Assistants also check the due dates and compute any fines that are owed for late books. Then they send overdue notices to people who have not returned their books on time. Once books have been checked back in, assistants sort them and return them to their proper shelves. Many card catalogues are computerized, so library assistants must know how to use the system. Library assistants are also called library media assistants, library technicians, library aides, or circulation assistants.
Some library assistants specialize in helping customers who have vision problems, such as blindness.
These assistants review the borrowers list of books. Then they select the books from the librarys collection of books on tape and books written with large type or Braille. Finally, assistants do the paperwork and give or mail the books to the borrower. Library technical assistants handle some of the technical duties in the library. For example, they use computers to enter catalog information.