About the Auburn
University Libraries
Mission Statement
Vision Statement
Values Statement
Affirmative
Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
Graduate Assistants
About the Auburn
University Libraries
Mission Statement
Vision Statement
Values Statement
Affirmative
Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
The Auburn University Libraries include the Ralph Brown Draughon Library, the main library also known as the RBD Library; the Library of Architecture, Design and Construction (LADC), located in the Dudley Hall Commons of the Fine Arts Complex; and the Charles Allen Cary Veterinary Medical Library (CVML), located in Greene Hall of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Wire Road.
As you know, Auburn University is a land-grant institution with an enrollment in excess of 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The Auburn University Libraries, a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), has a collection of more than 2.7 volumes and a current library materials budget of nearly 5 million dollars. The Endeavor Voyage integrated automated system is used by the Libraries. It is referred to as AUBIECat and includes the online public access catalog (OPAC) as well as access to numerous journal and magazine article indexing and fulltext databases in a wide variety of subjects. With the exception of Federal depository publications which are cataloged using the SuDocs Classification System, books are classified by the Library of Congress (LC) system and are arranged in open stacks by subject.
Auburn University Libraries utilizes its human resources, technology, and physical facilities to provide responsive library services and collections in support of the instructional, research, and outreach activities of the students, faculty, and staff of Auburn University.
We envision a library . . .
Responsive to the diverse information needs and expectations of the University community with users at the center of all that the library does.
Inviting, comfortable, convenient, accessible, and safe for all.
Rich in resources and collections both within and beyond the walls of the library.
Joining with others to develop collaborative and innovative teaching, learning, and research environments.
Underlying the operation of any organization are the values that define its culture and shape its actions. In our commitment to provide information services in an ethical and professional manner, and in light of our tradition of excellence, the Auburn University Libraries are committed to the following values:
Service: The Library provides superior service in an open, receptive, and courteous manner. Fundamental to our philosophy of service is a commitment to freedom of information.
Quality: The Library strives for excellence in every aspect of its activities.
Effectiveness: All Library activities are designed to accomplish its missions. Optimal results are achieved through efficient use of resources and a responsive organizational structure.
Integrity: We are dedicated to creating an environment characterized by ethical behaviors, accountability, and honesty. We are committed to the principles of academic freedom and open communication.
Innovation: The Library constantly seeks, tests, and employs new and creative methods of improving its services and the use of its resources.
Fairness: The Library values diversity in its staff, users, and collections. We strive to provide equity of access to information, and a climate of openness, acceptance, and respect for all individuals and points of view.
Participation: The Library encourages and supports widespread participation in the planning, implementation, and ongoing evaluation and improvement of its programs and activities.
Staff Development: We encourage and support the development of a knowledgeable, versatile, and skilled staff. We take measures to promote and foster superior performance, individual growth, and opportunities for career development. Collaboration: We work collaboratively with each other, with our University colleagues, and with colleagues in other institutions throughout the world.
Auburn University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, disability, or disabled veteran/Vietnam era veteran status. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.
As a Graduate Assistant, you will be concerned mainly with your individual work assignment and with your role in the Auburn University Libraries, but you also have a role in a large, complex research university. Consequently, you are subject to certain University rules and policies in addition to the guidelines and directions set forth by the Libraries and your immediate supervisor. It is your responsibility to become familiar with and abide by these policies. This handbook is a brief compilation of the Libraries and University policies and practices governing the position of Graduate Assistant. It does not purport to be complete or entire, rather it offers an overview.
As a graduate student, you need to become thoroughly familiar with the academic regulations of the Graduate School published in the Auburn University Bulletin. Your academic program may also publish its own directives for academic progress. Other publications which may supplement this informal handbook are the graduate assistantship guidelines as published by the Graduate School, the Faculty Handbook, published by the Office of the Provost, and the Schedule of Classes, published by the Office of the Registar. The Schedule of Classes and the Auburn University Bulletin provide specific details on registration fees, refunds, and procedures for withdrawal, etc.
Status
Qualifications Categories
Administration of the
Graduate Assistantship Appointment, Reappointment,
Duration of Employment Termination
Duties and Responsibilities Letters of
Appointment Conduct, Discipline, and Complaints
Compensation/Salaries Additional On-Campus
Employment Tax
Status Health
Insurance Retirement
and Social Security (FICA) Vacation and Sick
Leave Facilities
Parking
As an employee of the University, a Graduate Assistant is on an academic appointment not involving academic tenure. The appointment may be one-fourth time (43.34 hours per month), one-third time (57.77 hours per month), half-time (86.67 hours per month), or two-thirds time (115.56 hours per month).
A Graduate Assistant must be a registered graduate student enrolled in a degree program at Auburn University and must be making satisfactory progress toward the degree. Appointments are normally given to those students who have shown superior aptitude in their field of study and who appear likely to render a high quality of service to the Libraries and the University by their work in a non-academic unit.
The official title of "Graduate Assistant" is used in all university documents. Appointment to the staff of the Libraries will be considered as a Graduate Assistant--not a GTA or GRA.
