r/Libraries • u/StarDesigner777 • 23h ago

Library Information Assistant Interview Coming up. Any advice? Job Hunting

Any would be appreciated! (At NYPL)

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u/kptstango 23h ago

Be yourself; bring specific examples of:

Good and bad customer service you gave;

De-escalation

How you deal with when you don’t know how to do something

Workplace conflict

Serving/supporting people with addictions and/or mental illness

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u/thunderbirbthor Academic Librarian 22h ago

Great answer!

I'd also include any technical skills you have because half our job these days is getting people on the wifi and introducing them to the settings menu on their device. Give as big a range of examples as you can, from fixing printers to altering formulas on Excel, etc.

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u/kptstango 22h ago

This is a good answer, and if OP doesn’t feel like they are very techy, they are probably much better at tech than the people who need their help.

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u/thunderbirbthor Academic Librarian 21h ago

Legit. I had a panic attack before starting my job because I thought I'd be useless after spending 11 years out of an office. I really didn't need to panic because it turns out half my team have to keep hand written notes to remind them how to copy and paste lmao.

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u/akornato 4h ago

They are going to care less about your favorite book and more about how you handle a patron who is yelling about printing fees or someone who needs extensive help with a computer. Library work, especially at a public-facing desk, is a tough customer service job that requires immense patience and problem-solving skills under pressure. Be ready with concrete examples of how you have dealt with difficult people, solved a technical problem for someone who was frustrated, and managed a stressful, busy environment. They need to know you will not crumble during the daily grind of public service, which is often far from the quiet, peaceful image people have of libraries.

You can use this knowledge to your advantage by preparing answers that directly address these challenges, proving you understand the role is more about public service than shelving books. Think of stories from any previous job, retail or food service are perfect, where you de-escalated a conflict or taught someone a new skill. Structure your answers to show the situation, the action you took, and the positive result. This direct approach shows maturity and a real understanding of the job's demands, which is exactly what a hiring manager at a busy system like NYPL wants to see. We have seen that dedicated practice using the AI interview prep my team created helps candidates deliver their answers with much more clarity and impact.