SLIS Jobline Your Source for Professional, Pre-Professional, and Internship Positions

Youth Services Librarian, Manchester Community Library, Manchester Center, VT

Posted November 5, 2018

MANCHESTER COMMUNITY LIBRARY

Youth Services Librarian

Mission: Manchester Community Library is open to all as an inspiring gathering place for the community, providing resources for personal enrichment and growth.

The Position

The Youth Services Librarian works 30 hours a week and reports to the Executive Director. He/she serves as the authority on youth and young adult services and programming and is responsible for collection management and the planning, coordination, presentation of programs, services, enrichment opportunities, and special-interest groups geared for children and teens. She/he is also responsible for communicating about youth and young adult services and programming in the Library and out to the community at large. This position requires balancing multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced and forward-thinking environment with an emphasis on providing exemplary customer service to patrons.

Minimum Qualifications:

  • A Master’s Degree in Library Science preferred, Bachelor’s Degree required; plus three years of progressively responsible library administration experience. Experience in a supervisory or lead capacity in youth and young adult programming and services preferred.
  • OR a Vermont certificate of library training; any equivalent combination of education, training, or experience in a related field that ensures strong performance of the essential job functions.
  • A working knowledge of computers and associated word processing, spreadsheet, and database software; and web-based email systems is required. Basic graphic design experience preferred.
  • A broad knowledge of the current youth landscape and children’s and young adult literature.
  • A desire to work closely with children, teens, and their caregivers with imagination, confidence, and enthusiasm.

Principal Responsibilities

Youth Programming

  • Analyze trends and the expressed and anticipated needs and interests related youth and young adults; research creative opportunities, and field proposals by potential presenters.
  • Develop, coordinate, promote, and implement a variety of programs, events, and special-interest groups that meet the needs and interests of children of all ages. Includes early literacy and kindergarten readiness such as regularly scheduled story times throughout the year; all aspects and related activities for the Summer Reading Program; Super Saturdays, Family Fun Friday Nights, Makers Clubs, Story Walks, Lego League, and STEAM-related workshops. 

Youth Services

  • Provide library membership opportunities and orientation to children, young adults, daycares, and school classrooms; facilitate the practice of good citizenship skills such as respect for others and their property, prohibition of foul language, verbal or physical abuse or damage or disrespect to Library property.
  • Provide reference and reader’s advisory service to children, young adults, parents and caregivers, daycares, and teachers.
  • Collaborate with and involve youth and young adults in planning and implementing services for their age group; establish rapport with teens so that they feel welcomed as members of the Library community. ○ Seek out, write and administer small grant applications; complete follow-up reports. (e.g. Stewart’s Foundation)

Collection Development

  • Research, evaluate, select, and place orders for materials for Library acquisition.
  • Curate the collection to select, evaluate, maintain, and discard the youth and young adult collections based on professional judgment, preferences of our patrons, and acknowledged review sources to ensure our collection is diverse, current, relevant and meets the needs of the community
  • Read reviews in each issue of Horn Book and Booklist and consider patron recommendations to ensure an active and relevant youth collection for the community.
  • Process, or supervise the processing of all youth materials for the youth services department
  • Supervise the selection and ordering of the children’s DVD collection. 

Community Outreach, Public Relations and Communications

  • Provide outreach programs and opportunities for youth and young adult services (e.g. Book Express, Library2GO)
  • Represent the library and serve as a liaison to local school media specialists, teachers, and community stakeholders.
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships, and communicate with schools, daycares, businesses, organizations, and community stakeholders in regard to co-hosting, co-sponsoring, and participation in programs and events.
  • Leverage relationships with experts, artists, presenters, performers, and others in the community to provide services and programs in order to meet the needs and interests of children and teens.
  • Develop and maintain a strong working relationship with media outlets in the region; coordinate with local public access cable television station for coverage
  • Create, disseminate, and oversee promotions and communications related to programs/events, including press releases to online and print media outlets, community publications, promotional print materials (posters and banners, upcoming events bookmarks, email alerts, submission to online events listings, and Letters to the Editor about programs, sponsor acknowledgement, collaborations, etc.

Administrative

  • Participate in developing and enforcing goals, policies, and procedures that relate to youth services and needs.
  • Prepare strategic highlights for inclusion in Board reports and communication materials.
  • Prepare accurate and timely youth and young adult programming statistics and reports as needed.
  • Evaluate the cost effectiveness of each program.
  • Participate in preparing the annual budget as it relates to youth and young adult services and needs.
  • Monitor the conditions and security of the Kids Barn & Connector areas and YA Loft.
  • Perform other tasks as assigned by the Executive Director or that come up in the normal course of a workday (i.e. dealing with difficult customers, etc.)

Competencies

  • Self-directed with the ability to work independently.
  • Goal oriented and motivated by achieving results.
  • Show initiative, proactively identify issues and concerns and present solutions, and demonstrate persistence to consistently follow through on assigned tasks and requests, and meet deadlines
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, a friendly telephone manner, including the ability to speak compellingly about MCL’s mission.
  • Strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and sound judgment.
  • Able to cultivate and maintain positive, collaborative working relationships with supervisors, subordinates, co-workers, board members, patrons, and volunteers, working as part of a coordinated team.
  • Able to work well, flexibly, and accurately in a fast-paced work environment, adapting and responding to shifting priorities.
  • Receptive to feedback, a good listener, and open-minded.
  • Proven strong work ethic and a commitment to serving the public.
  • Able to make good decisions in an environment of limited resources and competing claims.
  • Able to work evening and weekend hours.

Supervision

  • Moderate supervision is received through daily interactions, individual meetings with the Executive Director, and staff meetings.
  • May supervise support people, both paid and volunteer, who assist in the children’s and young adult areas with programming and activities.

Other Responsibilities

  • Represent the Library positively at all times; act as an ambassador for MCL.
  • May work at the main Help Desk as staffing requires.
  • Participate in developing and enforcing general Library goals, policies, and procedures.
  • Provide customer service, reader’s advisory assistance, and ready reference service in person, on the phone, and via email.
  • Read professional literature in print and online to keep abreast of new developments in library service.
  • Attend scheduled staff meetings prepared to participate in problem solving discussions related to both interpersonal and technical issues.
  • Serve on, or advise, Board committees as deemed necessary by the Board of Trustees and Executive Director.
  • Participate in the Vermont Library Association.

The above job description describes the general nature, tasks, responsibilities, and level of work to be performed; it is not meant to be an allinclusive list of every responsibility, duty, and skill required for the position. A criminal background check is required.

Application Materials

Please email a cover letter and resume to J. Violet Gannon ([email protected]). 

Professional Job Listings in New England