Teen Services Librarian

City of Seattle•Various - Seattle area, WA

17h•Onsite

About The Position

The Seattle Public Library is seeking a dynamic, community-driven Teen Services Librarian for the Children and Teen Services Department at the Central Library. This position will lead projects, develop community-focused programming, maintain collections, and provide basic to advanced reference help and readers’ advisory for Library patrons in person and via LibAnswers. The role requires a commitment to inclusionary patron-centered practices and amplifying voices from historically marginalized and excluded communities. The successful candidate will be part of a team of Librarians and Library Associate IVs reporting to an Assistant Managing Librarian. As a staff member at the Central Library, a Teen Services Librarian is responsible for maintaining a safe and welcoming public environment utilizing principles of de-escalation. Experience providing service for people who are insecurely housed, or individuals living with addiction or mental illness, is preferred. Teen Services Librarians serve teens and young adults defined as ages 12-26 as well as their caregivers and families. They are able to provide innovative and proactive services consistent with developmental needs of youth and the needs of parents, families, and caregivers. The Teen Services Librarian will provide Teen Services support for the Central Library and Downtown Seattle. They will provide programming for teens and young adults, work with local community partners, and provide teen collection support for the Central Library. This role will regularly cover information service points throughout the Central Library. This role will be heavily focused on working with unhoused teens and young adults up to 26-years-old. This can be done by continuing partnerships with nearby housing communities, collaborating with the co-Teen Services Librarian at the Central Library, and occasionally working with the Social Services Team. The successful candidate must demonstrate a strong commitment to providing high quality learning opportunities and understand tween, teen, and young adult learning and development as well as the role of the family and community in the larger context. Demonstrated experience engaging and collaborating with partners using culturally responsive strategies. The successful candidate will have an understanding of relationship building, power sharing, and collaboration when working with and between community and institutional partners. Experience operating in a cross-functional team is preferred. This position will respond to the evolving needs and interest of our communities by facilitating and supporting community-led programs and activities that promote cultural enrichment, school and career readiness and success, teen development and engagement, community building, and emerging literacies, such as, social, digital, media, information, and text based.

Requirements

Must have an MLS or MLIS degree from an ALA-accredited library school and Washington State Librarian Certification. (Note: Washington state law prohibits an individual from being hired as a librarian unless they have obtained Washington State Librarian Certification.)
At least one year of experience providing information services to the general public.
Minimum of one year experience providing programming to teens and young adults. Demonstrates the ability to develop, plan, implement and evaluate a program using community voice.
Minimum one year of experience providing customer service in person, via online chat, or over the phone; and/or instructional or outreach services to the general public.
The successful candidate will demonstrate a proven commitment to public service and providing exceptional customer service.
Candidates must possess excellent interpersonal communication, problem solving, customer relations, and teamwork skills; a sense of humor; and the ability to demonstrate a positive and enthusiastic commitment to public service.
Applicants must have a strong commitment to intellectual freedom as defined by the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights.
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.
Experience planning programs and designing outreach, developing and implementing a project, and evaluation; preferably using outcome-based evaluation methods. Experience serving as a member on a working committee or project team in lieu of the above experience may be considered.
Must be able to communicate clearly, diplomatically, and in a friendly and positive manner with staff and library users from diverse language, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds, as well as with neighborhood-based or special interest groups.
Acquire and maintain the necessary skills to better serve our patrons and help our organization evolve.
A commitment to develop and grow a racial equity practice; this includes but is not limited to focusing on and addressing the emerging needs of specific age groups and understanding the impacts of race and intersectionality in our larger systems, library policy, programs and services
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 Community Use Agreement, working in public areas, and when confronted by aggressive or challenging patrons.
Applicants must be able to utilize their knowledge, skills, and abilities to effect positive change. They must actively seek out information from the library industry and other industries; pursue opportunities to develop networks with the intent to learn about best practices from other organizations and share The Seattle Public Library’s best practice. They must take initiative in helping the organization to meet its goals and be able to communicate how the Library is fulfilling its mission.
Must have current working knowledge of PCs in a Windows environment and library applications and be able to use online Internet searching methods and information resources.
Candidates must be flexible, able to handle multiple competing priorities and tasks, adaptable to change, and able to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

Nice To Haves

Writing, editing, and presentation skills are preferred
the ability to provide reference services in other languages is an asset.
Experience providing service for people who are insecurely housed, or individuals living with addiction or mental illness, is preferred.
Demonstrated experience engaging and collaborating with partners using culturally responsive strategies.
Experience operating in a cross-functional team is preferred.
Familiarity with social media platforms and blogging software is highly desirable.
Experience with Horizon library automation or a similar system is preferred.
An ability to incorporate and apply newer/emerging technologies in support of creative, effective programming, and information services is desirable.
Enthusiastic about designing and supporting library programs for unhoused teens and young adults.
Experience working with people experiencing housing insecurity.
Experience working with people navigating perceived mental health needs.
Experience working with people living with addiction.
Fluency in a non-English language is an asset.

Responsibilities

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 the community’s and Library’s goals. Understand the importance of bringing Library resources to where people are, both inside the library and spaces in the community.
Reference Services and Readers’ Advisory: Assist patrons of all ages and interests in finding information they need and materials that surprise and delight. Support system-wide service initiatives and strategic priorities. Develop and deliver local targeted programming for area-specific populations. Develop and maintain expertise in a wide range of information resources in order to deliver high quality reference and readers’ advisory service in a variety of modes (in person, phone, virtual). Ensure that information resources and the library collection reflect the range of information needs in the community and effectively serve Seattle’s diverse and growing population.
Program and service design, development, delivery, and evaluation: Commitment to continually support community needs and interests. Use community information to create relevant programs, services, and content that responds to specific community interests and needs. Design and deliver relevant training and instruction for the public and library colleagues. Create and give presentations to colleagues and peers, stakeholders, and/or the Library’s administration to market programming or obtain funding for future programming. Use evidence-based practices, data-driven decision-making, and outcomes-based evaluation practices to review and ensure programming is meeting expectations.
Programmatic Leadership: Understand how the role of the librarian functions within the context of the system-wide service initiatives and local service delivery. Initiate conversations with staff about service delivery and lead staff, volunteers, patrons, community partners, vendors, etc.
Operational Leadership: Knowledgeable in the effective use of library facilities, equipment, services, and programming. Cultivate healthy working relationships with colleagues locally and regionally; engaging with them in support of the Library’s programs and services.
Project management : Create, execute, and manage all aspects of project planning for designed services delivery including budget, resources, timeline, and outcomes-based evaluation. Coordinate all administrative and logistical details, such as coordination of volunteers when needed, marketing and advertising, budget tracking, and leading project teams.