisitions and holdings records.
• Receives materials and processes invoices that may involve complex or unusual situations. Identifies and resolves shipment snags, communicates with vendors and returns materials that are rejected by library staff, or received damaged or defective.
• Monitors materials workflow in the unit and ensures efficient and timely processing.
• Maintains data integrity in Acquisitions records, including attending to outstanding orders and invoices, vendor transfers, fund and format changes. Identifies, investigates and resolves records discrepancies.
• Performs bibliographic review at point of receipt for materials that come with full cataloguing records.
• Edits selected fields of the MARC records, to support ordering functions.
• Updates electronic resource management systems with current material purchase status, confirms service level, or other updates as instructed.
• Updates holdings and item records for added copies and volumes.
• Updates information in the unit's issue tracking system.
• Assists in metadata activities, performing record editing and reviewing functions.
• Compiles statistics, records activities performed, and reports on current state of orders and/or holdings within ILS, vendor portals, electronic resource management systems, or other databases.
• Adheres to organizational policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Participates in project work.
• Contributes to the creation of documentation of shared documentation related to Acquisitions workflows, services, and tools.
• Performs other duties related to the qualifications and requirements of the job.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Works independently under the general supervision of the reporting Coordinator, following established acquisitions policies and procedures. Failure to abide to guidelines and promptly process orders impacts the availability of access to library materials, and the accuracy of fund commitments. Performs duties independently under minimal supervision. Makes decisions in accordance with broadly established guidelines, library and university policies and procedures, requiring initiative to complete them independently. There are a variety of job tasks requiring on-going prioritization. Unusual or major problems are referred to reporting Coordinator in a timely manner. Good judgement is required in knowing when escalating an issue to reporting Coordinator. Failure to place and receive orders/invoices promptly and accurately could result in the collections budget being misspent and inhibit effective, timely access to the scholarly resources required by our University community.

Supervision Received

Reports to the Monograph Acquisitions Coordinator and the Serials Coordinator as required. Performance reviews are conducted by a Collections Services Librarian with input from the reporting Coordinator.

Supervision Given

Gives functional supervision to all classifications of staff regarding order and invoicing processes and data integrity.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School graduation, plus two year Library Technician diploma, plus four years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiar with and experienced in the use of the Library's integrated and automated system(s). Knowledge of more than one major function of the Library. Must be familiar and experienced with library standards for bibliographic description, data exchange and processing, and library financial protocols. Must be able to work with invoices and financial statements and to interpret them. Experience in ordering, receiving and invoicing and performing catalogue maintenance functions in an ILS client. A reading knowledge of one or more foreign languages is an asset. Ability to effectively use word-processing, spread sheets, database applications at an advanced level.
• Ability to analyse problems, identify key information and issues, and effectively resolve. Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail. Ability to effectively prioritize. Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Ability to safely lift, pack and unpack a 50 lb box. Ability to deal with a diversity of people in a calm, courteous, tactful and effective manner. Ability to work independently and in a team environment. Ability to meet deadlines. Ability to work core business hours, 9:00 am-4:30 pm, 5 days a week.
• Commitment to learn about issues related to equity, diversity, inclusions, accessibility, and social justice, and incorporate the values into day-to-day work as well as supporting the University’s initiatives.