Seattle Room Collections Curator, Adult Services Librarian - Government Jobs : Job Details

The Seattle Public Library is a dynamic urban library system that consists of the Central Library and 26 branch libraries and is Seattle's center of information and knowledge and one of the most popular and valued services in the city. Library staff members are highly regarded by the public for their knowledge, quality of service, and caring. Staff members are committed to the Library's values of care, connection, and learning. They are equitable, demonstrate respect, engage in partnerships, and are transparent in their communications and intentions. The Library seeks to foster a culture of innovation which focuses on creativity, engagement, learning, and staff well-being and belonging. If you share these values and meet the qualifications, the Library invites you to apply for this Seattle Room Collections Curator, Adult Services Librarian position.

The Seattle Room Collections Curator works as part of the highly collaborative Special Collections team to develop collections through thoughtful selection, evaluation, accession, weeding, replacement, and retention of library materials; to curate the collections in a manner that engages the public; and to provide guidance to patrons on how to best access information using these collections. This position will specifically select and maintain materials added to the Seattle Room Collections, an internationally regarded collection on Seattle and Pacific Northwest Culture and History. The Seattle Room Collections are a key element of Special Collections, maintaining local history resources that have been in existence at the library from its very inception. The position also collaborates with the Library's Collections Services Department and Special Collections team members to acquire new materials for the collection.

As a member of the Library Programs and Services Division, this position will be based in the Central Library and reports to the Special Collections Services Manager. As a member of the Special Collections team, this position will be called upon to provide expert information reference in person and online (via LibAnswers) for service points at the Central Library, which houses the Seattle Room Collections serving information needs related to the Seattle Culture and History Service Priority.

In addition to responsibilities related to collection development and maintenance, the position will also be responsible for highlighting the collection's information resources and engaging the community with the collection, including related support of outreach and programming that is focused on and responsive to the community.

The position will work collaboratively with librarians and library staff to serve adult audiences, as well as teens and young adults. Structured collection support and collection engagement with high school and college students with the Seattle Room Collections will be part of this position's scope.

The Seattle Public Library is actively seeking innovative librarians who see collection engagement with the communities we serve 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 the ability to thrive in an environment that requires supportive teamwork to maintain a safe and welcoming service environment for patrons and staff.

Curatorial duties may include engagement with the staff of The Seattle Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Seattle Public Library regarding the Seattle Room Collections and efforts to support it. The position also collaborates with other Collection Curators and the Digital Collections Librarian to research and describe collection materials and prepare selected items for digitization.

• Research Services and Support: Serve as a primary Subject Matter Expert on primary and secondary resources related to PNW and Seattle Culture and History, especially within the Seattle Room Collection.
• Seattle Room Collections Management & Promotion: Serve as curator, subject matter expert, and liaison for the Seattle Room Collections at the Central Library.
• Community Engagement and Partnerships: Understand the role of community engagement in identifying community information needs and goals, specifically on resources related to Pacific Northwest history and culture and its preservation therein.
• 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 may be different than your own.
• 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 Seattle Room Collections at Central Library, 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 Seattle Room collection.
• 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.

• Information Services: Minimum two years of professional experience in a special collections department or agency. Minimum of two years work experience providing information services to the general public. Minimum of two years 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.
• Knowledge and experience in providing Seattle and Pacific Northwest culture and history research support: including, but not limited to, published print and electronic resources, ranging from textual, photographic, film and music industries and popular culture.
• Exemplary Customer Service: Minimum of two years 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 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.
• 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.)

Desired Qualifications: Excellent Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Experience in public speaking and formal writing skill is highly desired, as is fluency in a second language (particularly Japanese, Chinese or other Asian languages, Spanish, Somali or other East African languages). Must be able to communicate clearly, diplomatically, and in a positive manner with staff and Library users from diverse language, ethnic,