Conditions Contributing to the Efficient Service of Student Assistants in a Selected Group of College Libraries

T h e authority to appoint student assistants should be vested in the librarian or a member of the library staff. T h e librarian should have the right to select student assistants solely on the basis of their fitness to do the work required. T h e librarian should have authority to discharge any incompetent student assistants. It is most efficient to use student assistants for duties which do not require much training or experience. There should be a comparatively small 1 Cf . Brown, C. H., and Bousfield, H. G. Circulation Work in College and University Libraries. Chicago, American Library Association, 1933, p. 5360. McCrum. B. P. An Estimate of Standards for a College Library. 2d ed. Lexington, Washington and Lee University, 1937, p. 118-20. Randall, W. M. The College Library. Chicago, American Library Association and University of Chicago Press, 1932, p. 64-65. Randall, W. M., and Goodrich, F. L . D. Principles of College Library Administration. 2d ed. Chicago, American Library Association and University of Chicago Press, 1941, p. 129-39. number of student assistants working relatively long hours of service rather than many students serving only a few hours weekly. Fifteen hours per week is a suggested standard for most types of work. N o student should be permitted to work so many hours as to endanger his health or academic standing. There should be a sliding scale of payment, based upon duties assigned and the efficiency with which they are performed.