Adult Services Librarian (Humanities)

Invitation to Compete #59-23: Adult Services Librarian

Humanities

$37.99 - $46.07 per hour

Hours will include weekdays, evenings and weekends. This classification is part of a bargaining unit represented by AFSCME.

This position is open to the public and to The Seattle Public Library’s employees. Please submit your NEOGOV application, cover letter and resume by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, 2023 to be considered.

Overview

The Seattle Public Library’s mission is to bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. We view Seattle as a city where imagination and opportunity continue to thrive. Since 1891, we have grown from a single reading room in Pioneer Square to a world-class library system with 27 locations.

The Library works every day to foster and support a healthy city and a healthy democracy. We do this work guided by the principles of intellectual freedom, literacy and the love of learning, racial equity, privacy and confidentiality, respect for the community, strong partnerships and innovation. We are an active and committed partner in the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative.

Library employees are highly regarded by the public for their knowledge, quality of service and caring. As a workplace, we value respectful and transparent communication, partnership and engagement. We are enriched individually and organizationally because of our diversity. We take time to recognize and celebrate the achievements of others.

The Seattle Public Library is actively seeking innovative librarians who see community engagement as essential to all aspects of developing, delivering, evaluating and improving programs, services and content. Successful candidates will be creative, self-directed professionals with a strong work ethic, a collaborative work style, a good sense of humor, and have the ability to thrive in an environment that requires supportive teamwork to maintain a safe and welcoming service environment for patrons and staff.

We are seeking a dynamic, community-driven librarian to join our Humanities team at the Central Library. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated knowledge, interest, and experience in one or more of the subject areas of arts (performing and visual), recreation, literature, history, travel, and maps. This librarian will also have responsibilities for supporting speakers of other languages and a shared responsibility with other librarians for our world languages collections and engaging speakers of other languages.

This librarian will lead projects, develop community-focused programming, and provide basic to advanced reference help for library patrons. This position requires a commitment to inclusionary and patron-centered practices as well as amplifying voices from historically marginalized communities. The ideal candidate will have experience working with racially, culturally, and economically diverse communities, as well as experience providing programs and services for people in non-native English speaking communities. The ability to provide reference and readers’ advisory services in other languages is an asset.

This librarian will be part of a team of librarians and will report to an Assistant Managing Librarian in the Reference and Reader Services department in the Downtown Region. As a member of the Downtown Region, an adult services librarian is responsible for maintaining a safe and welcoming public environment utilizing principles of de-escalation. Experience providing service for people who are experiencing housing insecurity or individuals living with addiction or mental illness is preferred.

If you are a librarian who is both self-directed and collaborative, and you have a passion for providing superior customer service, we invite you to apply for this Adult Services Librarian position. Please be sure to tell us why this position is of interest to you.

• Cultural Competency: Recognition of the need to continually develop and practice cultural competence in customer service, reference services, readers’ advisory, program development, community engagement, teamwork and leadership with communities and staff that a librarian does not identify with.
• Community Engagement and Partnerships: Understand the role of community engagement in identifying community needs and goals, and develop relevant and responsive programs, services, and content that meet those needs. Engage with community members and organizations to develop and maintain both formal and informal relationships to realize outcomes that further community and Library goals. Understand the importance of bringing Library resources to where people are, both inside the library and spaces in the community.

• Race and Social Justice Initiative: Applicants must support the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative and have a strong commitment to providing equitable services to marginalized or underserved populations throughout Seattle.
• Intellectual Freedom: Applicants must have a strong commitment to intellectual freedom as defined by the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights.

• Resiliency: Applicants must be resourceful and prepared to engage with evolving and emerging dynamics in the community as well as the workplace, manage an active dynamic public service environment, and through learning, overcome challenges in ways that respond to patron needs and help the organization move forward. Must have the ability to maintain a high level of professionalism and customer service while engaging patrons about the Library’s Rules of Conduct, working in public areas, and when confronted by aggressive or challenging patrons.

Desired Qualifications

How to Apply

Please submit the following items by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, 2023 to be considered for this position. Your application will not be considered if these items are missing or incomplete.

• A cover letter that describes how your experience and skills align with the job responsibilities and qualifications. Please let us know why you want to do this work.
• Online application with responses to the supplemental questions.
• Current resume that summarizes relevant education, experience, knowledge and skills.

Applications that do not include a cover letter, resume, and complete online application will not be considered.

Applicants will be screened for competitiveness, completeness, and written communication skills. Initial screening will be based on a review of application materials. The employment history detailed in your application materials MUST validate/support your responses to the supplemental questions. If your responses cannot be validated, you will not proceed to the next steps of the review/selection process. The most competitive candidates will be invited to participate in a series of one or more interviews.

Benefits and Salary Information

The full salary range for this position is $37.99 - $46.07 per hour.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and covered family-members/most employees-plans

Additional Information

If you have questions regarding this bulletin or employment at The Seattle Public Library, please send an email to [email protected]. The Library promotes diversity and inclusion in employment. If accommodations are needed during the selection process, please contact us.

Please keep in mind that job offers are contingent on a review of criminal history as well as verification of information provided by the applicant as part of the application process.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents.