Position Posting: Children’s and Young Adult Services Librarian, Poplar Bluff Municipal Library District, Poplar Bluff, MO
Our library invites you to apply to join our team as the Children’s and Young Adult Services Librarian. Poplar Bluff Municipal Library is committed to lifelong learning and our staff. We provide reading, cultural growth, and free access to information opportunities. We accomplish this with our collections, programming, and community involvement. We work to implement our mission in our service area:
Poplar Bluff Municipal Library District with its community partners provides and promotes equal access to reading, information, cultural and intellectual resources.
The Poplar Bluff Municipal Library is seeking a dynamic individual who will help grow and evaluate current programming while implementing new opportunities for children, promoting library collections, and strengthening and increasing outreach. This is an opportunity to join a forward-thinking, fast-moving and ever-evolving organization in a rewarding role that offers ample room for both personal and professional growth.
Under the supervision of the director, individuals in this position develop, plan, and implement programming including story times and reading programs, recommending and purchasing both traditional and non-traditional materials for the children’s and young adult collection (print, games, toys, maker spaces, and eresources) The Children’s and Young Adult Librarian trains, grows, and directs the work of employees and volunteers including a full time early childhood coordinator. The successful candidate participates in community events both on site and off site as appropriate and assists patrons with research, reader’s advisory, and other library services. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to understand and implement engagement of their patrons cognitively and kinesthetically.
Individuals in this position work in a team environment while managing services and staff. This position works primarily with the Adult Services, User Services, Tech Services, and Building Administrator. The Children’s and Young Adult Services Librarian develops and coordinates with the Business Services Associate marketing and promotions of children’s library services and programs.
An MLS from an accredited college or university is preferred. Candidates with a Master’s in Education and library studies emphasis will be considered. Public library experience is preferred. Candidates must have a strong customer service philosophy with an ability to implement across the library; excellent communication skills; strong organizational skills; demonstrates creativity, flexibility, and a positive attitude; ability to exhibit good judgment and establish effective working relationships; ability to plan, coordinate, and supervise the work of others; knowledge and use of social media for communication and marketing; and ability to exercise leadership and motivate others. Additional skills needed include proficiency with basic office software and equipment including mobile devices in a library setting; understanding and use of library databases.
This is an exempt position and compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. PBMLD has a full benefit package including health, dental, vision, education, and retirement with personal time off.
PBMLD has proven itself a leader in technology integration and staff are dynamic and customer focused. Come be a part of our team!
Applications, resumes, and references may be emailed to careers@poplarbluff.org. Applications are available on poplarbluff.org/careers.
Applications should be received by June 15, 2018. Applications received after this date may be considered.
Candidates may email the director at szostak@poplarbluff.org, visit our website www.poplarbluff.org, visit our Facebook page, or call the director at 573-686-8639 to learn more about us. ... See MoreSee Less
Position Posting:
Library Director, Marion Public Library, Marion, IA
The Marion Public Library Board of Trustees is seeking the next Director of the friendliest public library in the world. This is a special opportunity to lead a team that is fiercely customer-focused, excited to try new things and take risks, and to build actively on present success to improve services every day. This position offers unparalleled support, opportunity, collaboration, and community.
The Library Director reports to a supportive, enthusiastic, and engaged nine-member Board of Trustees and participates in City of Marion initiatives and projects in cooperation with other City department heads. The library leadership team works very closely with the Director to coordinate workflow, set goals, and improve services.
Support also comes from the nimble, responsive, and change-ready library staff. MPL employees are united in their dedication to library service for all, open to new ideas about what the library does and how work is structured, and truly engaged in the shared work of the agency. This is a group of people that welcomes big ideas, has impressive attention to detail, and has the energy to shake things up every day.
Expectations: The selected candidate will provide strategic direction for all operations of the Marion Public Library, including supervisory and management responsibility for all staff; oversight of service and program design, implementation, and evaluation; facility management; coordination with other City of Marion departments; work with City administration and with the Library Board to ensure effective resource stewardship; and managing and allocating an agency budget of $1,650,000+.
Opportunities: The incoming Director will be able to implement a newly crafted strategic plan (which has significant staff support and which will institutionalize our strong customer service ethic) and to shepherd the library and community through the building process of a new library facility (much of the heavy lifting is done, but many decisions are still to be made).
MPL is one of the busiest public libraries in the state, sees nearly 900 visitors each day, and circulates around 700,000 items annually.
MPL works closely with community schools, day care facilities, and senior care centers to extend its exceptional service throughout the community. The agency prides itself on providing the programs and materials the community needs and wants, with an emphasis on patron-driven service design.
MPL is a member of the Metro Library Network, a local consortium that includes the Cedar Rapids Public Library and the Hiawatha Public Library. MLN collaboration is growing all the time, and includes shared services for the public, unified vendor agreements to maximize economies of scale, joint materials usage and transport, and some shared programming.
The successful candidate can look forward to hiring a Deputy Directory within the first six months of hire.
Community: Marion is a fast-growing community of over 38,000, adjacent to Cedar Rapids and 40 minutes north of Iowa City and the University of Iowa. It is one of the fastest-growing small cities in the Midwest, and one of the youngest per capita. Marion offers residents the best of all worlds with many cultural and shopping opportunities available nearby while retaining a quaint small-town charm.
Marion was a 2017 USA Tree City Growth Award recipient and was awarded a grant through MidAmerican Energy’s Trees Please! program in 2017. The community boasts 19 public parks and is part of an extensive regional trails system. Marion is ranked in Family Circle’s Top 10 for Best Places for Families and is home to two excellent school districts.
Over the past decade Marion was accredited as a Blue Zones community, which resulted in Iowa’s Healthiest Large City Award in 2015. Through Blue Zones, the National Citizen Survey’s Community Livability Report revealed that an astounding 93% of Marion residents rate the community as an excellent or good place to live. Uptown Marion became a Main Street district in 2013.
ArtPlace America selected Marion as the only place in the state to receive a placemaking grant to transform its most underutilized historic alleys into community gathering spaces through public art. The resulting project, called the Uptown Artway, received Main Street Iowa’s Best Beautification Project award in April 2018.
Marion’s designation in 2009 as an official Iowa Great Place served as a catalyst for several grassroots projects that have now come to fruition. The Klopfenstein Amphitheater for the Performing Arts, created through this program, has brought distinction to Marion with an All-Star Community Award from the Iowa League of Cities.
You can view the 2018 State of the City video at youtu.be/tP2bBAwlimo. Visit the community’s website at www.cityofmarion.org to learn more.
The Board of Trustees welcomes application materials from all qualified candidates with an MLS or its equivalent from an ALA-accredited program. A State of Iowa Public Librarian’s Certificate will be required. The board will prefer at least five years of public library and administrative experience, experience working with a governing board and in a municipal government environment, and experience working with library building or renovation projects.
Compensation: The salary range is $86,302-$126,915 commensurate with experience, with a competitive benefits package.
Job Title: Library Director Civil Service: No
Department: Marion Public Library Bargaining Unit: Non-Bargaining
Reports to Position: City Manager / Library Board Pay Grade: NB Payscale
Location: Marion Public Library Overtime Status: Salary
Effect. Date: 5/3/2018 FLSA Status: Exempt
JOB SUMMARY
Provide a brief description as to the primary purpose of this job (no more than three to five sentences):
This is a professional position with the rank of department head within the municipal government system. Customer service is fundamental to the mission of the Marion Public Library. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the library director to manage the staff, physical facilities, services, and financial operation of the library in accordance with the policies established by the board of trustees and city administration. The library director is accountable for all library activity and reports to the library board.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES/WORK PERFORMED
List essential job functions that comprise the job; describe in terms of actions (verbs) and desired outcomes in order of most important first:
• Directs the development and implementation of strategic and long-range plans for the library consistent with
the city’s long-range plans and with library-specific visioning
• Develops and administers the library budget; approves expenditures and implements budget adjustments as
appropriate and necessary
• Assumes management responsibility for all library services and activities, identifies and assigns staff
responsibilities, and recommends and administers policies and procedures
• Reviews and evaluates work methods and procedures; meets with leadership staff to plan for change and to
identify and resolve problems
• Coordinates selection, training, and evaluation of all library personnel; evaluates and determines staffing needs
• Coordinates implementation of new services and programs
• Provides governance assistance to the board of trustees; meets with the board of trustees at regular and special
meetings and prepares materials and reports
• Represents the library by attending or designating attendees to meetings such as: board meetings, Friends
meetings, library foundation meetings, city staff meetings, council meetings, library and state library association
meetings, etc.
• Explains, justifies, and defends library services, policies, and activities; negotiates and resolves sensitive and
controversial issues
• Responds to and resolves sensitive citizen inquiries, comments, and complaints, including behavior problems
• Participates in community activities to coordinate with and promote library services
• Responds to operational problems and alarms at the library during all hours of the day or night
• Performs other duties as required or assigned
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
List key dimensions (measurements for success) for this position:
• Ability to prioritize hospitality, service curation, and shared joy into strategic management
• Ability to think flexibly about service provision and the future of libraries
• Passion for implementation of patron-driven services
• Bold in approach to risk-taking in service design and talent development
• Ability to work effectively with diverse populations
• Enthusiasm for leading change
• Ability to be flexible and to adapt to a changing environment
• Ability to act and lead with political savvy
• Voracious curiosity
• Ability to determine the gravity of interactions and intercede appropriately
• Knowledge of principles and practices of library and information science
• Knowledge of principles and practices of public administration and management
• Knowledge of public sector and municipal budget development and administration
• Knowledge of personnel management and conflict resolution
• Knowledge of interpersonal communication
• Familiarity with library and office information technology
• Familiarity with applicable U.S., state, and municipal public finance, laws, and regulations
• Familiarity with U.S. and state level library and information policy
• Familiarity with grants, grant writing, and alternative public library funding sources
• Ability to plan, organize, direct, and coordinate staff
• Ability to select, supervise, train, and evaluate staff
• Ability to delegate authority and responsibility
• Ability to identify and respond to community and organizational issues, concerns, and needs
• Ability to analyze the community’s needs for library services and programs
• Ability to prepare and present public presentations
• Ability to analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and
implement recommendations in support of goals
• Ability to interpret and apply federal, state, and local policies, laws, and regulations
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships
• Ability to follow all safety rules and regulations
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & PHYSICAL ABILITIES
List key relationships (to whom and the nature of the relationship) and leadership received and from whom associated with this position:
• Ability to sit, bend, stoop, reach, stand, push, pull as required
• Physical agility, strength and dexterity necessary for handling library materials up to 35 pounds.
• Dexterity to use basic technology equipment, including a keyboard, mouse, and touchpad
• Interpersonal skills and cognitive flexibility to interface with a variety of internal and external customers in
diverse, sometimes high-stress, situations
• Executive functioning skills appropriate for a busy, fast-paced environment
• Work includes reading library materials and computer screens, working with all library equipment, moving
throughout the library, and working directly with patrons, staff, and volunteers.
• Work also may involve frequent interruptions, high stress situations, and working alone.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
QUALIFICATIONS
List the minimum requirements to be considered for this position:
• Graduation from a four-year college or university and MLS from an accredited library school, or its equivalent,
is required.
• Five years public library and administrative experience is preferred.
• State of Iowa Public Librarian’s Certificate is required.
• A valid driver’s license is required.
WORKING CONDITIONS
List working conditions for this position:
• Works in an office environment
• Works a standard work week with occasional work outside of regular library hours, including weekends.
• Work outside the facility may include community festivals, city meetings, and responsibilities, and
presentations to professional or service organizations.
• May be required to work some overtime upon demand of workload
REQUIRED BACKGROUND CHECKS
List working conditions for this position:
• Sex Offender Registry
• Criminal Background Check
• Drug Screening
• Driving Record
• Pre-Employment Physical
Interested candidates should email a completed City of Marion Application form, cover letter, and resume to hr@cityofmarion.org by Friday, June 8, 2018.Marion Mayor Nick AbouAssaly reviewed the City's accomplishments of 2017 and looked ahead to 2018 and beyond during the 24th annual Marion State of the City ... ... See MoreSee Less
Video
Voting in MLA’s election of our next ALA Councilor-Elect begins Thursday, April 21st.