As a Graduate Assistant at Auburn University, you are directly under the supervision of the library department or unit that offers you an appointment. The library department determines your assignment, supervises your work, and recommends you for reappointment and increases in compensation level. Your library department chair or head and the Human Resource Associate are the primary source of information for any of the details of your assistantship. Within the library department, your particular work assignment, including work hours, job duties and responsibilities, is determined by the library department chair or head.
Graduate Assistants are appointed for either one regular academic year (9 months) or, in a limited number of cases, for 12 months. Some appointments may be for a shorter period. The typical academic-year appointment begins in mid-August and ends in mid-May. All 9-month appointments are automatically terminated at the end of the academic year for which they are effective. Students may be re-appointed at the discretion of and upon agreement of the library department in which they serve and the Assistant Dean for Information Services as well as the Dean of Libraries. In order to allow a larger number of qualified students to benefit from these positions, the Libraries have limited the number of years in which a graduate student may serve as an assistant in any capacity. Typically, candidates at the Master's level may be employed for no more than two years. Candidates at the doctoral (Ph.D.) level may be employed no more than three years.
In general, reappointment is dependent upon satisfactory performance and normal progress toward a graduate degree. As with all university faculty and staff positions, appointment and reappointment are contingent upon the availability of funds.
Each Graduate Assistant must be registered for at least one hour during each semester for appointment as an assistant.
The appointment may be terminated before expiration of the specified time under certain conditions, such as:
Misconduct that is job-related;
Delinquency in academic work; Level of
enrollment (i.e. hours enrolled); Sexual
harassment or other unethical or illegal behavior; Loss or
cancellation of funding source; Voluntary mutual agreement; and Other
reason for dismissal as established by University policy. Graduate Assistants must maintain satisfactory academic standing during the period(s) of their appointment, including a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Otherwise, employment will be terminated immediately. Unsatisfactory job performance may also be the basis for non-renewal of the assistantship. Graduate Assistants will receive 30 days notice if their contracts are to be terminated prior to the original date specified in the offer letter. Egregious violation of the terms of the contract may result in the Graduate Assistant's immediate removal and termination of the contract.If a Graduate Assistant voluntarily resigns during an appointment period, or does not accept extension or reappointment, a letter of resignation to the appropriate library department chair or head is required from the student. A copy should also be submitted by the student to the Libraries' Human Resource Associate.
Traditional or regular working hours for University fulltime staff are 7:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Job duties and other responsibilities within the Libraries generally dictate irregular and non-traditional working hours. Extended periods of unaccountable absence are not in keeping with expectations of Library Graduate Assistants. You should not underestimate the favorable effect your observed work schedule and habits can have on your continued employment by the Libraries.
The job duties and responsibilities of each Library Graduate Assistant will be specified in an official job description. Your signature on this document signifies that you have read the job description and that you are aware of what is expected of you. Graduate Assistants are expected to work the appropriate pre-determined hours per week and to be available for duty on all University work days (including those between semesters, summer terms, and summer sessions). Your performance in relation to your Graduate Assistant duties will be formally evaluated by your supervisor on at least an annual basis. You will be asked to sign the evaluation and include your comments concerning the evaluation. Day-to-day and unobtrusive supervision and evaluation will also occur.
Individual and specific job duties and arrangements are allowed and encouraged and should be made between the student and the student's immediate supervisor within the unit. Often non-traditional work hours, such as nights and weekends, are required. Library Graduate Assistants follow the University holiday schedule. Work hours are adjusted based upon a prorated equivalent of the holiday time granted to fulltime staff. Official University holidays include the following eight: Martin Luther King Holiday; Memorial Day; Fourth of July; Labor Day; Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday); Christmas; and New Year's as well as any other officially designated as University holidays.Time sheets must be filled out each time you report to and leave work -- not at the last minute or at the beginning of the payroll period for the whole period. Upon arrival at work, fill in your time sheet with the time you arrived at work (to the nearest 5 minutes), not the time you were scheduled to arrive. Round totals to the nearest quarter (i.e. 0.25) hour. IMPORTANT: Your signature must be on your time sheet in order to receive your paycheck. Sign your time sheet in permanent ink at the beginning of the payroll period instead of at the end to avoid delaying your paycheck and causing extra work for supervisors (i.e., tracking/calling students to come in to sign time sheets). Supervisors may not sign your time sheet for you. Falsification of time sheets will result in termination of employment.
Graduate students do not have the authority to commit funds, equipment, space, or materials belonging to the University to any person or organization and should refer requests to their library department chair or head. Use of long distance telephone service is for official library business only. Permission for each use must be secured from the department or unit chair or head.
It is the responsibility of the chair or head of the library department, the Human Resource Associate, or the Dean of Libraries to notify the graduate student in an official letter of the final offer of appointment. These letters provide pertinent information on the terms of the assistantship, including:
Specific compensation level;
Waiver of out-of-state tuition;
Specific
beginning and ending dates of the appointment;
Date on
which the Graduate Assistant is expected to report;
Description of the expected type of duties;
Indication of weekly time commitment;
Acceptance deadline date;
Information on
renewability of assistantship.
