Library student shelvers at Waterford Institute of Technology

Purpose – This paper traces the context of, and outlines the reasoning for, the use of student shelvers in an Irish higher education academic library (Waterford Institute of Technology). Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a case study report on use of student assistants to carry out the shelving function at Waterford Institute of Technology Library Service. It describes the rationale behind the employment of student assistants, the evolution of their incorporation into the library and the management of this now vital element of the library service, and also includes a short survey on the use of student shelvers at other academic libraries in Ireland. Findings – Student shelvers are an important resource in the WIT Library Service, freeing up staff time to concentrate on other projects. In order to make an effective contribution to the library service, the management of this resource is quite time-consuming. Research limitations/implications – The review of available literature revealed little about the situation in Ireland. The survey of other Irish academic libraries was on a small scale. There is scope for further research on both an Irish and an international scale. Practical implications – This account of one academic library's experience of using student shelvers to supplement regular library staff is of potential interest and help to other libraries embarking on or considering a similar initiative. Originality/value – This paper is of potential value to other libraries considering embarking on a similar initiative, or indeed to libraries who already have such schemes in operation and who are interested in making comparisons with other institutions