CASUAL PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY STAFF: CONTRADICTION IN TERMS OR NEW STAFFING PARADIGM? Available to Purchase

Pressure to introduce longer opening hours with declining budgets has led to the use of evening and Saturday casual staff at Leicester University. Professional support from fulltime staff has not been possible, but has been a major source of inequality for non‐traditional library users. Professional auxiliaries were introduced as an experiment on Saturdays at Leicester University Education Library. The aim was to provide an information service to users long unfamiliar with library routines and to give support for Saturday non‐professional auxiliaries. The librarians concerned found the experience a stimulating and convenient way to return to professional activities. A key factor of the scheme was attendance for one afternoon a week to work alongside the regular weekday staff. The success of the scheme has led to the introduction of professional auxiliaries to the main University library on Saturdays and weekday evenings.