Preston Medical Library

Employment Opportunities - Build your resume by joining a health information team

About Preston Medical Library

Preston Medical Library serves the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Knoxville (UTHSC COM-Knoxville) and supports the school’s mission of providing excellence in education, patient care, research and service. The library provides exceptional reference, research and instruction at the University of Tennessee Medical Center for faculty, residents, students, physicians and staff as well as outreach to the community.  Library employees strive to accomplish this through innovation, collaboration and provision of exceptional, personalized services to both the medical center and broader community.

Preston Medical Library is a small academic medical library of 8,500 square feet with 6 professional faculty librarians, 4 FTE support staff, a Graduate Assistant, part-time Reference Student Assistants, and a Postgraduate Intern. Opportunities for building your resume by joining the PML team are described below.

Although the main focus of Preston Medical Library is to serve the needs of health professionals at the UTHSC COM-KNoxville and its academic partner, the University of Tennessee Medical Center, an additional service makes our library unique to the area - ou Consumer and Patient Health Information Service (CAPHIS).

The Consumer and Patient Health Information Service is a free information resource offered to community members. Health-related questions can be e-mailed or called in to the service. Preston Medical Library staff will search for information on the health topic in question and provide the information digitally or hard copy, free of charge.  The service is funded, in part, by grants and charitable gifts from grateful patients and members of the community.

Professional

There are no open positions available at this time.

Students & Interns

Reference Student Assistant

Note: No vacancies at this time

Position Description

• Provide reference assistance to patrons with directional and collection related questions over the phone, via e-mail, and at the reference desk.
• Record reference statistics.
• Process circulating material using the library circulation system.
• Record and respond to consumer and patient health information requests over the phone, via e-mail, and at the reference desk
• Utilize reference interview skills by working with diverse clientele.
• Routine library upkeep, such as shelving books and maintaining study rooms.
• Work with librarians on special projects.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Previous library experience preferred but not required. Two years working in a college or university environment is preferred. Strong work ethic and customer service skills required. Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills required. Ability to communicate with diverse clientele required. Candidate must be proficient in computer programs such as Word and Excel. Professional attitude and appearance required.
Schedule
Candidate must be available to work evenings, weekends, semester breaks, and some holidays.
Pay: $10.50/hour
Applicant Requirements
Drug and tuberculosis screening upon hiring
Resume and Cover Letter
Benefits - Free parking, Meal discounts, Free flu shots
To apply
Send resume and cover letter to:
Cameron Watson, Library Supervisor, cwatson1@utmck.edu, 865-305-8148

Graduate Research Assistantship

There are no open positions available at this time.

Preston Medical Library Postgraduate Internship

Position Description

• This unpaid internship offers recent graduates in Information Sciences the opportunity to work in a special library environment to gain library experience.
• Gain knowledge through training that will facilitate assistance with information service desk duties by providing answers to appropriate reference queries, including directional and collection related questions, consumer and patient health information requests, and forwarding requests for literature searches to librarians.
• Complete medical library reference training curriculum
• Perform practice literature reviews in health sciences databases. 
• Process circulating material using library circulation system
• Other responsibilities may include special projects such as
• Outreach to the community.
• Preparing books for the collection.
• Collection analysis.
• Creating and assisting in implementation of assessment tools.
• Assisting with current research projects.
• Candidates will meet with the Director to establish internship goals and objectives.  The Director may appoint another faculty member as internship supervisor.  The intern will meet with his/her supervisor on a monthly basis to evaluate progress toward meeting agreed upon goals and objectives and to address learning needs. 

Qualifications
Applicants should be graduates of an ALA accredited school of information science, should have completed coursework in at least one course related to science, medicine or special libraries, or have an undergraduate degree in science. Excellent customer service, communication and telephone skills are necessary as well as the ability to handle multiple communications and basic computer skills. Professional attitude and appearance required.

Schedule
Weekends and evening hours are available after training is completed.

Pay
This is an unpaid internship that offers recent graduates in Information Sciences the opportunity to work in a special library environment to gain library experience.

Applicant Requirements - Drug & tuberculosis screening upon acceptance

To apply
Email resume, a statement of interest, and names and contact information for three references to David Petersen, Library Interim Director, dpetersen@utmck.edu. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Opportunities limited to one Intern annually. Top