For full post, and to apply, click HERE

Salary: $43.36 - $52.57 Hourly

Location: Various - Seattle area, WA

Job Type: Civil Service Exempt, Regular, Full-time

Job Number: IC #17-25

Department: The Seattle Public Library

Opening Date: 03/19/2025

Job Responsibilities

• African American Collection Management & Promotion: Serve as curator and liaison to the Collection Services Department for the African American Collection at the Douglass-Truth Branch. 

• Support selection of materials by keeping current with publishing, film and music industry trends, local interests and popular culture related to the African American experience in the United States. 
• Contribute to the development of collection standards, coordination and analysis of selection recommendations, formulation and implementation of the selection plan for the African American Collection at the Douglass-Truth Branch. 
• Work with Selection Librarian(s) to create a collection review and maintenance plan for the African American Collection at the Douglass-Truth Branch including adherence to the Library’s Weeding Guidelines. 
• Identify unique and historically significant materials within the collection and determine strategies and resources for preservation as part of the Special Collections Department. 
• Promote use and awareness of the collection and preservation of the African American history and culture through community engagement, including outreach and programming.

• Community Engagement and Partnerships: Understand the role of community engagement in identifying community information needs and goals, specifically on resources related to Black History and Culture and its preservation therein.
  • Employ a community-led and outcomes-based approach that successfully balances community and Library goals through collection-focused engagement with community members and organizations, especially within the African American community. 
  • Understand the importance of bringing Library resources to where people are, both inside the library and through spaces in the community.

• Cultural Humility: Recognize the need to continually develop and practice cultural competence in customer service, reference services, readers’ advisory, program development, engagement, teamwork and leadership with communities and staff that a librarian does not personally identify with.

• Race and Social Justice Initiative: 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.

• Reference Services and Readers’ Advisory: Ensure that information resources and library collections, specifically the African American Collection at Douglass-Truth Branch, reflect the range of information needs in the community and effectively serve the city’s diverse and growing population.

• Program and service design, development, delivery, and evaluation: Continually support community needs and interests within the library's capacity. Support community led programming and create programs that enhance awareness and use of the African American collection.
  • Employ a community-led and outcomes-based approach to design and deliver relevant training and instruction for the public and library colleagues. 
  • Create and give presentations to colleagues and peers, stakeholders, and/or Library 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 successfully balancing community and Library goals.

• Programmatic Leadership: Understand how the role of the Librarian functions within the context of system-wide service initiatives and local service delivery. Initiate conversations with staff about shared approaches to service delivery and empowering staff through increased collection awareness leading staff, volunteers, patrons, community partners, vendors, etc.   

• 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.

Qualifications

• Information Services: Minimum of one year work experience providing information services to the general public. Minimum of one year work experience providing programming specifically to adults and families and the ability to develop, plan, implement and evaluate a program using a community focus or voice. 

• Exemplary Customer Service: Minimum of one year work 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 have 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 demonstrate a positive and enthusiastic commitment to public service.

• Leadership: 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 practices; take initiative in helping the organization to meet its goals; and be able to communicate how the Library is fulfilling its mission.

• Community Engagement: demonstrated engagement skills and experience in working closely with the African American community and community organizations in promotion and use of library resources.

• Technology and Informational Resources: 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. Familiarity with social media platforms and blogging software is highly desirable. Experience with Horizon library automation or a similar system is preferred.

• Collections: 
  • A thorough understanding of the principles of intellectual freedom as they apply to the selection of library materials is essential. A commitment to these principles and to the Library’s mission and goals is required.
  • Professional experience maintaining collections in a public library environment; professional experience developing and preserving collections highly desirable
  • Knowledge of methods of developing and managing collections; knowledge and experience of collection needs assessment, analysis, budgeting, and purchasing highly desirable
  • Knowledge and experience of publishing, film and music industries and popular culture related to the African American experience in the United States.
  • Knowledge and experience of published materials that describe and reflect the African American Experience in the United States.

• Project Management and Teamwork Skills: Experience planning programs and designing outreach, developing and implementing a project, and evaluation; preferably using outcomes-based evaluation methods. Experience serving as a member on a working committee or project team in lieu of the above experience may be considered.

• Resiliency: Applicants must be resourceful and able to deal with evolving and emerging dynamics in the community as well as the workplace, cope with pressures, and learn from failures 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 enforcing the Library’s Rules of Conduct, working in public areas, and when confronted by aggressive or challenging patrons.

• Education:  Must have an MLS or MLIS degree from an ALA-accredited library school, or Washington State Librarian Certification. (Note: Washington State Law prohibits an individual from being hired as a librarian unless they have obtained a Washington State Certification for Librarianship which requires a Master’s Degree from an ALA-accredited Library School.)

• Excellent Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Experience in public speaking and formal writing skill is highly desired, as is fluency in a second language (particularly Somali or other East African languages, Chinese or other Asian languages, or Spanish). Must be able to communicate clearly, diplomatically, and in a 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.

• Commitment to Continuous Learning: 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. 

Additional Information

How to Apply

This recruitment will be open until the position is filled with application review beginning on April 9, 2025. Applications received by this date will receive first consideration.

1. Online application
2. A cover letter that describes how your experience and skills align with the stated job responsibilities and qualifications. Please let us know why you are interested in this position.
3. Current resume that summarizes relevant education, professional experience, training and skills.

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