Teen Services Librarian, Lewis & Clark Library, Helena, MT

Posted March 6, 2021

Description:

Do you feel a thrill when you read a story about how a librarian has changed a young person’s life for the better? Do you have the courage and enthusiasm to bring intentional, inclusive and teen-informed services to an appreciative community? Do you respect and love working with people in their teens? Are you energized when you collaborate with a team of bright, passionate, and intelligent professionals? If so, becoming the next Teen Services Librarian at the Lewis & Clark Library could be for you!

Teen Services at the Lewis & Clark Library operates under the philosophy that communities are stronger when youth have the resources, support and opportunities to be successful, happy and healthy. By creating a welcoming space and offering high quality services, L&C Library staff strive to engage teens with workshops, classes, and library programs that reflect their interests. Library staff are committed to delivering the developmentally appropriate support teens need to create, collaborate, learn and grow.

The Teen Librarian at L&C Library has charge of developing a robust collection of teen-oriented books, media, and games and offers input into the Library of Things collection. This position creates positive relationships with teens through programming, outreach, and community partnerships both in town and throughout the Library’s service area in Lewis & Clark County. They actively and collaboratively work with the Library Branch Managers and other staff to introduce interesting, relevant system-wide programming. They are an advocate for youth and key to setting the goals, policies and procedures relating to young adults. The Teen Services Librarian reports directly to the Library Director.

You’ll find a thriving “people first” culture at Lewis & Clark Library, which includes not only the Library’s commitment to serving Helena, Montana and the surrounding county, but to the care and well-being of staff as well. A recent remodel to the Main Branch, completed in late 2020, has the community excited to return to their “Community Living Room.” Improvements include natural light from many new windows, updated meeting rooms, four private study rooms, and a dedicated hands-on programming space called the “Discovery Room.” The Children and Teen areas were also expanded, moved, and thoughtfully designed to appeal to their audiences. The new Teen Space feels like a cozy lounge, perfect for hanging out with friends, playing games, or curling up in a comfy chair with a book.

Thanks to practical decisions made by the Library team and Board of Trustees and the Library’s commitment to staff health and safety, no one lost their position during the recent COVID-19 crisis.

A reflection of the community’s love and support, Lewis & Clark County citizens chose to stabilize Library funding in 2000 by passing a permanent mill levy. The Library also has an enduring partnership with the Lewis & Clark Library Foundation, an organization that strives to make a ‘Great Library Even Better’.

The Foundation collaborates with the Library each and every year to help make superior programming and innovative projects like the Book Bike, a Book Vending Machine and many other fun projects that don’t start with the letter B, a reality.

Lewis & Clark Library is the proud recipient of several national grants, including the 2014 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Innovation Grant for Libraries from the American Library Association; the 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Mini-Grant from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation and 14 consecutive Annual Big Read Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Qualifications:

• The qualified candidate must demonstrate a terrific customer service attitude, and be able to utilize those skills at the Library service desks.
• Applicants must have good knowledge of family literacy principles and practices; good knowledge of materials created for a young adult audience; understanding of adolescent development; familiarity with trends in library programming for young adults; an ability to teach information literacy skills; and an ability to collaborate with other youth-serving organizations.
• The successful candidate must demonstrate energy, openness, intelligence, creativity, and willingness to work within a team environment. They will be able to form and maintain relationships with a myriad of community members, including teens, teachers, parents, and other youth-serving organizations.
• Lewis & Clark is looking for a candidate who will be intentional about creating and maintaining library space and programs that recognize the value in diversity and welcomes all abilities, genders, orientations, races, and religions.
• The successful candidate will have excellent presentation skills they can adapt to their intended audiences. This position speaks regularly to teen audiences – formally and informally during outreach, programming and when facilitating group tours. The Teen Services Librarian can expect to make presentations to community organizations, other libraries and at conferences.
• The successful candidate must possess computer skills including the use of Microsoft Office, experience using computer software to create flyers and brochures, and an ability and desire to learn a new ILS. Completion, or progress towards the completion of curriculum requirements for a Master’s Degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited school is required. Applicants with experience working in a youth area of a public library; good working knowledge of children’s literature and reference sources; and experience making group presentations are desired.
• This position does work some evenings and weekends.
  
  

Salary and Benefits:

This position is a grade 10 on the LCL salary schedule and has a starting salary range of $20.54 to $25.67 per hour. The full salary range is $42,723 to $62,400 per year. Placement on the salary schedule is based upon education and experience. 

LCL offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental and vision coverage, to employees and qualified dependents as well as a State sponsored retirement plan, access to supplemental insurance and a 457b plan. In addition, LCL provides vacation, sick leave and paid holidays.

How to Apply:

The original job posting with full description can be found here.

Interested applicants are required to submit a letter of interest, a completed Lewis & Clark Library application form, resume, and contact information for three professional references. See here for further application instructions. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee an interview.

LCL reserves the right to re-advertise the position or to delay filling of the position if it is deemed that applicants for the position do not constitute an adequate applicant pool.

For best consideration, completed applications should be received by March 15, 2021. The search will remain open until the position is filled.