All Graduate Assistants' teaching, research, and administrative activities are subject to the ethical precepts and code of the academic profession, to the laws of the State of Alabama regarding its employees, and to University policies that govern their institutional obligations. Violation of any of these regulations constitutes the basis for disciplinary action, in accordance with procedures set forth in the University's policies. For further information see the Auburn University Bulletin. The University's policies on sexual harassment, academic integrity, and intellectual property rights are also included in the Faculty Handbook.
In their interactions with students, faculty, and all other members of the university community, Library Graduate Assistants are expected to conduct themselves with the same sensitivity and thoughtfulness that they expect to receive from others. In the event of violations involving the conduct of a Graduate Assistant as an employee of the University, several procedures are available for resolution, some formal and some informal. For details of the formal aspects of the procedures, consult the Auburn University Bulletin.
Informal Consultation:If you are having unusual difficulties with your assignment, first discuss the situation with the individual library faculty member or unit head who serves as your supervisor. These people are as much concerned as you are with the success of the job to which you are assigned, so they are usually eager to help you straighten out any difficulties. If you are still not satisfied, you may wish to discuss the matter with the head or chair of the appropriate library department.
If your problems are related to your academic work, you should consult first with your academic advisor or major professor and finally, the department's director of graduate studies. If further discussion is necessary, you may wish to contact the chair of the department or the Dean of the Graduate School.
Formal Complaints: If you wish to make a complaint about the entire department, you should speak with the Assistant Dean for Information Services and then the Dean of Libraries.
All salaries for Library Graduate Assistants are determined by the Libraries within the guidelines established by the Graduate School and Human Resources. The salary of the Graduate Assistant is subject to both state and federal income taxes. Salaries are paid in accordance with budget policies and payroll procedures of the University. The Board of Trustees is obligated to pay certain fixed charges for the institution and thereafter to pay salaries in full insofar as funds are available. If for any reason beyond the control of the Board of Trustees funds are not available, then salaries will be prorated.In addition, Graduate Assistants receiving support from a one-fourth time or greater appointment are charged only in-state resident tuition and other fees even if they are from another state or hold international student status.Benefits granted faculty and staff are not available to assistants, but they receive the same benefits as other University students. Library Graduate Assistants follow the University holiday schedule and receive prorated holiday time off.
Graduate Assistants may also become members of the Auburn University Federal Credit Union.
According to established University policy, Graduate Assistants who wish to hold more than one position on campus may do so. It is up to the Graduate Assistant to determine how much time, if any, he or she may devote to additional activities while maintaining both satisfactory progress toward the degree and to satisfactory fulfillment of the many obligations of a Graduate Assistant. University departments and programs do have the discretionary right, however, to make appointments to students whose commitment suggests that they are most likely to attain their educational goals and maintain assistantship responsibilities in the most effective ways.
As a result of the U.S. Federal tax code revisions effective 1 January 1987, all graduate students became liable to pay income tax on compensation received for graduate assistantships. If you have questions about your tax obligations, consult your own tax counsel or the Libraries' Human Resource Associate on your particular situation.
Students appointed as Graduate Assistants are not eligible for most employee fringe benefits, such as group health insurance.
Social Security retirement benefits are withheld from the salaries of Graduate Assistants; however, Graduate Assistants are not eligible for Alabama State Teachers' Retirement.
Vacation and Sick Leave
Graduate Assistants are not eligible for vacation or sick leave credit. If a Graduate Assistant does become ill, sick leave should be supported collegially. Any time missed as the result of illness is required to be made up as soon as possible--normally within the same payroll period. In the event that sick leave extends for a period of time longer than two weeks, the Graduate Assistant should be kept on the payroll (i.e. not terminated) for the duration of the academic semester and allowed to take "leave without pay."Upon granted permission by their library chair or head, a Graduate Assistant who anticipates the need for vacation leave, should accumulate the appropriate number of hours prior to taking time off. Students should not accumulate deficiencies in the number of hours worked during any payroll period. If a Graduate Assistant anticipates a deficit, his or her supervisor and library department head or chair should be notified immediately.
The Libraries generally provide Graduate Assistants on staff with suitable work and office space, as appropriate and necessary. Library Graduate Assistants usually have access to desks, file space, mail boxes, e-mail accounts, computers, telephones, and photocopying machines or services--all for official business only. Contact your individual library department chair or head for more specific information.
All vehicles on campus must display an Auburn University parking hang tag or park in metered spaces only. Vehicles should be registered with the Auburn University Police. All Graduate Assistants are eligible for B zone hang tags upon payment of the appropriate fee.
Return to
Auburn University Libraries Graduate Assistant Handbook.
Return to Auburn University Libraries.
For additional information or to send comments about the Graduate Student Handbook, send e-mail to Handbook@auburn.edu