Digging into student employees’ expectations of their supervisors

By: Kim Karim

In a supervisor and employee relationship, understanding the expectations that each party has is crucial to a healthy working environment. Working in the realm of academia, it can be tough to connect with student employees, especially since their job as a library assistant is only one small aspect of their overall journey on the path to graduation.

To make my student circulation assistants’ experiences meaningful and fulfilling, I felt it was important to lay out expectations they had for myself and our Head of Access Services during the student training sessions we hold at the beginning of our fall semester. While I am directly responsible for the supervision of the circulation assistants, our Head of Access Services supervises our evening proctors, which was transitioned from an outside-hire position to a student-led position within the last few years.

We asked students during the first day of our training to list up to three expectations they had for their peers and three they had for their supervisors. Their answers are listed below and give an insight into the kind of leadership they are looking for when it comes to doing their job successfully:

• Communicate about library events and any important information students need to know. Continue with the weekly updates (a weekly email sent out to circulation students and proctors.)
• Give us opportunities to build trust, listen to student ideas, and treat all students equally.
• Be respectful and understanding about our needs and issues.
• Continue being nice.
• Give frequent feedback – good or bad – on job performance. Be consistent with rules.
• Help manage conflict if needed or help if someone hasn’t showed up to take over the next shift.

This year marked the second time we have held our fall training sessions, and the feedback listed above is fairly like what we heard in 2022. Students appreciate being kept in the loop of library events, and rightfully so as they are the first point of contact for our patrons.

I firmly believe that being a supervisor of college student employees goes well beyond being able to teach them library policies and procedures. It is often being a mentor or lending a listening ear on their bad days. Giving students space to be themselves, while also making sure library tasks are completed efficiently and properly. This balance can be tough to navigate, but at our library, students often say this is their favorite place to work and in general be on campus.  

Have you held a similar activity with your student employees? If so, share your feedback! I’d love to read what students are saying in your library.