Student Positions
Working for the MSU library means pursuing student employment that provides more than just a paycheck. Through your work with the library, diverse experiences will build your academic and professional skill sets.
The MSU Library employs currently enrolled MSU students. (Students attending other colleges or universities are not eligible for these positions.) Enjoy a flexible work schedule and gain significant work experience performing a variety of tasks in support of the daily functions of the library. Our extensive hours and variety of positions provide a bounty of shifts for you to consider. Centrally located on campus, our shifts are easy to get to before, after, and between classes. Our student positions are physically and mentally engaging and provide periodic pay increases.
We are a dynamic, adaptive, and responsive research library. We aspire to build innovative digital and physical spaces where our diverse communities can access and apply information to grow intellectually, build meaningful collaborations, communicate ideas, and envision a better future for Montana and beyond.
Join a staff that values your hard work and supports your professional growth. See the descriptions below for our various employment positions, opportunities, and skill set development possibilities.
Jump to Current Open Positions
Archvies and Special Collections Student Assistant
Data Science Workshops Undergraduate Assistant
Archives and Special Collections Intern: 3-9 hours per week for academic credit. Flexible hours between 8 a.m. and 5 PM, Monday through Friday.
MSU Archives and Special Collections (ASC) offers semester-long internships to provide learning opportunities and support a student’s degree ambitions. Internships can be taken for 1 – 3 credits. ASC internships provide specialized training in one of four areas of study to allow students to gain concrete skills in oral history, archival processing, public history, or instruction. Internships offer fundamental training in archival work, therefore prior library or archives experience is not required. We are accepting applications for spring semester through December 6, 2024.
Archives and Special Collections Student Assistant: 6-10 hours per week. Flexible hours between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Archives and Special Collections are looking for students to assist the work of our department. Duties include moving and shelving books and manuscript materials; the creation of inventories and folder listings; re-housing materials in archival boxes and folders; scanning historical documents; public service duties; and other tasks as assigned. All members of the department are expected to follow procedures appropriate for handling unique and rare materials. We are currently taking applications. Click here to find out more.
Instruction Department Student Employee: 6-12 hours per week. Flexible schedule; some work hours must be scheduled between 10am-3pm, Tuesday through Thursday.
The library Instruction department seeks a creative, detail-oriented student assistant with strong software skills. Job responsibilities include data entry, updating content for library tutorials and research guides for accessibility and usability, and promotion of library workshops and instructional services. Other responsibilities may include assisting staff with events, outreach, and other projects as assigned. Most work will be completed individually in a quiet, focused environment, with some assignments taking you around the library and across campus.
To apply, email the Instruction Department with your resume and few sentences explaining why you are interested in the position. Students are encouraged to first share your interest in this postion with Gold Standard. We are not taking applications at this time.
Data Science Workshops Undergraduate Assistant: 3-4 hours per week. Must be available Mondays from 3pm - 5pm; additional hours flexible.
The library and Social Data Collection and Analysis Services seek an undergraduate assistant for Spring 2025. The student employee will help facilitate Data Science Workshops that build computational skills in R and Python. The workshops include coding exercises and hands-on activities. Job duties: Review and update workshop materials in RStudio, Practice teaching workshop materials, lead portions of the workshops. Work hours and wage: ~3-4 hours per week for a total of 40 total hours per semester. $19 per hour. Student employees must be available on Mondays from 3 - 5pm. Additional work hours are flexible.
To apply, please email Sara Mannheimer (sara.mannheimer@montana.edu) and Greta (greta.linse@montana.edu) with a few sentences answering the following questions: 1. Why are you interested in teaching these workshops? 2. What is your experience with R and/or Python? 3. (Optional) What questions do you have about the job?
Interlibrary Loan Student Assistant: 10-12 hours per week; hours between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; M-F
Assist the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department by processing information requests for MSU customers as well as for libraries worldwide. The main duties include: scanning and electronically sending articles, preparing packages for mailing, and other ILL projects. Prior library experience is preferred, but not required. We are not taking applications at this time.
Scholarly Communications Student Assistant: 8-10 hours per week; flexible schedule
The student serves as an assistant to the Scholarly Communications team. This job primarily involves searching multiple online resources for the needed metadata of publications. This metadata will be recorded and entered using various web forms and/or online tools. We are not taking applications at this time.
Serials Assistant: 8-10 hours per week; hours between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; M-F
The Serials student employee assists the Serials Manager by entering new physical journals into the database and preparing them for the stacks. Other tasks include pulling outdated journals from the stacks and helping with other data entry projects as needed. Ours is a quiet, focused environment with some assignments taking you into the stacks. We are not taking applications at this time.
Serials Linking Assistant: As of August 1, 2022. This is a temporary position and will run until the job is complete.
The Collection, Access & Technical Services department in The MSU Library is seeking student help with a large-scale cataloging project at our off-campus facility near 19th & W. College. Applicants must be detail oriented, possess strong computer/data entry skills, be familiar with Microsoft Excel, have an ability to work collaboratively, load/push/unload fully loaded book trucks and access 10’ high shelves to move materials up and down using tall ladders. Hiring depends on student’s schedule. Prior library experience desired but not required. We are not accepting applications at this time.
Service Desk Student Employee: 10-18 hours a week; wide range of hours available, including mornings, nights, and weekends.
Student Employees play an essential and important role in the Access, Information, and User Services (AIUS) department. The MSU Library receives more foot traffic than nearly every other building on campus, and the AIUS student employees are often the first people our patrons encounter during their visit to the library. Work primarily occurs at the Service Desk in an often fast-paced environment. Therefore patience, flexibility, and excellent customer service skills are required. Given that this role involves working with a variety of full-time library staff members and other part-time students, the ability to work collaboratively is essential. We are currently hiring for the Spring 2025 semester!
Social Media and Graphic Design Student Assistant: Eight hours per week in two four-hour shifts between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend or evening hours may be available.
MSU Library seeks a creative student assistant with a background or interest in social media and graphic design to work with the administrative staff. Primary job responsibilities include social media content creation and graphic design projects. Other responsibilities include assisting staff with events, outreach, and other projects. The student holding this position will engage face-to-face with a wide range of individuals to complete this work. We are not accepting applications at this time.
Technical Services Student Assistant: 10-12 hours a week; 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., M-F
Assist the Collection, Access & Technical Services staff with the cataloging, processing & preservation of library materials. Ensure data integrity in library cataloging through careful work and attention to detail. Technical Services Assistants may use one or more software programs/services depending on task and level of expertise. Must be able to lift 50 pounds and manage fully-loaded book carts. Previous work experience in a library or office setting desirable. We are not taking applications at this time.
Virtual Discovery Space and Office Assistant: 15 hours per week. Flexible hours. Occasional weekend or evening hours
The Montana State University Library seeks a student to serve as a lead worker in the Virtual Discovery Space and in assisting Library Administration personnel. The Virtual Discovery Space and Office Assistant will work with Library employees and users to become familiar with the Virtual Discovery Space and its associated hardware and software, including virtual reality. In addition, this person will provide support for the work of the administrative operations of the Library.We are not taking applications at this time.