Library Supervisor (Community Engagement)

City of Richland•Richland, MS

11d•$74,652 - $104,512•Onsite

About The Position

The City of Richland is seeking an organized, relationship-driven, and imaginative leader to shape the Richland Public Library’s Community Engagement efforts. The Richland Public Library is a single-site municipal library serving the community from a 57,757-square-foot facility with flexible program and meeting spaces. The library benefits from stable funding, strong administrative support from the City, and a community with a long history of valuing and supporting library services. In 2025, the library welcomed over 224,000 visitors and hosted more than 48,000 attendees at Community Engagement programs, reflecting the library’s central role in civic life. The Community Engagement Supervisor leads a team of five (5) Librarians, providing direction, mentorship, and support for innovative programming and outreach that responds to community needs. In addition to supervising the team, the position is responsible for building and sustaining community partnerships, collaborating with other municipal departments on engagement efforts, serving as the primary liaison to the Friends of the Library, and working with the City’s Marketing & Communications department to strengthen the library’s brand. The ideal candidate is both an outside-the-box thinker and a hands-on leader who enjoys coaching staff, building relationships, and turning ideas into meaningful community impact. This is an onsite position and includes some weekend and evening work. GENERAL SUMMARY Performs skilled administrative support work planning and coordinating the activities of the library's circulation, technical services, and reference desks, and related work as apparent or assigned. Continuous supervision is exercised over assigned personnel. Work is performed under the limited supervision of the Library Manager (supervisor).

Requirements

Valid driver's license.
Bachelor's degree and three (3) years of experience in community engagement, including one (1) year in a supervisory role, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge of: Library practices, policies, procedures, terminology, and equipment.
Operations, functions, and maintenance of a public library.
Principles of Intellectual Freedom and their application.
Administrative principles and practices, including program development, implementation, evaluation, project management, and supervision of staff, either directly or through subordinate levels of supervision.
Basic reference and bibliographic tools, techniques, and procedures.
Information retrieval from reference materials and computer databases, including print and online sources.
Record-keeping principles, procedures, and techniques.
Public speaking techniques.
Networking techniques and strategies (Community Engagement Option only).
Customer service trends in hospitality organizations or public libraries (User Experience Option and Community Engagement Option only).
Skills and Abilities: Learn, read, interpret, and apply and explain rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Apply management principles to operations within the library organization.
Plan and coordinate the activities of the library's service desks.
Perform a variety of responsible library and administrative duties to assist patrons in locating materials and demonstrate the proper use of reference materials.
Explain library practices, procedures, and equipment.
Demonstrate the location of books, periodicals, and other materials in the library.
Communicate effectively both orally and in writing; comprehend and use English effectively including producing all forms of communications in a clear, concise, and understandable manner to intended audiences.
Organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner; work independently with little or no direction, set priorities, and meet deadlines.
Operate a variety of modern office equipment and personal computers using standard or customized software application programs appropriate to assigned activities.
Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy and procedural guidelines.
Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
Provide continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality customer service.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in Library Science
One (1) year of previous library experience

Responsibilities

Supervises assigned staff; evaluates and reviews work performance; works with employees to correct deficiencies; plans, coordinates, and arranges for appropriate training of subordinates; documents corrective action and applies City policy, as needed; participates in the interview and selection process of new employees; recommends merit increases, reassignment, and promotions according to established guidelines.
Assists patrons at the desks and on the phone; models appropriate customer service; promptly addresses escalated customer service concerns; fosters team management by establishing and nurturing a work environment that will promote and maintain a high level of morale and productivity
Assigns and delegates work to ensure adequate staffing at service desks; trains, coordinates, and schedules the work of library volunteers; maintains time related records.
Assists in maintaining a clean and orderly library environment; reports need for repair, maintenance, and additional supplies, and equipment as necessary.
Assists in the monitoring of patron behavior and ensures positive and harmonious interaction and relationships between patrons and library staff, assists in the overall security of the library and its premises.
Serves and participates as a member on library committees; contributes ideas to facilitate program and policy implementation; interacts with Library Board and City Council to advance library initiatives; acts as Library Manager when the Manager is unavailable.
Assists with the analyses of market changes and/or community development to identify opportunities to enhance or promote library services and programs.
Directs a unified program and outreach strategy for the library; plans and implements library programming and outreach for all ages; works with residents to ensure community engagement is meeting community need; coordinates marketing of library programming; stays current with community engagement trends in public libraries; oversees grant applications and implementation related to community engagement; assists in developing the annual budget for programming and outreach resources.
Initiates and maintains mutually beneficial partnerships within the community to support programming and outreach; attends networking functions; collaborates with regional libraries and service providers; acts as the liaison for the Friends of the Library.

Benefits

Excellent open access (preferred provider) medical plan with substantial City-paid contribution
City-paid dental and vision plans
City-paid Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance (equals two times the employee's annual salary)
City-paid Long-Term Disability Insurance
Participation in the State of Washington's Retirement Plan (PERS)
Paid Time Off (PTO)
10 Paid Holidays
4% City-match deferred compensation with 457 and 401(a) plan options
Senior Management Level = additional 4% City-paid into the 401(a) Plan
Management Level = additional 3% City-paid into the 401(a) Plan
Supervisors or Exempt Level = additional 1% City-paid into the 401(a) Plan
Extended Sick Leave (ESL)
Section 125 - Flexible Benefits Plan (Medical/Dependent Care)
City Paid and Employee Paid Retirement Health Savings Plan
Employee Assistance Program
Annual Performance Assessment System