Library Director, The Maine Charitable Mechanic Association (MCMA)/Mechanics’ Hall, Portland, Maine

Posted January 19, 2022

Description:

The Maine Charitable Mechanic Association (MCMA)/Mechanics’ Hall is seeking a creative, collaborative, and experienced leader to step into the new position of Library Director.

Founded in 1857, Mechanics’ Hall occupies a unique place in Portland, Maine’s history. Our historic library, the 8th oldest member-supported library in the country, was initially built to provide technical education for those working in the mechanical arts. Today, we are a general-interest library consistently adding new titles to meet the needs and interests of our members and community. We offer author talks, book clubs, writers groups & dynamic literary programs. We belong to the Membership Libraries Group, a consortium of 16 sister libraries. In addition to the library, the Hall boasts a historic ballroom and classroom where we host programs and events that support the interests of our members and the Greater Portland community.

The Library Director steps into this role during an exciting and transformational moment in the organization’s history. We have made physical changes to our space to preserve its charm and historic nature while supporting an inclusive, welcoming environment and exploring new ways to engage our members and the community. In collaboration with the Executive Director and Library Committee, the Library Director will take a lead role in these efforts and the development and execution of new programs, partnerships, and strategies to support increased membership and community engagement.

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Position: Library Director

Reports to: Executive Director

Supervises: Substitute Librarians, volunteers, event staff, and interns.

Collaborates with: Admin and Programs Coordinator, Building Superintendent

Hours, Compensation, and Benefits:

This is a full-time salaried position. Salary range starts at $38,000 a year and is commensurate with experience.
The Library Director staffs all open library hours as well as programs outlined below. Current library hours are Tues/Wed/Thurs from 10 am – 4 pm and every first Friday from 5-8; we are looking to further expand open library hours and days.
We offer our employees generous paid time off and, while we encourage use of public transportation and bike life, we are able to offer a dedicated downtown parking space when necessary.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Manages all library functions and reports directly to the Executive Director.
Recruits, trains, and supervises library volunteers, substitute librarians, and event staff as needed.
Works with the library committee to develop and support mission-aligned policies and practices.
Develops, supports, markets, and executes literary and humanities events and programs including book clubs, writers groups, author events, community partner events and more.
Grows library membership, engagement, and collection use.
Collaborates with Building Superintendent and Administration & Programs Coordinator on facility use.
Prepares and administers the library budget in collaboration with the Executive Director.
Engages in regular strategic planning to create short and long-term library goals.
Executes all public services and technical services duties, including circulation, reference, cataloging, statistics, and collection development.
Responds to member and community requests and feedback.
Prepares written and oral reports to the Library Committee and Board of Directors as needed.
Participates on the Library Committee and other committees as requested.
Develop marketing and membership materials, generate and contributes regularly to Mechanics’ Hall’s external communications, including newsletters, social media, website, and community calendars.
Is actively involved in local and national literary and library groups and organizations.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, WORK ENVIRONMENT AND APPLICATION PROCESS:

Desired Qualifications and Skills:

A degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited institution and two years of library services in a leadership position or equivalent combination of training and experience.
Demonstrated administrative capabilities in both budget and team management.
Event management specific to humanities and literary programming.

Our Ideal Candidate:

Our ideal candidate has a lifelong passion for books, libraries, literature and culture – both high and low. You will be immediately beguiled by our historic space with an appreciation for our past and a clear vision for our future. You will be energized by this unique opportunity to lead us into the next decade. Additionally you…

Are enthusiastic about building relationships and take pride in customer service within a public service environment.
Have experience creating and running community programs
Are comfortable speaking in public and being the spokesperson for Mechanics’ Hall at events and programs.
Are comfortable liaising with authors, publishers, etc.
Have previous experience executing literary events.
Have an understanding of current and emerging trends in library operations including customer service, cataloging, collection development, technology, and programming.
Zoom events experience or experience with comparable virtual conferencing/live streaming services.
G Suite/Canva or similar proficient
Possess fundraising, grant writing, and outreach skills.
Possess strong social media storytelling savvy and the skills to execute them.
Prior management or similar leadership experience is a plus
Experience handling sound and/or video equipment is a plus
Understand that you will be joining our organization during the current pandemic reality and will be expected to find creative ways to engage our community.
Enjoy being part of a team that believes in the work of our organization and that has a genuine affection and respect for one another.

The Mechanics’ Hall Work Environment: You will be joining a current staff that consists of a full-time Executive Director, a 20hr a week Administration and Programs Coordinator, and a 20 hour a week Hall Superintendent. We also employ a bookkeeper and occasional contracted Communications and PR support.

Individually, we have varying family needs (children, aging parents and grandparents..) and we take pride in ensuring that family needs and personal time are valued. We have a strong and supportive board of directors who volunteer significant time to committees and special projects.

Our team is kind, collegial and respectful of one another. We are collaborative and good listeners. We are eager learners and love to talk about books, current events, movies, historic preservation, our community, making of just about any kind, and sometimes fishing. We laugh a lot and feel happy to be doing what we do in a city like Portland, Maine.

Turning a previously mostly volunteer organization into a 21st century functioning non-profit requires flexibility, a willingness to take on tasks that might not fall squarely into a standard job description, and a strong sense of humor. You’ll be stepping into this new role during an exciting and transformational moment in our history; the ability to welcome change in tandem with patience is key. We are committed to being an organization that embraces equality, inclusivity and diversity. If the work we are doing and the environment we are building sounds like one that you’d like to be a part of, we encourage you to apply!

How to apply:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume in PDF form labeled as Smith.Resume.pdf/Smith.Coverletter.pdf to:

[email protected]

No phone calls or visits, please.

Mechanics’ Hall is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer.